zlom anglContact : Verbascum, producer R ichard Nmec, erná 6, 110
00 Praha 1 , Czech Republ ic
te l . : 00420 2 24930077, fax : 00420 2 24930384, verbascum@emai l
.cz
d i r e c t e d b y R o m a n V á v r a
a c l a s s i c f a i r y – t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y
In the land of King Dobromil honest labour, decency, honesty and
res-
pect among people has become a thing of the past. Instead the
country is gradually succumbing to Hell’s force and, thus, those
who
have some remnants of decency prefer to flee. When things in
the
land go from bad to worse the King in his helplessness sells his
soul
to the Devil, and his base Minister takes over the reigns of power.
At
this very time in the Kingdom appears an inconspicuous merry
drea-
mer called Philip. When muddle-headed herbalist and sorceress
Apol-
lonia sees him coming with an ass she is convinced he is the
saviour
from her dreams. Noone realises he is a Prince from a
neighbouring
Kingdom. And, lo-and-behold, Philip really manages to save the
land
from Hell not, though, through any magic but because of his
courage,
humour, his sincere love for Princess Annie and, maybe, his
well-
aimed cheek to counter the omnipotent Lucifer.
All this, and much more, we will see portrayed using
kind-hearted
poeticism, nerve-tingling drama and, above all, distinctive humour
in
a classic fairy-tale film created by noted scripwriters Miloš
Macourek
and Ondrej Šulaj, and directed by Roman Vávra. With such
seasoned
authors and the director’s unusual vivid imagination, a spectacle
for
everyone is ensured. It is a film for those who want to relax,
amuse
themselves, or just pause a while, but, mainly, it is a film for
people
both big and small who believe that evil will not triumph as long
as
we do not tremble in fear when facing it.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 1
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 2
CONTENT:
deadlines and locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
biography of the director Roman Vávra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
biography of the scriptwriter Miloš Macourek . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
biography of the scriptwriter Ondej Šulaj . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
biography of the producer Richard Nmec and information about the
company Verbascum . . . 9
story outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
working sketches of costumes
Translated by Pavel Theiner
The project has been supported by EURIMAGES, a grant from PRO
SLOVAKIA
and The Czech State Fund for the Support and Development of Czech
Cinematography.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 3
Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roman Vávra
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miloš Macourek
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roman Vávra
35mm. widened format 1: 1.85
Dolby Digital Surround EX sound system.
Producers: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verbascum (Czech
Rep.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slovak TV
All exterior locations with the exception of the river (Dunajec in
the Slovak Republic) and castle (Perštejn in Moravia) are to
be
found in various places in central Bohemia. Emphasis when choosing
locations was placed on authenticity and, also, the romantic
aspect of the environment.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 4
PROJECT AND DISTRIBUTION DEADLINES:
September – December 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Pre-production
February – June 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Production, a total of 51 filming days
July – December 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Post-production
Autumn 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.TV premieres
Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .Pernštejn – interiors and exteriors
River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .Dunajec – ervený Kláštorec (Slovak Rep.)
River and ferry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .River Berounka near Beroun
Woodcoal merchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Kokoín valley
Woodcoal store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Kokoín valley
Volcano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .Mine heaps in northern Bohemia
Czech TV studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Several interiors from Hell and Castle, well
ROMAN VÁVRA – DIRECTOR
Feature films:
2000 Bitva o ivot/Battle for Life (Verbascum, Czech TV, 88 mins.,
Directed with M:Janek and V.Janeek, feature documentary
distributed in cinemas)
1998 Co chytneš v it/In The Rye (1998, Verbascum, Czech TV, 100
mins., first feature)
Short films and documentaries:
2001 Skí/Wardrobe (Czech TV, 25 mins., micro-comedy)
2001 Jak jsem se zbláznil – Ota Pavel/How I became mad – Ota Pavel
(53 mins., Czech TV, documentary)
1999 Zblízka Rádio Limonádový Joe/A Close-up – Radio Lemonade Joe
(Czech TV, 58 mins., documentary)
1997 Jak se ije pevozníkm//Ferrymen (FEBIO, 14 mins.,
documentary)
1996 Bojovníci/The Fighters (Czech TV, 39 mins., documentary)
1996 Co chytneš v it (Osina)/In The Rye (The Awn) (Verbascum, FAMU,
26 mins., acted film)
1996 Genus Jana Nedvda/A Portrait of Jan Nedvd (FEBIO, 14 mins.,
documentary)
1995 Na cest/On the Road (Czech TV, 40 mins., documentary)
1994 Bylo, nebylo/Once upon a Time (Czech TV, 21 mins.,
documentary)
1993 V páté ad na Mertovi/In the Fifth Row at Merta (Czech TV, 38
mins., documentary)
1993 Brati a sestry/Brothers and Sisters (FAMU, 29 mins.,
documentary)
1992 Hnutí mysli/A Move of Mind (FAMU, 11 mins., documentary)
Roman Vávra (b.1965) graduated Prague’s School of Economics as well
as in documentary film-making at Prague’s Film Academy
(FAMU). Even while at school he gained recognition with his
humorous portrait of a grave-digger (Bylo, nebylo/Once Upon A
Time),
a film which, at the same time, contemplates life’s fateful
crossroads. He also made, among others, a noteworthy
documentary
(Bojovníci/The Fighters) dedicated to a group of down-to-earth
gardeners trying to eradicate giant hogweed.
