Czech Silent Genre Rarities from Director Jan S. Kolar - The Arrival from the Darkness + St. Wenceslas

Limited Edition

One of the great pioneers of the early Czech film industry, director and writer Jan S. Kolár (1896-1973) worked in a number of genres:  supernatural fantasy, medieval epics, romantic melodrama, sci-fi and more.  Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to collaborate with the Národní filmový archív, Prague and Comeback Company on this first-ever Blu-ray release of two of Kolár’s finest Silent features and a number of rare shorts.

THE ARRIVAL FROM THE DARKNESS (PŘÍCHOZÍ Z TEMNOT)  –  1921, NFA, 62 min., dir. Jan S. Kolár.  Much wilder-than-you-think-it-will-be occult story about a book collector (Theodor Pištěk) who uses an ancient manuscript to revive his long-dormant 16th century ancestor (Karel Lamač) – who then tries to steal the collector’s wife (Anny Ondra), thinking she’s his long-lost love Alena.  Mad esoteric shenanigans involving ruined castles, alchemists, time travel, the Elixir of Life, the Black Plague and Black Magic rituals make this one of the most surprising genre treats of the Silent era.  With an experimental musical score by the Silent film trio Neuvěřitelno. 

ST. WENCESLAS (SVATÝ VÁCLAV) – 1929, NFA, 103 min., Kolár’s sweeping medieval epic set in 10th century Bohemia about the struggle between paganism and Christianity, centered around the prince (and later saint) Wenceslas (Zdeněk Štěpánek), who became the model for "the righteous king."  Lavish and highly entertaining mixture of ALEXANDER NEVSKY and ILYA MUROMETS, filled with knights in armor, murders, betrayals between brothers, between mothers and sons, between daughters and mothers-in-law -- betrayals everywhere you look.  The most expensive Czech film made up to that point, filmed during the Silent era but only released after the transition to sound.  With a new score for this release by Silent film composer Ben Model.

All films feature Czech intertitles with English subtitles.

Special Features

“Polykarp’s Winter Adventure” (Polykarpovo Zimní Dobrodružství ) 1917, 11 min.  Kolár’s first film is this charming comedy shot outdoors in the snowy winter in Prague.

“The Oriental Languages’ Teacher” (Učitel Orientálních Jazyků) - 1918, 35 min.  Co-directed by Kolár and Olga Rautenkranzová, the first Czech female filmmaker.  

“The Lady With The Small Foot” (Dáma S Malou Nožkou) - 1919, 31 min., dir. Jan S. Kolár.  An ambitious mix of Louis Feuillade-style detective thriller / fantasy and comedy.  With Anny Ondra from ARRIVAL ...

“The Torn Photograph” (Roztržené Foto) - 1921, 27 min., dir. Jan S. Kolár.  A surreal romantic comedy about four confirmed bachelors who swear they’ll never marry.

“How We Used To Make Movies” (Jak Se U Nás Kdysi Filmovalo) - 1954, 23 min.  Fascinating compilation by Bohumil Veselý of behind-the-scenes footage from Czech Silent films shot between 1918-1929 (including several by Kolár) and assembled in the 1950s.  

“The Wedding Shirt” (Svatební Košile) -- 1925, co-dir. Josef Kokeisl.  The only surviving 4 min. fragment from this haunting Silent Horror film, co-directed by Theodor Pištěk who starred in ARRIVAL …

All of the above shorts feature new music composed for this release by Ben Model.

• 48-page booklet featuring new essays by film historian Jan-Christopher Horak and film critic Walter Chaw.

• New audio commentary by film historian Peter Hames and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company.

• New visual essay “Face of Centuries: Jan S. Kolár and the Afterlives of History” (2026, 18 min.) by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer.

• New artwork by Beth Morris.

• Blu-ray authoring by Vital Passenger.