The Golden Woman

Slavínský's The Golden Woman devotes most of its attention to the acting phenomena of the 1920s - Vladimír Slavínský and Zdena Kavková. While Slavínský represented the good-natured action hero (iconically the Gypsy Jůra or Son of the Mountains), Kavková's acting profile was more varied - she played everything from lovers and child heroines to melodrama heroines. In the initial films I saw her in (especially alongside Vlasta Burian), I couldn't quite get into her, but together with The Komptoiristka and The Golden Woman, it's clear to me why she was the third most significant Czech film actress after World War I. In The Golden Woman, we experience the story of a strong relationship between two people whose marriage is going through difficult trials, i.e., the loss of a child and property and almost one of their lives. Against this backdrop, it is interesting to watch our main couple, who, regardless of their poverty or wealth, treat their counterparts with immeasurable love. Slavínský has the opportunity to carry out several successful stunts, including a parachute jump and piloting an airplane, while Kavková uses the full range of her protagonist's moods to guide us through her happiest and most agonizing moments. Other actors include Antonia Nedošinská in her traditional role of the housewife or Karel Lamač as a very attractive seducer. (27/09/2011)