Catalogue of Czech Television Programmes
A family saga capturing the atmosphere of the period between 1918 and 1945 in the Czechoslovak Republic. First series ends in year 1922. The gripping serial tells the story of three generations of the ramified Valenta family which had grown rich on commissions received in the period of the Great War and moved from its rural home to the suburb of Prague. Reigning in the family is rivalry between the brothers: Jaroslav, the eldest son, grasps the opportunity to expand the family business. He feels that he´ll earn more money if he doesn´t trade honestly. Vladimír, the younger one, who´s just returned from the war, shares neither his brother´s ambitions nor his business philosophy. They have only one thing in common: they both love Klára. But only she alone knows why, years ago, she chose Jaroslav for husband. Moreover there´s a great mystery: on the day of Klára´s engagement to Jaroslav, her parents disappeared. Everybody is convinced that her father embezzled the corporate money and together with his wife fled to America. But both brothers know that they are dead. Who killed them, and what will the investigation of the old pre-war murder reveal? The serial depicts the upper stratum that contributed most to shaping the First Republic, and set political and social standards. The fates of the characters, representing a variety of social strata, from the élite to the class of workers and peasants, will blend with the period events, recalling some important moments in Czechoslovak history.
HD | 22 x 52´ or 11 x 97´ | © 2014
director(s): Biser A. Arichtev
producer(s): Czech Television; Dramedy International s.r.o.
scriptwriter(s): Jan Gardner, Pavel Gotthard
director of photography: Martin Schinabek, Jiří Chod
cast: Ján Koleník, Markéta Plánková, Jiří Vyorálek, Jan Vlasák, Veronika Nová, Zdena Studenková, Tomáš Töpfer, Svatopluk Skopal, Pavel Kříž and others
rights available: for part of the territories only
original language: Czech
subtitles available: English (parts 1, 2, 13 – short version)