Roman Vávra dedicates himself to dramatic films as well as
documentaries – he involves himself in his projects also as a
scripwriter.
Furthermore, he works as a theater director. Since 1992 he has
regularly worked together with Czech TV where, for example,
he
directed and was partly responsible for the script in the TV serial
Kíem kráem na cest/Criss Cross On The Road. Roman Vávra has
won several times the Prize of the Czech Literary Foundation, the
Pavel Juráek Prize, two Maxims for the best student film, the
Jurors Prize from the Hungarian Festival Media Wave ‘96 etc..
His feature debut Co chytneš v it/In The Rye was shown at many
foreign and domestic Festivals and received prizes, (e.g. The
Gol-
den Grape, Poland, 1999 and Golden Debut, Summer Film in Trlice,
1999). In 1988, the film was nominated for 5 Czech Lions (the
Czech annual film awards), among them direction, script and best
film. Actress Iva Janurová won one for Best Actress for the
main
role as the brave bride Jindiška. Film was warmly received by the
public as well as in the media.
In 2000 he co-directed a documentary film Bitva o ivot/Battle for
Life. This film brought the documentary genre back into Czech
cine-
mas. The film was awarded the annual prize by the professional film
association FITES. It also received a special prize at a review
of
Czech films where it stood in competition with dramatic films.
Further, it will represent the Czech Republic in the official
documentary
section of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2001 (MFF), and has been
chosen for the competition section at several other festivals
abroad.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 6
MILOŠ MACOUREK – SCREENWRITER
2000 Kytice/Wild Flowers
1981 Zralé víno/Ripe wine
1979 Hon na koku/Cat hunt
1977 Jak utopit doktora Mráka/How to drown Dr. Mracek
1977 Co takhle dát si špenát/Do you fancy some Spinach?
1972 Dívka na koštti/Girl on a broom
1970 tyi vrady staí, drahoušku/Darling, four murders will do
1970 Pane, vy jste vdova!/Mister, you’re a widow!
1969 Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové/Sirs, I’ve killed Einstein
1966 Kdo chce zabít Jessii?/Who wants to kill Jessie?
Miloš Macourek (b.1926) is the most experienced scriptwriter in
Czech comedy and fairy-tale film industry. He entered the
literary
scene with a collection of poems lovk by nevil svým oím/One
wouldn’t believe one’s eyes (1958). In the 1960s he wrote
plays
for the theater Na zábradlí and, at the same time, wrote scripts
for the Barrandov Film Studios and Krátký Film Prague. He is
respon-
sible for 29 feature films (mainly comedies and fairy-tales), 7
dramatic TV serials (Arabella, Létající estmír/Flying estmír, Keek
v
noní košili/Hamster in a nightshirt – many of whch were
co-productions with foreign partners, particularly from Germany)
and 5 ani-
mated serials (Mach a Šebestová/Max and Sally, ofka). He is also
the author of dozens of animated films which have received
festi-
val awards world-wide. Further, he has written 10 books which have
been translated into fourteen languages (ivoichopis/Animalbo-
ok, Mach a Šebestová/Max and Sally).
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 7
ONEJ ŠULAJ – SCREENWRITER
2000 Sokoliar Tomáš/Falconer Thomas (director V:Vorlíek –
fairy-tale feature)
1998 Obrázky z výletu/Pictures from a trip (co-scripted by M.Lešák
and M.Šulík)
story from the film Praha oima.../Prague stories...
