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19042
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Cinéma & Cie. Film and Media Studies Journal
Multiple-Language Versions of Czech Films and the Film Industry in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s
Text.Serial.Journal
https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/cinemaetcie
4
Thematic issue / Section thématique
2004-03-01
2022-11-20
2004-03-01
2024-02-14
Cinéma & Cie
Ivan Klimeš
2004/03/01
Univerzita Karlova, Praha
2036-461X
4
en
Multiple-Language Versions of Czech Films and the Film Industry in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s
https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/cinemaetcie/article/download/19042/16802
4
MULTIPLE-LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF CZECH FILMS AND THE FILM
INDUSTRY IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA IN THE 1930s
Ivan Klimeš, Univerzita Karlova, Praha




   The versioning routine in Europe (or at least in some European countries) issued from
incentives that were somewhat different than those of the Hollywood studios, and
these incentives had very little to do with the issues of dubbing. This is the general
point I want to demonstrate, pars pro toto, on the example of Czechoslovakia, with
occasional references to Austria, Germany and Hungary. Czechoslovakia will figure
here as an entity within the European film market, albeit an entity of secondary signif-
icance, which therefore had to try harder to make it on the international market.
   In researching this essay I wanted to get a feel for the issues that may need to be antic-
ipated were we planning a catalogue of multi-language versions. One of the first tasks
that FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) assigned to its members in 1946,
right after WW2, was to produce national filmographies. If any multiple-language ver-
sions showed up at all in that first generation of such catalogues, a great many details
had not been given. Some of these gaps have not been filled in to date. I have not been
successful in tracking down the names of the sound engineer, the editor, or the set
designer of many multiple-language versions of Czech films. Compared to the Czech
“originals,” we have only fragmentary pieces of information on the cast, and so on. We
trust our project is going to reverse the situation.
   The Czechoslovak film industry of the 1930s was marked by a relatively high output
– the annual average from 1931 to 1938 was more than 34 films; roughly 25 films a year
in the early 1930s, 45 or more annually in the late 1930s. In 1937 Czechoslovakia was
the fifth biggest film producer in Europe. The film industry was relatively self-suffi-
cient, meaning that the existence of the domestic production did not depend on export.
A network of nearly 2,000 movie theaters constituted a market on which the domestic
film producers could survive, especially if they combined production with distribution.
It was just the other way round in Austria – a mere 10% of production costs came from
the film’s national distribution; the remaining 90% came from export.1 Lastly, the
Czechoslovak film industry enjoyed a certain amount of support from the government:
between 1932 to 1934 this included artificial regulation of foreign film imports, but for
the most part it took the form of subsidies to domestic films.
   From 1930, when sound film production began in Czechoslovakia, a total of three hun-
dred full-length feature films had been shot through the end of 1938. This aggregate num-
ber includes the Czech versions of three films from Paramount’s European production, and
thirty-nine foreign-language versions of Czech films, or of films mostly in the Czech lan-
guage. Statistically speaking, about 16% of domestic production appeared thus in a foreign-
language version. The multiple-language versions were here produced continuously from
1930 through 1938; when this routine was brought to an end it was for political reasons.

CINEMA & Cie, no. 4, Spring 2004                                                          ­89
IVAN KLIMEŠ

