
Directing
Václav Vorlíček
Born — Died
1930-06-03 — 2019-02-05
Place of birth
Prague, Czechia
Known for
Directing
Credits
53 titles
Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. He studied filmmaking at FAMU from 1951 to 1956. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaboration with screenwriter Miloš Macourek. He directed several children's and fairytale films, most notably Tři oříšky pro Popelku (1973), a Christmas film classic in many European countries.
Known for
5.2No synopsis available yet.
Riverboat
1992
8.2Arabela was a children's television series produced in Czechoslovakia which aired from 1979 to 1981. The series has 13 episodes and is in the Czech language.
Arabela
1980
7.5Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.
Three Wishes for Cinderella
1973
8.0A businessman discovers he has a hidden gene that enables him to breathe water, threatening the existence of the secret Aquarian race, in this charming, comedic fantasy drama from the Czech Republic.
The Invisibles
2014
6.4At long last, King Dalimil and Queen Eliška have produced an heir, Princess Růženka. Consumed with envy, Eliška’s sister Melánie casts a curse: On the day Růženka turns seventeen, she will prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep together with the entire kingdom.
How to Wake a Princess
1978
6.2A wonderful fairytale about looking for love, defeating evil and learning some valuable moral lessons on the way. The story begins with the young Prince Velen, who is left in charge of the castle and his three sisters. During the night he has a visitation and before he knows it, all his sisters are married off and gone away, and himself falls in love with beautiful Večernice. Now he is faced with the King's wraths and charged with a quest. The journey, however, hides obstacles and danger; not only treacherous merchants and robbers, but also a evil wizard Mrakomor...
Prince and the Evening Star
1979
Film credits
2000s · 2 titles
NRA documentary exploring the life and career of acclaimed Czech director and screenwriter Václav Vorlíček (1930–2019), known for his imaginative comedies and beloved fairy tale films. From his early days at FAMU and Barrandov Studios to cult classics like Three Wishes for Cinderella and Arabela, the film revisits the legacy of a filmmaker who left a lasting mark on generations of viewers.
Václav Vorlíček: King of Comedies and Fairy Tales
2005
No synopsis available yet.
Vladimír Menšík – 75
2004
1980s · 3 titles
The 50th anniversary of the Barrandov studios was celebrated with a spectacular show: many directors and other important people gathered in the expensive decorations of the Variety Theatre auditorium (built for the Circus Humberto series). They smiled and showed well-deserved relaxation after a job well done in managing socialist cinema. Vladimir Sís interspersed this with excerpts from films, mainly his own and also a little of others who had worked on the "Hill of Dreams".
Barrandovské nokturno aneb Jak film tančil a zpíval
1985
6.8The film is essentially a feature-length commercial for an exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of the nationalisation of the Czechoslovak film industry, to be held at the Prague U Hybernu venue. The protagonists of the piece are comedians Oldrich Kaiser and Jirí Lábus, who are set to accept an award from Japanese television representatives at the exhibition. At the same time, five gangsters plot to seize a revolutionary invention devised by professor Suzuki - a super holograph, which enables any figure from television to be transported in the flesh into the real world, and vice-versa.
The Great Movie Robbery
1987
5.3A short film about Prague, Prague residents, and the beginning of the weekend.
Zelená vlna
1982
Series credits
5.2No synopsis available yet.
Riverboat
1992
8.2Arabela was a children's television series produced in Czechoslovakia which aired from 1979 to 1981. The series has 13 episodes and is in the Czech language.
Arabela
1980
8.0A businessman discovers he has a hidden gene that enables him to breathe water, threatening the existence of the secret Aquarian race, in this charming, comedic fantasy drama from the Czech Republic.
The Invisibles
2014
No synopsis available yet.
Kde bydlely princezny
2010
Behind the camera
7.5Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.
Three Wishes for Cinderella
1973
7.5Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes across three magical acorns, she's granted a single wish for each one of them.
Three Wishes for Cinderella
1973
6.4At long last, King Dalimil and Queen Eliška have produced an heir, Princess Růženka. Consumed with envy, Eliška’s sister Melánie casts a curse: On the day Růženka turns seventeen, she will prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep together with the entire kingdom.
How to Wake a Princess
1978
6.2A wonderful fairytale about looking for love, defeating evil and learning some valuable moral lessons on the way. The story begins with the young Prince Velen, who is left in charge of the castle and his three sisters. During the night he has a visitation and before he knows it, all his sisters are married off and gone away, and himself falls in love with beautiful Večernice. Now he is faced with the King's wraths and charged with a quest. The journey, however, hides obstacles and danger; not only treacherous merchants and robbers, but also a evil wizard Mrakomor...