1997 Orbis Pictus (co-scripted by M.Lešák, directed by
M.Šulík)
1995 Záhrada/Garden (directed by M.Šulík)
1995 Vášnivý bozk/Passionate Kiss (directed by M.Šindelka)
1992 Všetko, o mám rád/All that I’m fond of (directed by
M.Šulík)
1991 Neha/Tenderness (directed by M.Šindelka)
1988 Správca skanzenu/Caretaker of an outdoor museum (directed by
Š.Uher)
1987 Štek/Rage (directed by M.Luther)
1985 Tichá rados/Silent joy (directed by D.Hanák)
1982 Pavilón šeliem/Big mammals pavilion (directed by
D.Traník)
1981 Pomocník/Helper (directed by Z.Záhon)
Implemented sctripts for TV films:
1996-7 Silvánovci/Silvanovecs (directed by K. Spišák) TV serial –
44 parts
1994 Na bukvovom dvore/In Bukva Courtyard (script and direction by
O.Šulaj)
1992 O psíkovi a maike/Doggie and Cattie (script and direction by
O.Šulaj)
1985 Poznám takú bylinku/I recognise a little herb (directed by
J.Banyák)
1980 Pomocník/Helper (directed by L. Vajdika)
1979 Chlapec z Majera/Boy from Majer (directed by S.Párnický)
1977 apákovci/Tapakovecs (directed by L. Vajdika)
1973 Lupii v Hammerponde/Thief from Hammerponde (directed by
M.Pietor)
Professor Ondrej Šulaj (b.1949) works as a scriptwriter and
director for film and television. He also writes outside these
mediums
and lectures. He graduated from the university VŠMU in Bratislava,
receiving degrees in film and theater direction. In 1979 he
began
teaching at this school. From 1993-1999 he served as Dean of the
Film and TV Faculty. Apart from this, he has been the Director
of
Drama at the SNP Theater in Martin and the Nová scéna in
Bratislava. At present, he is the President of the Slovak Film and
TV Aca-
demy. Ondej Šulaj has written over ten scripts for the theater and
directed plays in Slovakia as well as abroad. He is also the
author
of many TV and film scripts which have been awarded prizes at
foreign festivals (Karlovy Vary, Trieste, San Remo, Strasbourg,
Angers,
Mannheim, Prix Italia Bologna and many others).
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 8
RICHARD NMC – PRODUCER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
FILMOGRAFIE:
Feature films – producer and executive producer:
2000 Bitva o ivot/Battle for Life (directed by Roman Vávra,
Miroslav Janek, Vít Janeek, 88 mins.,
Czech TV co-production)
1998 Co chytneš v it/In The Rye (directed by Roman Vávra, 100
mins., Czech TV co-production)
Executive Producer:
1999 Zblízka Rádio Limonádový Joe/A Close-up – Radio Lemonade Joe
(directed by R.Vávra, Czech TV)
1996-7 Šedesátka/Sixty (various, musical weekly, Czech TV)
1994 Pijel k nám cirkus/The circus has arrived (directed by
K.Vondrová, Czech TV)
1993 V páté ad na Mertovi/In the fifth row at Merta (directed by
R.Vávra, Czech TV)
Richard Nmec (b.1971), after leaving grammar school, completed his
apprenticeship in the production department of Krátký Film
Prague, working on a number of work-for-hire films for foreign
partners. In 1998, he graduated from the Production department
of
FAMU (Prague Film School). Between 1994-2000 he was the producer at
Archa Theater in Prague where he was involved mainly in
production of foreign and multi-media projects (e.g.Residents
Freakshow live) and also as the Programer of the Film Club. In 1995
he
founded a production company Verbascum which was transformed in
2000 into a limited company. Verbascum works closely with
several production groups within Czech TV in the co-production area
as well as executive production.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 9
Contact: Verbascum, producer – Richard Nmec, erná 6, 110 00 Praha
1, Czech Republic tel.: 00420 2 24930077, fax: 00420 2 24930384,
[email protected]
STORY OUTLINE (LONG VERSION) THE DEVIL KNOWS WHY
If a devil appears in Hell and asks the poor souls in cauldrons
whether the water isn’t too hot, or if he should add a drop of cold
water to cool things down, it means that there’s something strange
going on in Hell. And Lucifer stumbles across such an absurd ano-
maly on his isnpection tour-- and it makes him mad.