   Three to six multiple-language versions were thus produced each year. Additionally,
Czechoslovak film industry records from 1933 to 1936 mention dubbed versions, all in
German, of another ten films.2 In other words, export-oriented Czechoslovak producers
made both “autonomous” multiple-language versions as well as dubs. The more expen-
sive variants (parallel production of multiple-language versions) were considerably
more numerous than the cheaper variant, i.e. dubbing. It is interesting that all the
dubbed versions shown in the period records had different lengths (generally shorter)
than the original, in some case by several hundred meters.3 This means that these films
were, strictly speaking, not dubbed but rather adapted.
   What were the reasons for such extensive production of multiple-language versions?
Even though local producers could live off the domestic market, the market was small,
which put limits on potential sales and forced the film producers to invest only modest-
ly. With the advent of sound, average feature film production costs quadrupled. Costlier
projects were always somewhat iffy in the Czechoslovak Republic. Bigger profits could
only be had by expanding to markets abroad. Early on it became clear that foreign dis-
tributors were quite passive when it came to importing Czechoslovak films. More than
fifteen titles were presented annually at the Viennese film exchange toward the last years
of the silent film period, but with the arrival of sound the Czechoslovak films disappeared
altogether. When they reappeared, these were, with some exceptions, Czech films pre-
sented in a German-language version or dubbed by the Czech producer.4 In mid-1930s,
complicated and unsuccessful negotiations were held between Czechoslovakia and
Austria concerning a bilateral agreement on films. It was primarily the Austrian side that
had a stake in this. Czechoslovak negotiators wanted to increase the import of
Czechoslovak films to Austria. While Czechoslovakia regularly purchased practically the
entire Austrian film production, the Austrian distributors showed only German-language
versions of Czech films. The Austrian film industry representatives were unable to guar-
antee that the exhibitors would widen their repertoire, even though the industry as a
whole had an eminent interest in the agreement.5 This case exemplifies the Czechoslovak
producers’ situation on foreign markets: if they wanted to break into any of them, they
simply had to deliver a ready-made product in the form of a foreign-language version.
Other small filmmaking countries in Europe found themselves in the same predicament:
Austrian producers made in 1932 to 1935 multiple-language versions for the Anglo-Saxon
and French markets, and participated in the production of Hungarian films in Hungarian
and German versions for the Austrian, German and Swiss markets.
   Access to these markets had been made more difficult yet by the protectionist policies
current in many European countries. Roughly from the mid-1920s, pro-active protec-
tive measures were being enacted against the expansion of American films. A number
of countries such as Germany, Great Britain, France, Austria, Hungary and others set
import quotas, quite frequently linked to domestic film production. Although such
measures were aimed at Hollywood in the first place, they actually affected all
importers indiscriminately.
   Thirty-nine multiple-language versions (of which thirty German-language versions
of Czech films, eight French-language versions, and one Czech version of a German
film) were made in Czechoslovak production or co-production. This includes multiple-
language versions made of so-called synchronised films, i.e. silent films with an added
sound track. For example, Erotikon (G. Machatý´ , 1929) was synchronised into both a
Czech and a German version in 1933.

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                                                  MULTIPLE-LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF CZECH FILMS

   The occasional efforts to make a push for the French market apparently arose not
only from the dominant position France held among the European cinemas, but also
from Czechoslovakia’s foreign policy orientation between the wars. France was a major
ally of the new Czechoslovak Republic, and contacts between the two countries were
developing on all levels. The French-language versions of Czech films were always
made with a completely new cast, the sole exception being the French language version
of Extáse (G. Machatý, 1933).6 This practice distinguishes the French-language films
from the larger group of German-language versions, which shared some cast members
with the Czech version. This brings us to German, the dominant language of Central
Europe, and consequently the dominant language of the multiple-language versions of
Czech films. Although this orientation of the Czechoslovak film producers is in this
respect logical, a few remarks should be added.
   The producers of German-language versions presumed double sales – to Germany and
to Austria – but they also attempted regular inroads into other countries, where a German
version stood a much better chance than its Czech equivalent. The larger the number of
target countries, the lesser the risk represented by a given country’s censorship, import
license rejection, or administrative obstacles. Furthermore, the producers of German-lan-
guage versions counted on the more than three million strong German minority in
Czechoslovakia. This was another target group; even if a film could not be sold to
German-speaking countries, this domestic niche market would help out. The production
of German-language versions was thus secured in several ways, but this “ideal” is obvi-
ously relative. If we were to go case by case, we would see a variety of complications, eco-
nomic impact being not the least among them. Thus, for example, the German-language
version of Pobočník jeho výsosti (M. Frič , 1933), Der Adjutant Seiner Hoheit with Vlasta
Burian, was banned in Germany for disrespecting the Austrian army uniform, and
encountered problems in Austria itself. More broadly, the political development in the
course of 1930s led Czechoslovakia’s Germans to become a somewhat unreliable group of
cinema-goers as far as domestic production was concerned.
   By the mid-1930s, Prague’s central authorities knew that Czechoslovakia’s Germans
were boycotting the domestic production. No doubt the influence of Nazi propaganda,
and their historical anti-Czech animosity were factors, especially among the Germans
settled in the so-called Sudetenland, a western border region. This ethnic population
had its own cultural life, however, which is only beginning to be investigated by schol-
ars today, so that we still know little of the reception there of Czechoslovak cinematog-
raphy in the interwar period. It is certain that the situation for distribution of the
German-language versions of Czech films in Sudetenland was quite complicated.
   In the 1930s more than three hundred fifty cinemas in Czechoslovakia were German,
i.e. operated by a German owner. This represents approximately one-fifth of the number
and capacity of Czechoslovakia’s network of cinemas, corresponding also to the propor-
tion of the country’s German population. However, the distribution of German-language
versions was regulated not only by the market but also by the government. Pursuant to a
special Ministry of Trade decree, the German-language versions of non-German films
could be shown only in those municipalities where Germans had an absolute majority.7
There were three hundred forty-seven such locations. Prague was an exception: here a sin-
gle German cinema, Urania, served a forty thousand strong German minority.
   As the 1930s unfolded, the importance of this German audiences in Czechoslovakia
grew for a related set of political reasons. Forced to leave Nazi Germany, several Jewish

                                                                                         ­91
IVAN KLIMEŠ

producers, directors and actors – among them Kurt Gerron, Franzisca Gaal, Hans Jaray,
Hermann Kosterlitz (later Henry Koster), Max Neufeld, Richard Oswald, Szöke Szakall,
and Otto Wallburg – attempted to get established in the Austrian film industry. Here
they made so-called “independent films” – i.e. independent of the German film indus-
try, given that their work could, of course, not be distributed in Germany.8 The Austrian
film industry representatives tried on several occasions to negotiate exemptions for
these films, but the Reichsfilmkammer invariably turned them down.
   Czechoslovakia became the main customer for these “independent films.” These
included over twenty German-language films, some of which were made in Hungary
and six of them in Czechoslovakia, since some Jewish émigrés from Germany found
work in the Prague and Brno studios. Whereas virtually all the Jewish productions
made in Austria or Hungary were made in German only, the six films made in
Czechoslovakia were produced as multiple-language versions. The Brno company
Terra-film in made Rozpustilá noc (Vl. Majer, 1934), whose German-language version,
known as Csardas or Ihre tollste Nacht was directed by a trio of German émigrés:
Walter Kolm-Veltée, Jakob Fleck and Luise Fleck. Not only did the film have different
directors; it also had different casts, save for one cameo role. A year later Jakob Fleck and
Luise Fleck then directed a German-language version of V cizím revíru (Vl. Majer, 1935)
under the title Der Wilderer vom Egerland for the same company. It is curious that here
the cast was identical with that of the Czech version, and that different directors
instructed the same actors. A third case is atypical, too: the filmed operetta Taneček
panny Márinky (Hoheit tanzt Walzer, M. Neufeld, 1935) shot for Elekta by another
Jewish émigré from Germany. The film did not have a Czech-language version; its mul-
tiple-language versions were German and French, both directed by Neufeld. Each ver-
sion had a different cast: in the German-language version, Neufeld provided employ-
ment opportunities for other Jewish émigrés (such as Hans Jaray). It is worth noting
that the main shareholder of Elekta was one of the most successful Czechoslovak film
entrepreneurs, Josef Auerbach, who, being Jewish himself, had to leave Czechoslovakia
in January 1939.9
   Among the Jewish talent that took part in the production of German-language ver-
sions in Czechoslovakia was Otto Kanturek, who had worked as a cameraman in
Germany in the 1920s. In 1934 he established in Prague the film company Okafilm
which produced the film operetta V tom domečku pod Emauzy/Das Häuschen in
Grinzing, in Czech and German versions, both directed by himself. A similar case was
that of Robert Land, born as Robert Liebmann.10 A native of Moravia, he worked for a
number of years as a director and distributor, first in Vienna, later in Berlin. After Hitler
came to power, Land moved to Prague, where he directed the German version of the
Czech film Sextánka, Die Sextanerin (1936). In 1938, somewhat paradoxically, it was he
who made the Czech-language version of the film Panenka whereas the German-lan-
guage version, Robot Girl Nr.1, was shot by the Czech director Josef Medeotti-Boháč.
Robot Girl Nr.1 is the last multiple-language version of a Czech film ever made in
Czechoslovakia. The Czech-language version premiered on March 31, 1938. We do not
know the date of the Czechoslovak premiere of the German-language version, but as it
was censor-approved in September 1938, it is likely that it actually never reached audi-
ences in Sudetenland, which in that same month was ceded to the German Reich by the
Treaty of Munich. The Austrian market was closed to it as well, since for all practical
purposes it had been under the control of the Film Chamber of the German Reich ever

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                                                 MULTIPLE-LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF CZECH FILMS

