Restored Premiere of the Film Saint Wenceslas (1930)

This, nearly two-hour long silent film with the original music of Oskar Nedbal and Jaroslav Křička, is up to now the only one attempt how to present the story of Saint Wenceslas the Duke of Bohemia on the silver screen.

It shows that the Saint Wenceslas story is not very easy one to be transformed to the film. As well as film makers, also we pose at the present time questions concerning the patron saint of Czech lands. Perhaps it is just this film, of all the other works of art on Saint Wenceslas, which puts the strongest accent to the factor of the Czech statehood and peace.

The sense of the restored premiere of the epic film Saint Wenceslas (1929 /1930) is to contribute to the topical debate on what forms the content of the relatively young state holiday – the Czech Statehood Day celebrated on 28 September and what position Saint Wenceslas tradition can have in its framework. Moreover, it seems that the film, as well as at its premiere eighty years ago, may be the most appropriate form how to present the story towards the general public.

The film is a rarity in the Czech film industry. His budget reached astronomical sums of money, the interest of media at the time of its production has no analogy, Czech and foreign film stars played in it and it was the first film which gained the state financial grant. Even the intention to bring the Saint Wenceslas story on the silver screen evoked a controversial response – and this fact affected the film itself because, despite of the intention of its authors, the film became a political issue.

The film will be presented to viewers after thorough improvements of the film negative with the original music accompaniment and with new documentary film of the film director Martin Suchánek who, with the help of the film sequences, tries to capture the Saint Wenceslas tradition in the beginning of the third century.

The film will be projected only once in the restored premiere – on 28 September 2010 in the Rudolfinum music hall with the music accompaniment of the Czech Radio Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Kučera.

The restored premiere of the film has been prepared by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, the National Film Archives, the Czech Radio and the Czech Television.