The cause of these alarming deformities is herbal sorceress
Apollonia’s garden where flowers grow whose aroma disseminates
goodwill and love. Appolonia’s cottage stands in a forest near
Hell’s entrance, making it easy for devils pop in on the odd
occasion – and that always causes trouble. All this Lucifer tells
Appolonia, thundering terrifyingly in order to convince her to do
away with the garden. Appolonia, though, is no wilting flower and
sends the hellish ruler to the devil.
In Apollonia’s kingdom terrible things are happening and Apollonia
is deeply unhappy. People are sinning more and more and Hell is
having a feast. It’s not just a question of poverty which torments
the wretches but, mainly, it’s about the moral decay where one lot
destroys another, where rogues are victors and where being good and
honest means being no more than an object of ridicule or the victim
of evil. Apollonia sows her miraculous seeds wherever she can, but
the populace destroys the flowers in order not to become infected
by goodness. Although the land is free-falling towards ruin
Apollonia doesn’t lose heart. Apollonia’s foster-mother, who was a
kind witch and founded the garden, pronounced a death-bed prophecy
that one day a man would appear who would save the king- dom. He
would be young and arrive with an ass.
Our story begins by a river on which a raft with two youngsters
appears.The older one, Quido, is merry and thoughtless, a man-of-
the world kind of chap. The younger one, Philip, is more soulful,
more serious, with a kind of behaviour suggesting some strange tra-
gic experience. In a minor incident, they come across a charming
strawberry blonde. Neither Philip nor the girl can put that moment
out of their minds. Both feel that they have fallen in love at
first sight.
The two young men, who have been travelling for several days,
deliver their raft up for wood, take their reward and are free.
They have no inkling that their wood will be used to heat Hell and
that they are dealing with devils. At the woodcoalmans’ place in
the forest where the wood is processed they come across an old
disobedient ass. The angry coalman wants to get rid of the animal,
so he presents it to Philip. Together with Quido and the ass,
Phillip travels to a village to find a bed for the night.Apollonia
sees the young man coming with the ass and immediately remembers
the prophecy foretold by her foster-mother.
As they arrive in town, Phillip and Quido experience a shocking
event on the village green: a poor wretch who has smelt the flower
of goodness, is giving away everything that his family had left.
Relatives are beating him like there is no tomorrrow, but most
revol- ting of all-- a priggish aristocrat passing through the
village, the Chief Minster, is humiliating the poor man. Philip
gives the family a little money and, against Quido’s protests,
gives the Minister a hiding. The villagers consider Philip to be
another victim of the flowers but Apollonia’s confidence grows that
Philip is really the pre-ordained saviour of the ruined kingdom.
Because Philip was hurt in the fight Apollonia offers to treat him
and invites both of them home.
At home Apollonia’s hunch deepens further when she judges Philip’s
behaviour to be that of an aristocrat rather than a village yokel.
When she learns that the young men are looking for work she directs
them to the castle. Further, she learns that Philip was charmed
(and vice versa) by Princess Annie, that very strawberry blonde
which the tow young men met briefly on their arrival. Apollo- nia
feels she has a duty to help „the saviour" in order that he prevent
the country's ruin and finally sits at Annie’s side as King.
Apollonia is unaware that the kingdom cannot be saved, that
disaster is inevitable. The widowed King, to whom Apollonia is tied
by a youthful love-affair, is now just a puppet in his
brother-in-laws’ hands – the Chief Minister and super scoundrel
with whom Lucifer himself signed a pact. Their agreement is simple:
the Minister will ensure the Kingdom’s downfall and, thus, force
the King to sign up to Hell in order to save the land. When the
king is then dragged to Hell, the brother-in-law will take over the
throne as Lucifer’s ally.
The Minister is fulfilling his end of the agreement by embezzling
the country’s finances and, using an infernal machine, sending the
moneyto the devils as if to a bank.
Philip and Quido arrive at the castle just when the King’s personal
tragedy is culminating and when this sincere but weak man, whose
only solace is his daughter and bee-keeping, is coming to terms
with the idea that Hell’s help is the kingdom’s only way out.
Philip, equipped with Apollonia’s magical spices capable of turning
a potato pancake into a sought-after delicacy, arrives at the
castle as a chef. The ever-joking Quido accompanies him as a fool.
