A dancer's ambition versus a mother's love — guess which one 1943 Czech cinema punishes?
The bourgeois family does not forgive, from her point of view, inappropriate behavior - contempt overtakes both the girl who decides to dedicate her life to dancing and her sister, who takes in her child, passing it off as her own. The sinister lesson is that even the greatest career cannot compensate for lost maternal love...
Acting
Glázrová's dancer burns with restrained fury.
Costume
Period detail that screams respectability anxiety.
Director
František Čáp
Marie Glázrová
Clo Satranová
Jiřina Štěpničková
Marie Satranová
Růžena Nasková
Satranová
Terezie Brzková
Háta
Eduard Kohout
baron Maras
Karel Höger
Saša Holberg / Arens
Gustav Nezval
Maxmilián
Vlasta Fabianová
Marie Luisa
Jan Pivec
Borský
Karel Dostal
lékař
Jaroslav Marvan
ředitel ND
Miloš Nedbal
divadelní ředitel v Bruselu
Jiří Steimar
ředitel drážďanské opery
Zvonimir Rogoz
maestro Bondini
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Čáp made this during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, when Czech cinema operated under Nazi oversight — the focus on 'decent' family values carried uncomfortable ideological weight.
The film's title promises a dancer but delivers a cautionary tale: 1940s Czech cinema couldn't celebrate female ambition without punishment.
XC
