The Emperor and the Golem
| The Emperor and the Golem | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Martin Frič |
| Written by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Jan Stallich |
| Edited by | Jan Kohout |
| Music by | Julius Kalaš |
Production company | Československý státní film |
| Distributed by | Rozdělovna filmů Československého státního filmu |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes (Part I) 64 minutes (Part II) |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | Czech |
| Budget | 7,220,000 Kčs |
The Emperor and the Golem (Czech: Císařův pekař a pekařův císař, literally "The Emperor′s Baker and Baker′s Emperor") is a two-part Czechoslovak historical fantasy comedy film produced in 1951. The film was shot in color (not common for Czechoslovak films in that period) because of the international release and is set during the reign of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia (1583–1611) and takes place in Late Renaissance (Mannerist) Prague. It is one of the best known films of Jan Werich, who's performing a dual role of Emperor Rudolf and baker Matěj. The movie is still quite popular in Czech society, especially due to catchy songs (albeit with some leftist/communist flavour) and the impressive portrait of the Golem, a mythical anthropomorphic robot-like creature allegedly once made from clay by a local rabbi.