Both again meet the strawberry blonde, Annie, and are surprised
that she is a princess. Annie also happens to be surprised. Her
interest in Philip turns to a deep fateful love even moreso when
she notices, like Apollonia, that Philip is no ordinary village
lad.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 1 0
Noticing the budding romance between Phillip and Annie, Quido’s
thoughts turn towards envy. Driven by this passion, he becomes an
ally of the Chief Minister, the King’s brother-in-law. The graceful
Quido, fawned on by women, unfortunately also attracts the eye of
the Minister’s wife who pursues him at every step and, so, the poor
fool has great difficulties in balancing between her and her mighty
husband.
The situation at the castle, and particularly Annie’s personal
troubles, are further complicated by the fact that Philip has cause
to hide his true identity, living at the castle as a chef and
unable to bring his relationship with the Princess into the
open.
At the time of Philip’s arrival the King makes a last desperate
move to avoid Hell and announces that he will give his daughter
away to a rich suitor who will save the Kingdom. There is panic in
Hell that Lucifer will not get the King to sing the promissory
note. and the traitorous Minister is terrified that he won’t
fulfill his side of the bargain to Lucifer and will end up in Hell
instead of on the thro- ne. But, unawares, Quido saves the
Minister. In order to suck up to the powerful man he betrays the
secret affair between the Annie and Philip. In that moment Hell has
won. Lucifer sends „a rich suitor" to the castle and he
„accidentally" uncovers the scandalous contacts between the Annie,
a princess, and Phillip, a lowly chef. He takes offence and
threatens to compromise Annie in all Royal Courts. Although the
seething King throws Philip out, the situation can no longer be
contained. The hope of a marriage for the Prin- cess has
disappeared and the King is definitely at the end of his tether. He
collapses when „the suitor" surprisingly offers a way out – puts in
front of him the devil’s promissory note. The King realises he has
been the victim of a dastardly conspiracy but, as he has no option,
signs.
As soon as Annie finds out that Philip has been thrown out she
reproaches her father that he drove out not just a person to whom
her heart belongs but, possibly, a nobleman who could have married
her. Upset and angry, she leaves the castle.The unhappy King
realises that he has lost the person closest to him, and that for
the one last year of life left to him-- owing to his pact with
Hell-- he will remain all alone.
Annie nor the King nor anyone else knows what has really happened
to Philip. He has not just disappeared. When he was packing his
things in the kitchen, he overheard through the dumb waiter a
conversation between „the suitor" and the King while they were
signing that fateful parchment, and immediately understood the
situation. Taking advantage of praise he received from this this
"sui- tor" for the meal he prepared, Phillip waits for the
departure of this devilish assistant, and successfully offers his
services in the pas- sageway. He has time to write a message to
Annie and give it to Quido. Then, unseen by anyone, he disappears
with the devil straight from the castle walkway and finds himself
in Hell. Quido, with other aims to pursue, does not pass the letter
to Annie and, so, she is unaware what Philip is up to. Likewise,
Philip doesn’t know that Annie, having left the castle, has ended
up with Apollonia at her cot- tage, where it feels like in an oasis
of love and goodness.
When a clearly satisfied Lucifer flies in from Hell’s HQ to pick up
the King’s promissory note, he is invited for dinner. He finds it
extremely tasty and becomes interested in this magical cook. So, he
looks at his vetting file and sees that Philip has a good charac-
ter and in every way is an ethically pure Crown Prince who has
escaped from his kingdom, the ruin of which was Hell’s
responsibility. Such an odd customer is of interest to Lucifer so,
under a ruse that he is borrowing a superb chef, he takes Philip
off to Hell’s HQ.
Lucifer, though, has no idea that he has brought to his central
fiefdom a person who has decided to search out and confront the
monstrous power which destroyed his father and rest of his family,
and forced him to flee his own kingdom as if from a burning house.
Lucifer has no inkling that to his nest he has brought a courageous
man who has decided to save the father of his beloved princess, a
man who is too shy to admit to Annie his royal birth until he is
able to offer her something more than the fate of a refu-
gee.
