
105 minutes
10/28/1955
The film, in individual episodes, captures the fate of Bedřich Smetana from 1856 until the end of his life, from his young years until the moment when, exhausted by human and artistic hardship, he sees the fulfillment of his great dream, the opening of the National Theatre.

Karel Höger
as Bedřich Smetana

Zdenka Procházková
as Bettyna, Smetana's wife

Jaromír Spal
as writer Jan Neruda

Bedřich Karen
as dr. Ladislav Rieger

Vlasta Fialová
as paní Fröjda

Oldřich Lukeš
as Karel Sabina

Eduard Cupák
as Antonín Dvořák

Jana Rybářová
as writer Eliška Krásnohorská
Libuše Matějová
as Otylie Malá

Eduard Kohout
as dr. K. Sladkovský

Zdeněk Dítě
as poet Vítězslav Hálek

Jiří Vršťala
as Karel Purkyně

Karel Dostal
as writer Josef Wenzig
Štěpán Bulejko
as composer Franz Liszt

Bedřich Vrbský
as count Harrach
Rudolf Walter
as count of Thurn-Taxis

Ludmila Vendlová
as Sophie, Smetana's daughter
Václav Švorc
as Josef Schwarz, Žofi's fiancé
Bohumil Aisman
as Ferdinandi
Jarmila Pechová
as singer Eleonora of the Ehrenbergs

Felix le Breux
as bandleader Maýr

Gustav Hilmar
as rector of Pivoda

Václav Vydra
as rector Krejčí

Jiří Steimar
as rector Thomé

Gustav Heverle
as referent Linhart

Karel Jičínský
as dr. Ambros

František Kreuzmann
as S. Goldsmith
Saša Danešová
as Maid Baruska

Nelly Gaierová
as Taxisová
Milada Matysová
as Harrachová

Eduard Dubský
as music correspondent Werner

Vladimír Borský
as Mrs. Fröjda's husband
Antonín Kandert
as man in Sweden

Raoul Schránil
as man in Sweden
Gabriela Bártlová-Buddeusová
as woman in Sweden

František Filipovský
as principal of comedians

František Kovářík
as village teacher

Miloš Nedbal
as man in society

Ella Šárková
as laundress

Petr Haničinec
as young villager
Josef Příhoda
as old villager
Arnošt Martínek
as Zdeněk Fibich
Emilie Urbanová-Jeřábková
as Barbora Smetanová

Helena Krtičková
as Salomonová
Emil Dlesk
as butler
Otto Čermák

Antonín Rýdl

Marta Májová
as woman in the crowd at the National Theater
Inka Vostřezová
as girl with a bouquet
Jarmil Burghauser
Ivo Žídek
as Jeník
Rudolf Cortés
as Dalibor (only playing)
Marie Podvalová
as plays and sings Libuše
Beno Blachut
as sings and plays
Václav Bednář
as sings and plays
Luděk Mandaus
as sings and plays
Vojen Novák
as sings and plays
Milada Čadikovičová
as sings and plays
Jan Konstantin
as sings and plays
Bohumír Vích
as sings and plays
Josef Vojta
as sings and plays

Rudolf Asmus
as sings and plays
Karel Kocourek
Slávka Jägrová
Ladislav Kulhánek
Marie Lukášová
Václava Austová
Jiřina Součková
Karel Hirsch
Déda Papež
Hynek Němec
Adam Novák
Jaroslav Vágner