Captain Florian of the Mill

Annotation for 70mm film seminar 2009 by Kristýna Haklová

German filmmakers made the first 70mm film, Hejtman Florian, in the GDR based on Joachim Kupsch's short story Die Winternachtsabenteuer (The Winter Night Adventure) in 1968. The film was not screened in our country until early 1970. In Hejtman Florian, director and screenwriter Werner W. Wallorth drew on the popularity of Fanfán Tulipán and other French historical adventure comedies. The story is set in the early 19th century, when men return from a won war against Napoleon to a war-ravaged country. The emperor has promised to pay them all for their service and damaged property. However, this is not the case and instead a tax collector visits the region. The young miller Florian, played by actor Manfred Krug, tries to repair his broken-down mill even without the promised reward, only with the help of his friends. His efforts are hindered by illogical bureaucracy, represented by both insidious tax collectors and the police, who are just right for a comedy. Florián, as a brave and war-hardened man, sets out to solve the matter directly with the emperor in Vienna. The plot gets complicated in waves and then settles down again to make room for humorous situations, stunts and a romantic plot. Despite all the confusion, the murders of nameless characters, grotesque cake battles and the demolition of some buildings, the young miller does not defeat or fix the bureaucracy, but instead outwits it and, according to genre expectations, comes to the money and wins his chosen one. Ideal material for a 70mm film: it is magnificent, colorful, full of historical costumes and beautiful ladies. What was the slogan for the posters according to Filmové srečník? A comedy about love, intrigue, brave men and beautiful women.