“And I say unto you, ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”. This quote from the Gospel of Luke is read out loud by one of the characters in Tam na horách. It will manifest itself in the destinies of the two protagonists, in the story of an unmarried mother from a mountain village, who becomes a great opera singer and toast of the city salons, and in the story of her seducer, a successful painter. The fate of the two lovers offers a double perspective. One of the advertising slogans for Tam na horách was “The first Czech film of international production”, which helped to rise the audience’s expectations. Not only was there an unusually extensive pre-release advertising campaign, but it was the first feature film of the newly formed production company AB. With its financial potential and technical level, AB would play a crucial role in the development of the Czech film industry. For almost five years, it was a monopoly producer of Czech feature films, setting the direction of domestic cinema. For its ambitious first production, AB engaged film director Sidney M. Goldin (1878-1937), who had left the US in 1919 to make films in London. Julietta Romona, the actress playing the female lead, Maruska, was billed on some posters as “London Guest of AB”. For Goldin, who also wrote the screenplay, Tam na horách would remain his only Czech production. However, his direction provided an important model for Czech filmmaking that had previously been rather theatrical. Goldin’s style was praised by reviewers for the ability to create impressive images, gripping drama and a clear storyline, cutting out everything superfluous. Particular emphasis was placed on how well Goldin directed the actors, leading them to truly cinematic performances. Among the cast of Tam na horach are the future Czech superstars Karel Lamač (as Jaromír Hanus, the painter) and Anny Ondráková (as Mariska’s sister Jarmila). Goldin moved to Vienna in December 1920. In 1922 he made two Austrian films with Ondrakova and Lamač: Hütet eure Töchter and Führe uns nicht in Versuchung.

Vaclav Kofroň