Gypsies

Directed by Karl Anton

With Hugo Svoboda, Olga Augustová, Theodor Pištěk, Alfons Rasp and Julius Czonský

The tale of the Venetian gondolier whose desire for revenge following a thwarted love affair leads him to Bohemia. The intricate plot also deals with destinies of other characters, who finally come together in a dramatic encounter at one time and in one place. In his role as screenwriter and director, Anton produced a highly accomplished version of Mácha’s work. He respected the original but was also able, along with the DoP Karel Kopřiva, to capitalise on the possibilities that the film medium offered. For the Venice prologue, the filmmakers exploited the photogenic qualities of the city – the narrow streets, the lagoons, gondolas and the sea – and they moved the set to the enigmatic Czech landscape around the castle of Kokořín.