since the 1936 Austrian-German agreement on films. For Metropolitan, the company
that produced Robot Girl Nr. 1, it was an investment which would never be recouped.
   The space in Central Europe for the distribution of works in which Jews (especially
those emigrating from Germany) took part, had been shrinking dramatically since the
mid-1930s. Nevertheless, throughout the decade the German-Czechoslovak relations in
cinematographic matters remained very strong, with both sides demonstrating an
extraordinary interest in developing their common ties. Germany, for example, accept-
ed the terms of Czechoslovakia’s quota system which required that film importers also
produce Czech films. UFA’s Prague branch started production in 1933, and by 1940
made fifteen Czech films. (Incidentally, no German-language version of these fifteen
was ever made.) UFA took this step at a time when Germany, following Adolf Hitler’s
rise to power, was losing the positions it had until then held on the European mar-
kets.11 Czechoslovakia had been one of its traditional customers, importing some
eighty German films annually. In contrast, the large American companies represented
by MPAA had in the course of 1932-1934 decided to boycott the Czechoslovak market;
their Prague branches did thus not get involved in film production in the country, for-
feiting to Germany their dominant position on this market.
   Germany wished to have its position secured contractually, as was the case with
respect to other countries (France, Austria, Poland). A Czechoslovak-German agreement
on the imports of German films to Czechoslovakia was signed in 1936. The agreement
was important for the Czechoslovak side, because it accepted the pricing terms stipu-
lated by the recently established Film Importers’ Cartel, thereby imparting legitimacy
to its very existence.12 Another Czechoslovak-German agreement, on the mutual
exchange of films, was signed in 1937, remaining in force through the end of 1938. The
agreement lay down that for every fifteen German films imported to Czechoslovakia
one Czech film could be exported to Germany without a quota-compliant certificate,
meaning outside of the agreed quotas. It is significant that the wording stated: “Films
produced in the Czechoslovak Republic in a German-language version.” The agreement
consequently envisaged the continuing production of versions, and gave certain guar-
antees and benefits for exports to Germany – provided, of course, that the German laws
(Nuremberg ones included) were adhered to.13 Furthermore, it stipulated that the num-
ber of the German-language versions of Czech films was not to exceed five titles a year,
i. e. that no more than five Czech off-the-quota films could be imported each year. The
pertinent regulations applied to all other films. The fixing of these numerical propor-
tions and limits corresponded to the actual production capabilities: more than six for-
eign-language versions a year had never been produced in Czechoslovakia; and the
number of German films purchased by the Czechoslovak film distributors was eighty-
two in 1936 and seventy-nine in 1937, which translates into slightly over fifteen times
the number of the foreign-language versions.
   It should be said that Prague and Berlin enjoyed very good cinematographic relations
in the second half of the 1930s, and that the Czechoslovak film industry representatives
viewed Germany with great respect, even admiration. They were impressed with the
attention paid to the German cinema by the German state, attracted by the centralising
trend in the Reich’s organisation of the film industry, and inspired by the institution of
the Reich programming director for films. This interest in German affairs was mani-
fested in the large number (forty) of Czechoslovak delegates attending an international
film congress in Berlin in 1935.

                                                                                       ­93
IVAN KLIMEŠ

  Prague’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs perceived this rapprochement or, if you will,
mutual accommodation between German and Czechoslovak film industries, with
alarm. It was also met with criticism from observers outside the film industry.14
Nevertheless, it was precisely this link of a small film sector to an industrial film giant
that provided such fertile soil for the Czechoslovak production of multiple-language
versions. The state had expressed its interest in the production of such versions, having
included them in the system of production subsidies. When its conditions were met,
the Film Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Trade would grant a Czech film pro-
ducer a basic subsidy of 70,000 Czechoslovak crowns or up to 140,000 crowns if the film
was deemed especially interesting or worthwhile; the subsidy could go up to 210,000
crowns (i.e. roughly one-quarter of the average production costs for a full length feature
movie) for a film of outstanding qualities. The subsidy for making a foreign-language
version amounted to 40,000 crowns.15 It should be remembered that German-language
versions of Czech films were also sold to countries that were not German-speaking, and
that such exports improved considerably the country’s balance of payments. These gov-
ernment subsidies were not disbursed from the state budget but rather from a fund gen-
erated from the registration fees on imported foreign films.
  Let us now have a look at what can we learn from the list of these forty-two versions,
summarised in the accompanying table (Fig. 1). As regards the production aspect, all
three models are represented here. Twenty-two multiple-language versions were pro-
duced by the same company that made the Czech versions. In ten cases, when foreign-
language versions were made in a co-production, the Czechoslovak producers collabo-
rated with foreign companies that were well established in the target country. This was
commonly the case for films by Karel Lamač, whose German-language versions always
involved his Berlin company Ondra-Lamac-Film. It is also possible that by doing so, the
German-language version of a Czech film could secure the status of having a German
origin so that the German authorities would consider it a domestically produced film.
In nine cases, the foreign-language versions were made by new producers. Here Electa
was the most pro-active one, having made nineteen Czech films and twelve multiple-
language versions. Meissner made twenty Czech films and eight multiple-language ver-
sions. Unlike Josef Auerbach of Elekta who – as has already been mentioned – went into
exile before the Wehrmacht take-over, Emil Meissner unfortunately stayed on in the
Bohemian Protectorate. In 1942 he left on a transport for Theresienstadt, and was from
there deported to Auschwitz.16
  Change in director for the version’s production occurred nineteen times. The notion of
the multi-language versions as batch-produced was widespread, and issues of author-
ship did not play much of a role. Again and again we see that the new director, or a new
author, is listed as the author of the foreign-language version’s script, while the author-
ship of the Czech original is not credited at all. On the other hand, however, there are
cases which accentuate the author figure. This is the case for Extáse and Gustav Machatý,
and for Karel Lamacˇ ’s films, as well as for the majority of films by Martin Frič, especial-
ly when they centred on a key star, namely Vlasta Burian.
  Even while changes did occur with respect to cameramen, composers or sound engi-
neers, it was the cast that was most likely to be changed. Only in a single case did it
remain identical (V cizím revíru/Der Wilderer vom Egerland); a curiosity in itself, and
one that will have to be re-checked. Some two-language projects took advantage of
bilingual actors who played the same role in both versions, but for the most part these

