''Erotikon'' is a 1929 silent

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

melodrama film A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

by Czech director

Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, USA and Germany including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín Otokar Jan Mach ...

based on a screenplay by

Vítězslav Nezval Vítězslav Nezval (; 26 May 1900 – 6 April 1958) was a Czechs, Czech poet, writer and translator. He was one of the most prolific avant-garde Czech writers in the first half of the 20th century and a co-founder of the Surrealism, Surrealist ...

Production

The shooting started in November 1928. Exterior scenes were shot in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...

. Machatý and his cinematographer Václav Vích used modern American lenses making the image very soft. Production designers were

Julius von Borsody Julius von Borsody (8 April 1892 in Vienna – 18 January 1960, also in Vienna) was an Austrian film architect and one of the most employed set designers in the Austrian and German cinemas of the late silent and early sound film periods. His yo ...

and

Alexandr Hackenschmied Alexandr Hackenschmied, born Alexander Siegfried George Hackenschmied, known later as Alexander Hammid (17 December 1907, Linz – 26 July 2004, New York City) was a Czech-American photographer, film director, cinematographer and film edito ...

Cast

Olaf Fjord Olaf Fjord (born Ämilian Maximilian Pouch; 3 August 1897 – 19 April 1945) was an Austrian actor, film director and film producer. Selected filmography * '' Der Herzog von Reichstadt'' (1920) * ''Monna Vanna'' (1922) * '' The Ragpicker of Pari ...

as George Sydney, a travelling seducer *

Ita Rina Tamara Đorđević (born Italina Lida Kravanja; 7 July 1907 – 10 May 1979), known professionally as Ita Rina, was a Slovenian film actress and beauty queen. She was one of the major film stars in Germany and Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s and ...

as Andrea, an innocent girl *

Karel Schleichert Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter Business * Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer * ...

as Andrea's father, the railway crossing keeper * Theodor Pištěk as Hilbert *

Charlotte Susa Charlotte Susa (1 March 1898 – 28 July 1976) was a German actress. Biography Susa was born Charlotta Wegmüller near Memel, East Prussia and first appeared on a stage in 1915 at Tilsit. She chose her mother's maiden name "Susa" as her stage ...

as Gilda *

Luigi Serventi Luigi Serventi (31 July 1885 – 18 August 1976) was an Italian film actor. Partial filmography * ''Il prezzo del perdono'' (1913) * ''Bianco contro negro'' (1913) * ''La lega dei diamanti'' (1913) * ''La parola che uccide'' (1914) * ''La dote d ...

as Jan

Release

The premiere was held in

on 27 February 1929. The movie was praised by critics for its Soviet-style montage and

visual storytelling A visual narrative (also visual storytelling) is a story told primarily through the use of visual media. The story may be told using still photography, illustration, or video, and can be enhanced with graphics, music, voice and other audio. Overv ...

through symbolic imagery; however, most journalists criticised its weak story.

Versions

In 1933 Czech and German sound versions were made with the music by Erno Košťál. Both versions were substantially cut. The movie was reconstructed by

Czech Film Archive The National Film Archive (, abb. NFA) is a film archive located in Prague, Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to t ...

in 1994 with new chamber music by

Jan Klusák Jan Klusák (born 18 April 1934 in Prague as Jan Porges) is a contemporary Czech composer, author of film, television and incidental music. Life Klusák was born to a Czech Jewish family, who owned a farm in Prosek, Prague. After he graduate ...

. Klusák composed alternative music score for full orchestra in 1995.

References

External links

*
Erotikon (1929)
full film (

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

) at

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

1929 films Czech erotic drama films Czech silent feature films 1929 drama films Czech black-and-white films Melodrama films 1920s erotic drama films Silent drama films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub