''Jan Hus '' is a 1954

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

film about

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

, an early Christian reformer. It is the first part of the "

Hussite Revolutionary Trilogy Hussite Revolutionary Trilogy is a trilogy of films by Otakar Vávra. It consists of ''Jan Hus'', ''Jan Žižka'' and ''Against All''. It was the most expensive Czechoslovak cinematic project. Budget was 33 million Czechoslovak crowns. Vávra st ...

", one of the most famous works of

Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. Biography and career Vávra attended universities in Brno and Prague, where he studied architecture. During 1929–30, while still a stud ...

, completed with ''

Jan Žižka Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...

'' (1955) and ''

Against All "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system ...

'' (1956).

Plot

The opening part is set in 1412. It portrays the suffering of the poor working on the Týn Temple in Prague. It shows their struggles with rich townspeople and stingy church dignitaries collecting indulgences. Publicly criticizing the Catholic Church, Jan Hus opposes the sale of indulgences in his sermons in the Bethlehem Chapel. In addition to crowds of poor Praguers, his services are attended by Queen Žofia, who defends Hus before King

Wenceslas Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are , , , , , , among others. It originated as a Latin spelling for Czech rulers. It ...

. The ailing king, who is being pressured by the Pope and his brother Holy Roman Emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

because of Hus's sermons, prefers to have fun rather than politics and worries. The bull of Pope John XXIII. arrives in Prague. It is about further collection of indulgences. Spontaneous looting of churches and expulsion of Catholic priests occurs among the poor as a result. The city council has the soldiers intervene against the poor and puts three of their leaders, among whom is the stonemason Martin, in jail. Jan Hus intercedes for these three young men, who are condemned to death by the councilors, and even negotiates their release. However, the councilors do not honor this agreement and all three captives are executed. The Betrayed Hus marks them as the first martyrs of the coming storm. Pope John XXIII. places curse on Hus afterwards. Hus therefore leaves Prague and goes to the countryside, where he continues to stir up the poor subjects against their lord. After further pressure from the Pope and the Emperor, when both even threatened to declare a crusade, Jan Hus finally acceded to their call and went to Constance, where a church council was convened. Hus, accompanied on the way by Jan from Chlum and Václav from Dubá, arrives in the city on the shores of Lake Constance without any problems. Upon arrival, however, he is immediately arrested under the pretext of a conversation with the cardinals, which arouses the indignation of the Czech people and nobility, who send a letter of complaint to King Sigismund. He guarantees the arrested master a hearing before the council. The film culminates with Hus's trial before the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

. Not only Zikmund of Luxemburg and church dignitaries, but also Hus's former friend from the University of Prague, Štěpán Páleč, speak out against the preacher. Jan Hus refuses to renounce his teachings and is condemned to death at the stake by the council. Before being cremated, he says goodbye to his friends Jan z Chlumu and Václav z Dubé, exhorts those present not to listen to their bad ecclesiastical and secular authorities, and for the last time refuses the chance to appeal. At the very end of the film, a crowd headed by Jan Žižka pledges to the legacy of Jan Hus and his teachings.

Cast

Zdeněk Štěpánek Zdeněk Štěpánek (22 September 1896 – 20 June 1968) was a Czech actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1922 and 1968. Life In 1915 Zdeněk Štěpánek joined Austro-Hungarian Army and fought at the Eastern Front. He later switched sides a ...

Karel Höger Karel Höger (17 June 1909 – 4 May 1977) was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1939 and 1977. He was married to the actress Zdenka Procházková, who he starred with in the 1949 film '' A Dead Man Among th ...

as King

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

Vlasta Matulová Vlasta Matulová (31 October 1918 – 18 April 1989) was a Czech actress. She appeared in more than twenty films from 1940 to 1977. Selected filmography References External links * 1918 births 1989 deaths Actresses from Brno People ...

as Queen Sophia *

Ladislav Pešek Ladislav Pešek (4 October 1906 – 13 July 1986) was a Czechoslovak film actor.Gustav Hilmar Gustav Hilmar, real name Gustav Černý (30 January 1891 – 19 March 1967) was a Czech film actor. He appeared in 46 films between 1927 and 1964. He is buried at the Vinohrady Cemetery. Selected filmography * '' Hordubalové'' (1937) * ' ...

John of Chlum John of Chlum (; 1381–1424) was a Bohemian nobleman and member of the entourage of Jan Hus. Biography John was born to Ješek of Chlum, an impoverished noble in the service of the Berka of Dubá family. His date of birth is unknown; he is fir ...

* as Václav of Dubá *

Eduard Kohout František Eduard Kohout (6 March 1889 – 25 October 1976) was a Czech stage, film actor and television actor.Mitchell p.57 Selected filmography * ''Battalion'' (1937) * '' The Magic House'' (1939) * '' Nocturnal Butterfly'' (1941) * '' The Danc ...

as Lefl of Lažany * as Pierre Cardinal d'Ailli *

František Smolík František Smolík (23 January 1891 – 26 January 1972) was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in more than 75 films between 1920 and 1968. Selected filmography *'' The Mystery of the Blue Room'' (1933) * '' The Ruined Shopkeeper'' (19 ...

as papal legate *

Otomar Krejča Otomar Krejča (23 November 1921 – 6 November 2009) was a Czech theatre director, actor and dissident. He directed 84 productions, of which more than 40 abroad, and became one of the most significant theatre directors in the history of Czech the ...

as Štěpán Palec *

Marie Tomášová Marie Tomášová (18 April 1929 – 25 May 2025) was a Czech film and stage actress. She acted at the National Theatre in Prague between 1955 and 1965. In 2008, she was awarded the Thalia Award for lifetime achievement in drama. She was marri ...

as Johanka the servant *

Josef Kemr Josef Kemr (20 June 1922 – 15 January 1995) was a Czech actor. He starred in the 1969/1970 film ''Witchhammer'' under director Otakar Vávra. Selected filmography *''Lízin let do nebe'' (1937) - Jula Plichta *''Škola základ života'' (1 ...

as Ješek the student *

Rudolf Hrušínský Rudolf Hrušínský (17 October 1920 – 13 April 1994) was a Czech actor. He was one of the most popular Czech actors. Many of his movies such as ''The Good Soldier Švejk'', '' The Cremator'' or '' Capricious Summer'' are considered classics of ...

as burgomaster's son

References

External links

* 1954 films Czechoslovak drama films 1950s Czech-language films Films directed by Otakar Vávra Films set in the 15th century Films about Hussite Wars Biographical films about religious leaders Czech historical drama films Cultural depictions of Jan Hus Cultural depictions of Jan Žižka 1950s historical drama films 1950s Czech films Films scored by Jiří Srnka {{1950s-CzechRepublic-film-stub