A Czech Valentine’s Special - Kristián, Love on Tiptoes, Lovení

A Czech Valentine’s Special: love with wit, charm, and a little truth

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all roses and sugary clichés. Sometimes all you need is a good film, a blanket, something tasty - and a story that makes you laugh, warms you up, or reminds you that love is often most beautiful because it isn’t perfect.

Here is a Czech Valentine’s selection of films that bring romance - but most of all, spark.

1) When romance wears a tuxedo: Kristián

Sometimes we want to play a different version of ourselves for a moment - more elegant, more daring, more charming. Kristián captures exactly that kind of “escape into style.”

In spring 1939, one of the most beloved Czechoslovak social comedies was made - directed by Martin Frič and based on a French stage play. The main character is travel-agency clerk Alois Novák, played by Oldřich Nový. Once a month, he enters the “big world” of the Orient bar, where he becomes the irresistible Kristián.

There he meets the young, wealthy Zuzana Rendlová (Adina Mandlová), who eventually sees through his double life and brings him back to reality - and to his faithful wife Mařenka (Nataša Gollová). Zuzana’s fiancé Fred is played by Raoul Schránil, as in several of his earlier films.

Even though the story itself is not revolutionary, the tasteful direction and soulful performances turned Kristián into a true evergreen. The film was screened at the international festival in Venice, and Adina Mandlová and Martin Frič received an award for their work.

The behind-the-scenes relationships are also fascinating. Kristián was the first time Mandlová worked with the rising star Nataša Gollová, who between 1939 and 1943 went on to play leading roles in many films - and in several of them alongside Mandlová again. In private, the two became friends, although Mandlová later described that during World War II they also shared the attention of producer Willy Söhnel.

Kristián premiered on September 8, 1939 and ran for five weeks in its initial release. After the war, it was shown again, but some scenes featuring Mandlová and Jára Kohout were cut. The original opening credits spell the title as Kristian, while other materials also use Kristián. The apartment furnishings were supplied by Spojené UP závody.

Fun fact

Director Martin Frič insisted that Oldřich Nový should appear taller than Adina Mandlová. Whenever they walked side by side, stagehands reportedly placed bricks under Nový’s feet - and when full bodies are shown, he often at least wears a hat.

2) When feelings dance: Love on Tiptoes

This romantic comedy is set in a small town and the surrounding Broumov region. The dramatic landscape mirrors the moods of the main heroine, Tereza (36), a former principal ballerina of Prague’s National Theatre. After an injury ends her professional career, she moves with her husband Petr and their seven-year-old daughter Maruška to an abandoned mill inherited from her grandmother.

With pure determination and limited finances, Tereza renovates the building to create a new home for the family. She earns extra money by running a movement-education club at the local school - teaching tired, everyday women long-forgotten dance movements and their daughters the basics of ballet.

But Petr is unhappy in the countryside and wants a career in Prague. The marriage enters a crisis, while the family’s uncertainty - and the narrow-mindedness of some local residents - pushes Tereza to carry more than she can handle. Thankfully, there are her little “ballerinas,” far from perfect but irresistibly sweet, and Tereza’s contagious optimism. Then life hits again: one night the mill catches fire, volunteer firefighters arrive with their handsome commander, Petr announces he is moving to Prague, the school principal says the city wants to cancel the club, and Tereza’s friends suddenly appear out of nowhere. If Tereza wants to survive it all in one piece, she will need a plan.

Fun fact

Actor Leoš Noha had a heart attack during filming and had to be taken away by ambulance. Thankfully, everything ended well and he returned to continue shooting.

3) Modern relationships, modern chaos: Lovení

The main character Eliška, played by Ester Geislerová, is at her wedding, waiting for her big moment. But instead of saying “I do,” the groom says “I don’t” and runs away from the altar. Luckily, Eliška has a best friend with a clear solution - she immediately creates a dating profile for her on a well-known app.

Eliška is not thrilled, but she is 35, single, and afraid she will miss her chance. She decides to take control of her life, dives into blind dates, and tries to find new love among a long series of disastrous meetups. At the same time, she has to move quickly - and her only option is sharing a place with her half-brother, an oddball who keeps bees on the rooftop and doesn’t want her there.

Fun facts

The dangerous scene where Richard (Jakub Prachař) climbs up to the 3rd floor was performed by the actor himself, without a stunt double. The director asked if he was afraid of heights - he reportedly said they would find out during filming, and, inspired by Roger Moore and Jean-Paul Belmondo, he jumped into “stunt work.” They filmed all night, he climbed up about ten times, was secured with a rope, and by the end he could barely continue.
When Richard sang “Lékořice” for Eliška, he was supposed to sing slightly out of tune. Jakub Prachař sang so off-key that the entire crew and cast kept laughing, and they had to repeat the scene because people couldn’t stay serious.