On the other hand, Philip has no idea as to why Lucifer has brought
him here and with what motives. Meanwhile, back in the Kingdom, the
pact promissary note between Lucifer and the King signed, the
castle is suddenly awash with
money. No-one knows where it has come from which gives the King's
brother-in-law the opportunity to claim that this new prosperity is
his doing. Everywhere good feelings reign, although the King’s
grief deepens. Of course, the gold sovereigns for which he signed
himself away to Hell do not bring the sought-after benefits. They
dissapear into the pockets of the Minister and his lackeys and dee-
pen the society’s moral degeneration, but do not eliminate the
poverty of ordinary people.
The Minister knows that the Kings’ days are numbered and with his
wife is slowly preparing for his accession. He knows, though, that
in his path stands the vanished Annie, the rightful claimant to the
throne. And it is clear that this problem will not be solved for
him by Lucifer.
He decides to get rid of Annie and asks Quido to search for her and
eliminate her. The cunning Quido, though, has his own plans at this
time. He looks for Annie and, as he expects, finds her with
Apollonia. But to
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 1 1
the Minister not a peep. He is trying to keep Annie for himself.
Philip is not around and Quido knows that if the Princess belonged
to him, they would sit on the throne and the Minister could take a
hike. He leaks to Annie that the Minister is trying to kill her and
expects Annie’s gratitude. Annie is in a precarious position. She
feels that it is too dangerous to refuse Quido out of hand and, so,
she plays for time firmly believing that beloved Philip will soon
appear.
Good Apollonia supports Annie’s faith even though, poor thing, she
still has constant problems with her garden. At Lucifer’s bidding,
the Minister sends a party of the worst thugs into the forest.
Annie, hiding in the loft at Appolonia's, watches with horror as
they try to destroy the garden. Fortunately the garden manages to
defend itself. The Minister raves and rants when the scoundrels
return as rabid missionaries of love and peace.
Time flies and Philip plays his role as Lucifer’s cook. Finding his
bearings, he visits Lucifer’s study where portraits hang of
defeated kings including those ofhis own father and that of
Annie’s. He also notices the fateful parchments of the still-living
monarchs, which lie in special boxes attached to the frames of the
paintings. He even sees a map of all the kingdoms where Lucifer has
marked the lands under his control, Philip’s own kingdom among
them. Philip understands that Lucifer’s base passion is to hunt
kings, press them into traps and take over their lands with the aim
of transforming the whole world into an unending kingdom of
evil.
Philip takes a chance and throws the parchments of the living kings
into the open fire in order to save them. With horror he sees that
they do not burn. Lucifer catches Philip in the act and gives his
explanation: nobody can destroy anything in this Hell, only he
alone. Lucifer is not even angry with Philip, and only laughs in
his face.
Lucifer’s calm and proud self-confidence truly knows no bounds.
After this incident, he takes Philip to the top of a volcano in
whose innards lies Hell’s HQ, and shows him a barren desert under
snow-- a picture of the world-to-be for which he strives-- in order
to show Philip the futility and hopelessness of resistance to evil
and Hell’s power.
Philip is surprised by Lucifer’s pleasant behaviour until he
realises that the infernal beast sees him as a potential King and
that he is trying to break him. He is trying to prove to Philip
that even he is capable of succumbing to temptation, capable of
baseness and surrender to Hell. And that he, Lucifer, is only
waiting for his chance to do him in.
That chance occurs the day Philip’s time in the kitchen is to come
to an end. Lucifer invites him to his study and shocks him with an
evidently forged contract whereby Philip is meant to serve another
nine years. Lucifer carelessly places the contract into a poc- ket
of his elegant coat, throws the coat over a chair, and moves away
dressed only in his shirt and braces, as if he's forgotten about
the coat. He is convinced Philip will take his chance and steal the
contract, a base and sinful act. When the Lord of Evil returns, the
contract truly is missing from the coat. Lucifer laughs
triumphantly. He has won over Philip. He then changes tack, as if
it is all a joke, and asks that Philip gives the forged contract
back since, in any case, it is no longer valid and he can destroy
it. Philip agrees and Lucifer throws the parchment into the fire
where it immediately starts burning. Lucifer is unaware that he
just destroyed Annie’s father's agreement and that the forged
„chef’s" document has found itself in the frame of the King’s
portrait.
Philip’s service comes to an end, and a satisfied Lucifer, who is
under the impression that he is victorious, prepares to take the
cook back to the Hell from whence he borrowed him, and thence to
pay a visit to the King in order to take him away.
