Bohemian Rapture

Bohemian Rapture or The Violin and the Dream is a 1947 Czech historical drama film directed by Václav Krška and starring Jaromír Spal, Václav Voska and Karel Dostal. The film portrays the life of the Czech violinist Josef Slavík, a contemporary of Frédéric Chopin, and a rival of Niccolò Paganini.

Cast

Jaromír Spal as Josef Slavík
Václav Voska as Frédéric Chopin
Karel Dostal as Nicolo Paganini
Vlasta Fabianová as Anna Zásmucká
Libuše Zemková as Henrietta Astfeldová
Jiřina Krejčová as Magdalenka
Marie Vášová as The Unknown Woman
Eduard Kohout as Count Pavel Adam Lažanský,
Vladimír Řepa as Teacher W. W. Würfel
František Smolík as Father Quardián
Jarmila Švabíková as Constance Bayerová
Jiří Steimar as Baron Astfeld
Jan W. Speerger as Thug
Zvonimir Rogoz as Conductor
Karel Kalista as General Kučera

Release

The film premiered on 31 January 1947. In 1948 the film was released in the United States by the USSR distributor Artkino. This release is sometimes treated as a separate film, but is simply an English-subtitled version of the Czech original. The New York Times review of the film was negative, criticising it as "an unusual but decidedly confusing and unrewarding offering" and attacking in particular its use of disjointed flashback sequences.