Vintage Car. The Beginnings of Czech Motoring in the Film

Abstract

In the mid-1950s, a unique film called Dědecek automobil (Vintage car) was born in Czechoslovak cinema. The film was based on the eponymous model by the writer Adolf Branald and Alfred Radok became the director. The film is dedicated to the beginnings of Czech motoring in the first decade of the 20th century. The processing combining the genre of documentary and feature film is also unique for the period of its creation. Thanks to the love liaison that culminates in the marriage of the Czech car fitter and the French girl, the film also acquires a poetic dimension. Part of the story of the film takes place at car races in France, which opened the way for the participation of French actors, unusual for the 1950s. However, the filming took place exclusively in the Czech Republic. The acceptance by Czechoslovak film critics was embarrassing after all the film deviated significantly from the period works. He aroused even more interest abroad. At the San Sebastian Film Festival in 1957, he placed second and won the Film Critics Award. The text is largely based on contemporary literature, memoirs, and materials stored in the National Film Archive.