That day Quido is putting the pressure on Annie. He divulges what
he knows from the Minister, that the King has signed up for Hell
and the time is coming when Lucifer will come for him, which is
also when the Minister will try to get rid of Annie. Broken, Annie
con- fides to Apollonia who is aghast and endeavours to undertake a
desperate attempt to save a loved one. She uses an agreed signal to
call Lucifer, who has just arrived at the nearby Hell with Philip,
and offers him the garden of goodness and love in return for the
King. Contemptuously, Lucifer declines. Hell will soon triumph in
this kingdom. Lucifer disappears in order to prepare to personally
lead away the King.
Before that happens, a murderous attack is aimed at Annie. She
flees from the murderers as far as the woodcoalman’s place and
hides among the coal stacked on a truck. Along with the black
stuff, she is tipped into the storage area of Hell where,
fortunately, two deformed but kind devils are working. They try to
smuggle Annie out of Hell but are unsuccessful, Annie is discovered
amd flees. She hides among the sinners and, in all amazement, meets
up with a
similarly open-mouthed Philip who saves her and runs with her
straight to the castle, using the infernal machine by which the
Minis- ter had been sending stolen monies to Hell.
Lucifer, having come for the King, is totally flummoxed when it is
shown he has no right to the King, that he doesn’t have the pro-
missory note but, instead, Philip’s out-of.date contract. Lucifer
realises that Philip’s act was the opposite of baseness and that it
was a risky move by a courageous person prepared to sacrifice
himself for the benefit of others. He is forced to admit defeat,
and flies away, taking with him the Minister to whom Hell has a
right following the failure of the whole project.
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 1 2
And, thus, the story ends. The King will rule again, with kind and
wise Apollonia at his side who will, no doubt, bring about new and
better rules in the kingdom whereby the country can begin to
recover. We have no doubt that her garden of goodness and love will
help to bring that about. Philip will take home with him the seeds
of those magical flowers, and thus be able, with Annie's support,
to struggle for the return of his kingdom from the power of
evil.
And what about the traitorous Quido? His shame does not allow him
farewells and he flees. But one more strange surprise: during a
village dance, an unknown man with an ass appears at the castle
gates. The young man
looks around not understanding, surprised that he sees happy
people. Apollonia gently suggests that there is nothing to save
people from any more, so, he can journey with his ass to some other
place. The good woman looks lingeringly and thoughtfully after the
man as he disappears. Maybe she made a mistake? Is it possible it
was all somehow to be different?
a c l a s s i c f a i r y - t a l e f o r t h e w h o l e f a m i l
y 1 3
k o s t ý m y / c o s t u m e s / k o s t ü m e
o b r a z o v á p í l o h a / p i c t o r i a l a d d e n d u m / b
i l d t e i l
A n i k a / A n n i e / A n i t s c h k a K v i d o / Q u i d o A p
o l e n a / A p o l l o n i a
K r á l / K i n g / K ö n i g M i n i s t r / M i n i s t e r M a t
y l d a / M a t h i l d e / M a t h i l d a
Š a š e k / J e s t e r / H o f n a r r L u c i f e r / L u z i f e
r U r u g a l
f o t o g r a f i e z n a t á e n í / s t i l l s / f o t o s v o n
d e n d r e h a r b e i t e n
o b r a z o v á p í l o h a / p i c t o r i a l a d d e n d u m / b
i l d t e i l
An i ka , Apo l ena / Ann i e and Apo l l on i a / An i t s chka
und Apo l l on i a Ta t i ana Pauho fová , I v a J anu rová
F i l i p / P h i l i p / P h i l i p p Š t p á n K u b i š t
a
L u c i f e r / L u z i f e r C s o n g o r K a s s a i
e r t A z a r a c h / D e v i l A z a r a c h / Te u f e l A z a r
a c h Z d e n k S u c h ý
K v i d o / Q u i d o I v a n S h v e d o f f
Hostina u Apoleny / Lunch at Apollonia’s house / Festmahl bei
Apollonia
n á v r h y d e k o r a c i / s e t d e s i g n / d e k o r a t i o
n s e n t w ü r f e
o b r a z o v á p í l o h a / p i c t o r i a l a d d e n d u m / b
i l d t e i l
D m A p o l e n y / A p o l l o n i a ‘ s h o u s e / A p o l l o n
i a s H a u s
H o s t i n e c u p í v o z u / I n n b y t h e f e r r y / G a s t
h a u s a n d e r F ä h r e