From Saturday to Sunday

From Saturday to Sunday (Czech: Ze soboty na neděli) is a 1931 Czech drama film directed by Gustav Machatý based on a screenplay by Vítězslav Nezval. Art Director on the film was Alexandr Hackenschmied.^[1][2]

From Saturday to Sunday
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gustav Machatý
Written by	Vítězslav Nezval Gustav Machatý
Produced by	František Horký
Starring	Ladislav H. Struna
Cinematography	Václav Vích
Edited by	Gustav Machatý
Music by	Jaroslav Ježek
Production company	A-B
Distributed by	Lloyd
Release date	1 May 1931 (1931-05-01)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	Czechoslovakia
Language	Czech

Cast

• Ladislav H. Struna as Karel Benda, typesetter
• Magda Maděrová as Máňa, audio typist
• Jiřina Šejbalová as Nany, audio typist
• Karel Jičínský as Mr. Ervín
• R. A. Dvorský as Pavel
• F. X. Mlejnek as Announcer
• Mimi Erbenová as Nightclub attendant
• Jan Richter as Drunkard
• František Sauer as Drunkard
• Míla Svoboda as Drunkard
• Václav Menger as Police officer
• Leo Marten as Club dancer
• Aša Vašátková as Club dancer
• Milada Matysová as Club dancer

Production

From Saturday to Sunday was Machatý's first sound film, which caused problems with financing. Studios weren't ready to spend resources on the sound movie for a small market. In the end the financing was provided by A-B production company and the film was shot at sound stages at A-B studios in Vinohrady. Jazz inspired soundtrack was composed by Jaroslav Ježek with Nezval writing the song lyrics.^[3] In 1932 a French dubbed version of the film was released under the name D’une nuit a l’autre.

Reception

The contemporary local reviews were mixed. The critics praised the film visuals, camera work and editing, but criticised "banal and sentimental" story.^[3] The film was well-received in France.

Home release

The film was digitally restored in 2017 and released on Blu-ray and DVD by Czech Film Archive.^[4]

Further reading

• Owen, Jonathan (2011). Avant-garde to New Wave: Czechoslovak cinema, surrealism and the sixties. New York, NY: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-0857459015.
• Horníček, Jiří (2011). Gustav Machatý: Touha dělat film – osobnost režiséra na pozadí dějin kinematografie. Brno: Host. ISBN 978-80-7294-366-1.
• Howard, Cerise. "From Saturday to Sunday (Gustav Machatý, 1931), or: Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision? – Senses of Cinema".