U svatého Antoníčka

A thoroughly entertaining operetta, apparently dehumanized by the alleged ravages of time. Yes, Czech film operettas are a completely different experience than other contemporary productions, but understanding that this is not a serious work should not be such a problem. The story of a trio of couples whose love affair culminates over the holiday of St. Anthony is, in its abstract form, the typical stuff of light musical entertainment theater since at least the mid-19th century. The contrasting encounters between modern people (here a Czech-American and a journalist) and the distinctive figures of Slovácko are successful caricatures on both sides. Those proclaimed painted nails of Ljuba Hermanová are not so dramatic, considering that this is a B&W film and there is no detail on her hand in the entire film. The fact that she functions as the female mayor of an entire village (and referee in matters of love) deserves much more attention. The parody of big-city journalist Franta Paul is something that today's media studios would love to play with. Dohnal and Pospíšil are a classic pair of passionate youths. Dohnal is a charming young comedian who prefers coffee above all else, and Pospíšil's fresh voice gives this film a really strong relationship with its original musical score by Jára Beneš. The operetta diva Alena Frimlová, who makes her debut in the film, also represents an ideal link between the original theatrical form and the film adaptation; in addition to her great voice, she also looks great and caricatures her Czech-American character so well that all others must be compared with her version. And Hana Vítová is classically pleasant. It should be added that while the style of operettas in Czech film had been determined mainly by Piskáček, the arrival of Beneš and later Stelibský turned this genre into something excellent. (16.03.2020)