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                                                 MULTIPLE-LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF CZECH FILMS

were cameo roles. The main roles were mostly given to actors who were stars in the tar-
get countries – Hans Moser, Theodor Loos, Lil Dagover, or Olga Tschechowa. Thus the
producers of multi-language versions hooked up to the star system in the target coun-
tries, something that made distribution there easier. With one exception, for it was via
their German versions that the Czechoslovak production companies Elekta and
Meissner managed to launch one Czech star onto the international scene. I am referring
to the outstanding stage and film actor Vlasta Burian, regarded to date by Czech jour-
nalists as “the comedy king.” Burian was a bilingual actor, so his films – always script-
ed as “one-man shows” – could readily have a German-language version. He won a great
popularity in the German-speaking countries already with his first sound film, Der
falsche Feldmarschall/ C. a k. polní maršálek (K. Lamač , 1930). This success was then
strategically heightened with Er und seine Schwester/On a jeho sestra (K. Lamač, 1931),
where he teamed up with the Czech actress Anny Ondra, a star in the German cinema
since the late 1920s. Out of the fifteen films Burian made between 1930 and 1938, five
had a German-language version starring himself. A similar attempt to create an inter-
national star through multiple-language versions occurred with another bilingual
actor, Rolf Wanka. While Burian was unbeatable as a popular comedian, Wanka was a
polished lover type. Between 1935 and 1937 he shot six films with German-language
versions, but given his limited acting talent, was unable to match Burian’s success.
  Oddly enough, Czechoslovak producers did not attempt to use the linguistic and
“star” potential of Lída Baarová, who starred only in Czech films when shooting in
Czechoslovakia. We encounter a similar project, aiming to promote a domestic star to
international fame via multiple-language versions, in Austria. In the mid-Thirties, a
plan (which never took off) was conceived to found a company that would produce
English-language versions of Paula Wessely’s films for the American market.17
  The regular production of German-language versions of Czech films offered space for
a better integration of the German minority into the Czechoslovak film industry.
Regrettably this opportunity remained largely unexploited. The ensemble members of
Neues deutsches Theater, Prague’s leading German-language stage, would only occa-
sionally appear in the German-language versions, even though their ranks boasted
many remarkable actors. An exception is Der Fall des Generalstabs-Oberst Redl/Aféra
Plukovníka Redla (K. Anton, 1931) in which eight actors from that theatre appeared,
although not in any of the main roles. There were absolutely no contacts between
Prague’s filmmakers and actors in the German-speaking Sudetenland border region.
When Martin Frič made a goodwill gesture in late summer of 1938, proposing that the
cast of his next German-language version would consists entirely of actors from
Sudetenland theatres, it was woefully too late.
  The foreign-language versions were commonly premiered several weeks or months
after the premiere of the Czech version, although there were exceptions as well. The
German-language version of Falešná kočička, Die falsche Katze (Vl. Slavínský, 1937) was
not made in parallel with the Czech version but rather with a six-month delay, so that its
opening took place a full year later. In many cases we don’t even know the opening dates
of German-language versions in Czechoslovakia, because the press took no notice.
  In closing, let me sum up our current knowledge about the existent copies of multi-
ple-language versions produced in Czechoslovakia from 1930 through 1938. According
to our records, eleven out of the forty-two films did not survive. Neither did a single one
of the three Czech-language Paramount films made in Joinville in 1930-1931. Prague’s

                                                                                        ­95
IVAN KLIMEŠ

National Film Archive owns nine titles; another eight films are stored at Archives du
film du Centre National de la Cinématographie at Bois d’Arcy; ten multiple-language
versions are at Gosfilmofond in Russia, and ten films are in Berlin at Bundesarchiv-
Filmarchiv. To date, we have had no additional reports on such films in other archives.



