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The Lottery Bride is the only film experience of theatrical producer Arthur Hammerstein, who didn't make his fortune in Hollywood. It was an interesting project, and the operetta music was composed by Rudolf Friml without a theatrical version. The whole thing plays out in a funny Hollywood take on Norway, and by the end, it's a complete Amundsen. Technicolor was used on the aurora borealis. Only Jeanette MacDonald, unfortunately, had nothing to do here.

The second Paramount adaptation of the operetta based on Friml's "The Vagabond King" (1925). As usual, its creation was supported by technological advances, because while the original 1930 film was shot in dual-band Technicolor, by the mid-1950s it was possible to shoot the film in full Technicolor, and if that wasn't enough, the latest VistaVision technology was added. Otherwise, Villon was reprised by the veteran of the role Dennis King.

Friml's operetta "The Vagabond King" (1925) follows the life of François Villon and is set in the second half of the 15th century. The operetta itself was based on Justin Huntly McCarthy's romantic novel "If I Were King" (1901) (and its theatrical dramatization, written by the same author). The qualities of this film adaptation are defined by the Technicolor of the time, and seeing only the black and white version is like seeing a completely different film. However, the film's reputation is not entirely steeped in superlatives, and Jeanette MacDonald herself has also only spread a sort of socially acceptable gloss. However, this did not slow down her career and Friml also kept the door open to Hollywood studios. Another film adaptation was made in 1956, and there is also a recording of a 1975 theatrical production from HDK.

Juraj Nvota learned from the best. However, he's coming out with his own feature films relatively late. However, the bold subject matter and Tania Pauhofová's first adult role make Nvoto's debut an unforgettable experience that will remain in the memory for a long time. Pre-war life in a Slovak village recalls the fate of the people of Palánek as captured by Ladislav Ballek. People's destinies are determined by their basic needs and instincts; emotions are pure but volatile. Ondřej Vetchý doesn't look out of place and fits perfectly into the Slovak cast. The set is functional.

Of Hanák's five feature films, I Love, You Love stands out somewhat. Gone is the New Wave of 322, just as the semi-documentary approach of Rose Tinted Dreams is passé. And the purely feminine theme of Simple Pleasures and Private Lives was yet to come. Only interest in man remained.

Hanák's feature film debut impressed to such an extent that it was withdrawn from circulation for two decades shortly after its premiere and awards. Formally it is an ambitious work, alarming in content, yet the musical component is crucial to the viewer's experience, acting as a necessary soothing balm.

The Southern Mail was preceded by The Assistant and in recent years by Agava. The Southern Mail itself is enticing for its autobiographical elements from the life of the author, who spent his childhood in Dudince and Šahy (Palánek). Párnický concentrates mainly on the story of the preschooler Janek (Peter Zeman), but the actors in the adult roles are also excellent, although they get minimal space - Jiří Bartoska, Magda Vášáryová, Zdena Studenková...

The Tobacco Captain is one of the many operettas produced by Lenfilm in the 1970s. The premiere of the operetta took place on the 25th anniversary of the Revolutionary War.

A very weak version of Lenfilm's Netopýr. It doesn't impress, it doesn't excite. But I'm glad the processing was at least respectful. In contrast to Nitouche, which the comrades made a proper fiasco out of in 1976.

The first of two beautiful female films by Dušan Hanák and Magda Vašáryová. Quiet Happiness follows a turning point in the life of a pediatric ward nurse who loses herself in the routine of her workplace and private life. Losing herself next to a selfish man and an insensitive mother-in-law, her solution may be an affair in the workplace or just honest conversations with colleagues. And of course the smile of an abandoned child. Apart from the classically excellent Magda, all the others act above their standard performances: the brooding Bartoška, the emancipated Brejchová, the empathetic Nvota, but also the episodic actors Holubová, Asterová, Navrátil, Goldflam, Kretschmerová and Šišková.