kviff.com
News
Festival Guide
  • Tickets and Festival Pass
  • Accommodations
  • Transportation
  • Festival cinemas
  • No Barriers project
  • Kids at the festival
  • Festival Shop
Program
  • Catalogue of films
  • Accompanying programme
  • Archive of films
  • Audience award
  • KVIFF Talks
  • Film Entry
Film Industry
  • Industry accreditation
  • Film Industry at KVIFF
  • Industry Days Programme
  • KVIFF Eastern Promises
  • KVIFF Talents
Press
  • Press accreditation
  • Press Service
  • For download
  • Press releases
  • Photogallery
  • Videogallery
About the festival
  • Festival description
  • Programme sections
  • Awards
  • History
  • We support non-profits
  • Photogallery
  • Partners
  • Why We Support the Festival
  • Contacts
CZ
Sign in
Film Archive

An Old Gangster's Molls

Out of the Past 2014 / Milenky starého kriminálníka / Czechoslovakia 1927

Telling invented stories about the murders of his lovers, Vlasta Burian tries to escape marriage with the energetic Anny Ondra. This restored copy of a silent comedy full of chases and doppelgänger scenes is accompanied by live music.

An Old Gangster's Molls

Synopsis

The descendant of an impoverished aristocratic family is to marry his creditor’s eccentric daughter. He, however, is in love with another girl, so he convinces his uncle to take over his courtship duties. He hopes that his elderly relative will succeed in dissuading the unwelcome bride, but the exact opposite happens. As it turns out, the uncle looks like a certain dread gangster, and the young woman, who loves to box and thrills to fast cars, sees the promise of fame and excitement in marriage to the well-known criminal. Starring Anny Ondra and Vlasta Burian, this silent movie excels for its original slapstick, especially the mélange of invented murders, chases, and doppelgänger scenes. The movie has been out of circulation for decades, with the last screenings of the original combustible copy held at Prague’s Ponrepo theater (affiliated to the National Film Archive) in the 1960s. The projection of the reconstructed copy, which has been colorized using a one-of-a-kind method, will be accompanied by live music.

About the film

106 min / Black & white, 35 mm

Director Svatopluk Innemann / Screenplay Elmar Klos, Josef Skružný / Dir. of Photography Otto Heller / Production Oceanfilm / Cast Vlasta Burian, Anny Ondráková, Jan W. Speerger, Betty Kysilková, Jindřich Plachta / Contact Národní filmový archiv / Distributor Národní filmový archiv

About the director

Svatopluk Innemann

Svatopluk Innemann (1896-1945) was the son of a director and an opera singer. He shot his first film in 1918 with Otto Heller. He made his way alone in subsequent years, trying his hand at both acting and directing. His feature films are generically wide-ranging (operetta, comedy, melodrama), and he also made a number of documentaries (e.g. Prague Illuminated, 1928). His beloved comedy From the Czech Mills and his narrative biopic Josef Kajetán Tyl were released in 1925. In 1919-1930 he shot sixteen silent films and then entered the sound era with Fidlovačka (1930). He also shot the Jaroslav Hašek biopic The Last Bohemian (1931) and the comedy Men Offside (1931), still his most successful and popular picture. Another highlight of Innemann’s directing career came with Before Graduation (1932), realized in cooperation with Vladislav Vančura.

Contacts

Národní filmový archiv
Závišova 5, 140 00, Praha 4
Czech Republic
E-mail: [email protected]

Guests

Aleš Rumpel
Festival Organizer, Film Institution Rep.

Michal Bregant
Cinema Representative, Distributor, Film Institution Rep.

Tereza Czesany Dvořáková
Film Institution Rep.

Barbora Kinkalová
Producer, Service Company Rep.

Daniel Vadocký
Distributor, Sales Agent

Marie Barešová
Other

Other partners
Newsletter

First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.

Follow us on the web:

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
is part of the KVIFF Group family, which covers other projects as well:

© 2025 KVIFF GROUP

Rules for Visitors / Website visitors privacy policy / GTC / Personal Data Protection / Rules for Claim / Rules and Regulations / Contacts