The tale of the Venetian gondolier whose desire for revenge following a thwarted love affair leads him to Bohemia. The intricate plot also deals with destinies of other characters, who finally come together in a dramatic encounter at one time and in one place. In his role as screenwriter and director, Anton produced a highly accomplished version of Mácha’s work. He respected the original but was also able, along with the DoP Karel Kopřiva, to capitalise on the possibilities that the film medium offered. For the Venice prologue, the filmmakers exploited the photogenic qualities of the city – the narrow streets, the lagoons, gondolas and the sea – and they moved the set to the enigmatic Czech landscape around the castle of Kokořín.
Hugo Svoboda
as Giacomo
Olga Augustová
as Angelina
Theodor Pištěk
as Count Valdemar Lomecký
Alfons Rasp
as Son of Valdemar Lomecký
Julius Czonský
as Innkeeper
Bronislava Livia
as Lea
Karel Fiala
as Administrator of a manor
Karel Schleichert
as Old Veteran
Josef Šváb-Malostranský
as Guest
Karel Faltys
as Napoleon
Jiřina Janderová
as Countess Lomecká
Jindřich Edl
as Presiding Judge