1 Gernot Heiss, Ivan Klimeš (eds.), Obrazy č asu. Č eský a rakouský film 30. let/Bilder der Zeit.
    Tschechischer und österreichischer Film der 30er Jahre (Praha-Brno: NFA-OSI, 2003), p. 336
2 Jiří Havelka, Č s. filmové hospodárˇství I. Zvukové období 1929-1934 (Praha: Čefis, 1935), pp.
    102-110; Jiří Havelka, Čs. filmové hospodářství II. Rok 1935 (Praha: Nakladatelství Knihovny
    Filmového kurýru, 1936), pp. 17-20; Jiří Havelka, Čs. filmové hospodářství III. Rok 1936 (Praha:
    Nakladatelství Knihovny Filmového kurýru, 1937), pp. 23-26.
3 Kantor Ideál (1932), 2.600 mt./Betragen ungenügend, 2.300 mt.; Řeka (1933), 2.550 mt./Junge
    Liebe, 2.085 mt.; Za řádovými dveřmi (1934), 2.345 mt./Hinter Klostertüren, 2.130 mt.; Hudba
    srdcí (1934), 2.800 mt./Musik der Herzen, 2.625 mt.
4 See the Austrian journal Paimann’s Filmlisten (1930-1935).
5 G. Heiss, I. Klimeš (eds.), op. cit., pp. 345-353.
6 Český hraný film II. 1930 – 1945 / Czech Feature Film II. 1930 – 1945 (Praha: NFA, 1998), pp.
    91-93; A. Loacker (ed.), Extase (Wien: Filmarchiv Austria, 2001), pp. 479-481.
7 J. Havelka, Čs. filmové hospodářství III. Rok 1936, cit., p. 19.
8 Armin Loacker, Martin Prucha (eds.), Unerwünschtes Kino. Der deutschsprachige
    Emigrantenfilm 1934-1937 (Wien: Filmarchiv Austria, 2000).
9 Petr Bednařík, Arizace české kinematografie (Praha: Karolinum, 2003), pp. 116-118.
10 Christian Dewald, Elisabeth Büttner, Das tägliche Brennen. Eine Geschichte der österreichis-
    chen Films von den Anfängen bis 1945 (Salzburg-Wien: Residenz, 2002), pp. 361-365.
11 Jürgen Spiker, Film und Kapital. Der Weg der deutschen Filmwirtschaft zum nationalsozial-
    istischen Einheitskonzern (Berlin: Volker Spiess, 1975) pp. 113-114.
12 G. Heiss, I. Klimeš (eds.), op. cit., pp. 315-316.
13 Jiří Havelka, C ˇs. filmové hospodárˇ ství IV. Rok 1937 (Praha: Nakladatelství Knihovny
    Filmového kurýru, 1938), pp. 15-16.
14 Julius Schmitt, “Filmová situace optimisticky,” Přítomnost, Vol. 12, no. 24 (1935), p. 377.
15 J. Havelka, Čs. filmové hospodářství III. Rok 1936, cit., pp. 16-18.
16 P. Bednařík, op. cit., pp. 120-121.
17 G. Heiss, I. Klimeš (eds.), op. cit., pp. 338-339.




­96
                               Fig. 1 - Production of multiple-language versions in Czechoslovakia (and three Paramount-films), 1930-1938

      no.   original version                German version                     French version             other                     note

      1     C. a k. polní maršálek         Der falsche Feldmarschall                                                               NFA, Prague
            (K. Lamač; P: Elekta, 1930)    (K. Lamač; P: Elekta, Ondra-
                                            Lamac-Film, 1930)


      2     C. a k. polní maršálek                                            Monsieur le Maréchal                                 Archives du film du C.N.C.,

            (K. Lamač; P: Elekta, 1930)                                       (K. Lamač; P. Standard,                             Bois d’Arcy
                                                                               1931)

      3     Aféra plukovníka Redla          Der Fall des Generalstabs-                                                              NFA, Prague
            (K. Anton; P: Elekta,           Oberst Redl
            Sonorfilm, 1931)                (K. Anton; P: Sonorfilm,
                                            Elekta, 1931)


      4     Kdyžstruny lkají               Ihr Junge
            (F. Fehér; P: AB, 1930)         (F. Fehér; P: F. Fehér, 1931)


      5     The Doctor’s Secret                                                                           Tajemství lékařovo
            (P: Paramount, 1930)                                                                          (J. Lébl; P: Paramount,
                                                                                                          1930)


