Directed by:
Miroslav CikánCinematography:
Ferdinand PečenkaComposer:
Dalibor C. VačkářCast:
Vladimír Řepa, Miluše Zoubková, Vítězslav Vejražka, Terezie Brzková, Vladimír Hlavatý, Jana Romanová, Rudolf Hrušínský, Vladimír Leraus, Bedřich Vrbský (more)Plots(1)
Master armourer Tomáš has young wife Alena, of whom he is very jealous. One day the ruler of town sees Alena and decides to win her over for himself. To get a free hand for his love affairs, he sends Master Tomáš to acquire more skills in Flanders. Jealous husband does not know how to secure fidelity of his beautiful wife while he is away, and finally accepts aid of the devil, to whom he signs his soul as a reward. Devil in the disguise of Master Ondřej works in Tomáš's workshop and protects Alena against various courtiers and the ruler of town. But finally he falls in love with Alena himself and becomes her lover. For his love he is punished by losing his supernatural powers, and so does not attract Alena any more. And when after three months Tomáš returns back, Alena swears she gave her body and soul to the devil only to save her own husband. By this confession she frees Tomáš from the deal with devil, but at the same time condemns herself to hell. Devil gained her soul as a replacement for that of Tomáš, and can return back to his fellow fiends. All that is left of lady Alena is just a black hole in the ceiling. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
During its creation period, a professionally and modernly filmed comedy with interesting cast, which stands out especially compared to the production produced by Barrandov after 1948. Playful comedy about a woman who can do almost everything, at least chase away the devil. Overall impression: 70%.
()
This fairy-tale-like historical drama in a completely different spirit follows the exceptional trips of Czech cinema to the Middle Ages. The first time it was in a nationalized film (prepared during the war) was in Rozina, the Love Child, in 1946 in The Adventurous Bachelor, and now Warriors of Faith and Alena. Miluše Zoubková actually starred in both films. However, I never particularly enjoyed the story with the rugged Vejražka and the bland main protagonist, whose performance and charm were outdone by the main assets of the project, i.e., the set and costumes by architect Štěpán Kopecký and designer Josef Matěj Gottlieb.
()