Two Czech Shorts under Habsburg Rule

The first article dedicated to Czech silent cinema focused entirely on the very first short films that Jan Kříženecký shot with his camera. In this piece, we will look at two other shorts made before the foundation of Czechoslovakia, both of which I managed to track down: the first, once again by Kříženecký, dates to 1908 and offers a glimpse of Prague at the dawn of the 20th century. The second is a short film centered around the five human senses.

– A Ride through Prague in an Open Tram (Jízda Prahou otevřenou tramvají) – Jan Kříženecký (1908)

From the seat of a tram, we discover the scenic beauty of the “Golden City”, with its castle in the background, bridges, and the Vltava River in full view. This type of “actuality film” had parallels in other countries but always carries a certain fascination. The film is included in the DVD collection Kafka Goes to the Movies, which explores cinema during Kafka’s lifetime through pioneering works from across Europe.

– The Five Human Senses (Pět smyslů člověka) – Josef Šváb-Malostranský (1913)

This short was shared on Vimeo by the Národní filmový archiv, which actually hosts over 200 early documentary films—one day I might select some of them to share here.

The protagonist is a man, Prefatýn (played by Josef Šváb-Malostranský), who uses his five senses to seduce a cook (Katy Kaclová-Vališová). First comes sight: Prefatýn sees her and helps carry her groceries home. Then smell: he brings her flowers and sits at the table. Taste follows, as he eats and drinks beer. In the sequence dedicated to touch, the two share a kiss. Finally, hearing: Cupid (Marie Klimešová) overhears what is happening in the room and dances joyfully.

The film is not particularly funny, but it benefits from being quite short. Once again we find Josef Šváb-Malostranský, here also as director, who—despite being primarily a stage actor—was among the first to believe in cinema as an artistic medium, alongside his partner Katy Kaclová-Vališová.