      6     On a jeho sestra                Er und seine Schwester                                                                  Gossfilmofond Rossii
            (K. Lamač, Martin Frič;       (Karel Lamač; P: Elekta,
            P: Elekta, 1931)                Ondra-Lamac-Film, 1931)

      7     ???                                                                                           Žena, která se směje
            (P: Paramount, 1931)                                                                          (J. Bor; P: Paramount,
                                                                                                          1931)


      8      To neznáte Hadimršku          Wehe, wenn er losgelassen /                                                             NFA, Prague
            (K. Lamač, M. Frič;           Unter Geschäftsaufsicht
             P: Elekta, 1931)               (K. Lamač, M. Frič; P: Elekta,
                                            Ondra-Lamac-Film, 1931)




­97
                                                                                                                                                                  MULTIPLE-LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF CZECH FILMS
no.   original version                  German version                  French version             other                           note

9     ???                                                                                          Svět bez hranic
      (P: Paramount, 1931)                                                                         (J. Lébl; P: Paramount, 1932)


10    Extáse                                                            Extase                                                     Archives du film du
      (G. Machatý; P: G. Machatý,                                     (Gustav Machatý;                                          C. N. C., Bois d’Arcy
      Elekta, 1932)                                                     P: Elekta, 1932)


11    Extáse                            Extase
                                                                                                                                                              POURQUOI LE CINÉMA DES DÉBUTS?




      (G. Machatý; P: G. Machatý,     (G. Machatý; P: Elekta,
      Elekta, 1932)                     G. Machatý, 1932)

12    Lelí?ek ve službách                                              Le Roi bis                                                 Archives du film du
      Sherlocka Holmese (Karel                                          (Robert Beaudoin;                                          C.N.C., Bois d’Arcy
      Lamač; P: Elekta, 1932)                                          P: Elekta,1932)


13    Tisíc za jednu noc                Tausend für eine Nacht                                                                     Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
      (J. Svára; P: Wolframfilm,        (M. Mack; P: Wolframfilm,                                                                  Berlin
      1932)                             Avanti-Tonfilm Berlin, 1932)




14    Gehetzte Menschen                                                                            Štvaní lidé                    NFA, Prague
      (F. Fehér; P: Emco-Film,                                                                     (Czech version) (F. Fehér,
      1932)                                                                                        J. Sviták; P:Panfilm, Emco-
                                                                                                   Film, 1933)

15    Pobočník Jeho Výsosti           Adjutant Seiner Hoheit                                                                     NFA, Prague
      (M. Frič; P: Meissner, 1933)     (M. Frič; P: Meissner, 1933)

16    Kantor Ideál                                                      Professeur Cupidon                                         Archives du film du
      (M. Frič; P: V. Kabelík, 1932)                                   (R. Beaudoin, A. Chemel;                                   C.N.C., Bois d’Arcy
                                                                        P: Elekta, 1933)
      no.   original version              German version                     French version              other   note

      17    V tom domečku pod Emauzy Das Glück von Grinzing
            (O. Kanturek; P:           (O. Kanturek; P: Oka, 1933)
            Kanturek], 1933)


      18    Diagnosa X                    Um ein bisschen Glück                                                  Gossfilmofond Rossii
            (L. Marten; P: Dafa, 1933)    (von Lukawieczki; P: Dafa, 1933)

      19    Život je pes                 Der Doppelbräutigam /                                                  Gossfilmofond Rossii
            (M. Frič; P: Moldavia, 1933) So ein Hundeleben (in ČSR)                                            Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
                                          (M. Frič; P: Moldavia, Itala-                                         Berlin
                                          Film,1934)

      20    Život je pes                                                    La Mari rêvé                        Archives du film du C. N. C.,
            (M. Frič; Moldavia, 1933)                                       (R. Capellani; P: Elekta,           Bois d’Arcy
                                                                             1935)


      21    Anita v ráji                   Annette im Paradies
            (J. Sviták; Wolframfilm, 1934) (M. Obal; P: Wolframfilm, 1934)


      22    Žena, která ví, co chce     Eine Frau, die weiß, was                                                Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
            (V. Binovec; Meissner, 1934) sie will                                                                Berlin
                                         (V. Janson; P: Meissner, 1934)

      23    Polská krev                   Polenblut                                                              Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
            (K. Lamač; Elekta, 1934)     (K. Lamač; P: Elekta, Ondra-                                          Berlin
                                          Lamac-Film, 1934)

      24    Rozpustilá noc                Csardas / Ihre tollste nacht                                           Gossfilmofond Rossii
            (Vl. Majer; Terra, 1934)      (in ČSR)
                                          (W. Kolm-Veltée, J. Fleck, L.
                                          Fleck; P: Terra, 1934)


      25    Polibek ve sněhu             Kuss im Schnee




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                                                                                                                                                 POURQUOI LE CINÉMA DES DÉBUTS?
             (V. Binovec; Alex, 1935)        (R. Katscher; P: Praha-Paříž, 1935)
       no.   original version                   German version                     French version                   other   note




­100
       26    Hrdina jedné noci                 Held einer Nacht                                                             NFA, Prague
             (M. Frič; Meissner, 1935)        (M. Frič, H. Oebels-Oebstrom;
                                               P: Meissner, 1935)


       27    Koho jsem včera líbal                                                 Le Coup de trois                        Archives du film du C. N. C.,
             (J. Svoboda; Elka, 1935)                                               (J. de Limur; P: C. P. L. F.,           Bois d’Arcy
                                                                                    1935)

       28    Jana                              Jana, das Mädchen aus dem                                                    Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
             (E. Synek, R. Land; Meissner,     Böhmerwald                                                                   Berlin
             1935)                             (R. Land; P: Meissner, 1935)
                                                                                                                                                            POURQUOI LE CINÉMA DES DÉBUTS?




       29                                      Hoheit tanzt Walzer                  Valse éternelle                         Archives du film du C. N. C.,
                                               (M. Neufeld; Elekta, 1935)           (M. Neufeld; P: Elekta,                 Bois d’Arcy
                                                                                    1936)

       30    Sextánka                          Arme kleine Inge / Die                                                       Gossfilmofond Rossii
             (Sv. Innemann; Meissner,          Sextanerin (in ČSR)                                                         Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
             1936)                             (Sv. Innemann; P: Meissner,                                                  Berlin
                                               1936)

       31    Divoch                            Der Wildfang                                                                 Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
             (J. Sviták; Meteor, 1936)         (J. Sviták; P: Metropolitan, 1936)                                           Berlin

       32    Irčin románek                    Flucht an die Adria                                                          NFA, Prague
             (K. Hašler; Meissner, 1936)      (E. Schulz-Breiden; P: Meissner,
                                               1936)


       33    Ulička v ráji                    Das Gässchen zum Paradies                                                    NFA, Prague
             (M. Frič; Moldavia, 1936)        (M. Frič; P: Moldavia, Tobis,                                               Gossfilmofond Rossii
                                               1936)                                                                        Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
                                                                                                                            Berlin

       34                                      Port Arthur                          Port-Arthur                             Archives du film du C. N. C.,
                                               (N. Farkas; Slavia-film, 1936;       (N. Farkas; P: Slavia-film,             Bois d’Arcy
                                               German version)                      F. C. L. Paris, 1936)                   Gossfilmofond Rossii
                                                                                                                            NFA, Prague (German
                                                                                                            language version)
       no.   original version                 German version                       French version   other   note

       35    Falešná kočička               Heiraten – aber wen? (in                                      Gossfilmofond Rossii
             (Vl. Slavínský; Elekta, 1937)   Germany) / Verliebte Herzen                                   Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
                                              (in ČSR) / Die falsche Katze                                 Berlin.
                                              (in Austria)
                                              (C. Boese; P: Donau-Film,
                                              Elekta, 1938)

       36    Du°vod k rozvodu                 Der Scheidungsgrund                                           Gossfilmofond Rossii
             (K. Lamač; P: Moldavia, 1937)   (K. Lamač; P: Moldavia, Ondra-
                                              Lamac-Film, 1937)


       37    Zevšech jediná                  Adresse unbekannt
             (V. Binovec; P: Lloyd, 1937)     (K. H. Martin; P: Josef Kabeláč ,
                                              Th. Czernin, 1938)

       38    Poslíček lásky                  Kein Wort von Liebe                                           Gossfilmofond Rossii
             (M. Cikán; P: Metropolitan,      (A. Elling; P: Lord-Film, 1937)                               Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv,
             1937)                                                                                          Berlin

       39    Boží mlýny                     Die Gottes Mühlen
             (V. Wasserman; P: Meissner,      (J. Medeotti-Boháč; P: Meissner,
             1938)                            1938)

       40    Lidé pod horami                  Menschen in den Bergen
             (V. Wasserman; P: Meissner,      (V. Wasserman; P: Meissner,
             1937)                            1938)


       41    Panenka                          Robot Girl Nr. 1
             (R. Land; P: Metropolitan,       (J. Medeotti-Boháč;
             1938)                            P: Metropolitan, 1938)




­101
                                                                                                                                       POURQUOI LE CINÉMA DES DÉBUTS?