Prince and the Evening Star
1979
6.4The heroes of this absurd comedy, full of confusion and humor are Dzharda Zemanek and Frantisek Liska.
A Nice Plate of Spinach
1977
6.4The heroes of this absurd comedy, full of confusion and humor are Dzharda Zemanek and Frantisek Liska.
A Nice Plate of Spinach
1977
5.0Three hundred years after she fled the Witch Academy for love, Saxána has settled into a comfortable human life with her husband and daughter, until her curious little girl, Saxánka, uncovers her mother’s hidden magical past and is whisked away to the Fairy Realm. There, amid dwarfs, dragons, and mischievous spirits, Saxánka with her newfound fairy friends to unravel a tangle of enchanted dangers and stop the comic-book gangster Crashman from plunging the realm into ruin.
Little Witch on a Broomstick
2011
6.8After a soldier cuts off the arm of king's cousin, king decides to deactivate the army. Of course, generals don't like it at all and they try to kill the king. The assassin should be artificial body in the shape of actress Evelina Keleti and with brain of psychotic serial killer Fany Stubová. They also manage to kill king's astrologer Stuart Hampl, who warns the king. Accidentally, Hampl's brain is implanted into assassin's body, actress Keleti is killed and chaos begins.
You Are a Widow, Sir
1971
6.8After a soldier cuts off the arm of king's cousin, king decides to deactivate the army. Of course, generals don't like it at all and they try to kill the king. The assassin should be artificial body in the shape of actress Evelina Keleti and with brain of psychotic serial killer Fany Stubová. They also manage to kill king's astrologer Stuart Hampl, who warns the king. Accidentally, Hampl's brain is implanted into assassin's body, actress Keleti is killed and chaos begins.
You Are a Widow, Sir
1971
7.0A teenage witch escapes to the world of humans rather than endure a 300-year detention, and causes chaos in a small Czechoslovakian city.
The Girl on the Broomstick
1972
7.0A teenage witch escapes to the world of humans rather than endure a 300-year detention, and causes chaos in a small Czechoslovakian city.
The Girl on the Broomstick
1972
7.0In this zany Czechoslovakian comedy, a scientist invents a machine that projects a sleeping person's dream on a screen; disaster soon follows when the machine malfunctions and the cartoon-like dream characters become very real!
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
1966
7.0In this zany Czechoslovakian comedy, a scientist invents a machine that projects a sleeping person's dream on a screen; disaster soon follows when the machine malfunctions and the cartoon-like dream characters become very real!
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
1966
6.6There are still water spirits among us. One group lives in Prague, led by Mr. Wassermann, who is using his wife's family as a servants. All they need is their old house near the river. But the house is to be demolished. They have to stop it. And the only way is to drown Dr. Mrácek, who is responsible for the demolition. But he falls in love with Wassermann's niece Jana. He changes to fish, is mistaken for water spirit from Germany, is drowned and revived again. The other problem is the flour with ears... and so on...
How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer
1975
6.6There are still water spirits among us. One group lives in Prague, led by Mr. Wassermann, who is using his wife's family as a servants. All they need is their old house near the river. But the house is to be demolished. They have to stop it. And the only way is to drown Dr. Mrácek, who is responsible for the demolition. But he falls in love with Wassermann's niece Jana. He changes to fish, is mistaken for water spirit from Germany, is drowned and revived again. The other problem is the flour with ears... and so on...
How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer
1975
6.1The invincible agent Cyril Juan Borguette alias W4C has been assigned a mission to go to a hotel in Prague, get hold of a saltcellar with a plan for the military exploitation of Venus hidden in it, and hand it over to the beautiful agent Alice. He will have to compete for the saltcellar with other agents working for the world's various greater and smaller powers. The head of the Prague counter-intelligence unit gets news of agent W4C's mission. Deficient in personnel, he nominates accountant Foustka as agent 13B. Mr Foustka takes his dog Pajda with him and the two head for the airport. Pajda helps him track down agent W4C in a classy hotel that becomes the battleground for the interests and plans of the secret agents from different countries, each trying to get hold of the precious saltcellar.
The End of Agent W4C
1967
6.1The invincible agent Cyril Juan Borguette alias W4C has been assigned a mission to go to a hotel in Prague, get hold of a saltcellar with a plan for the military exploitation of Venus hidden in it, and hand it over to the beautiful agent Alice. He will have to compete for the saltcellar with other agents working for the world's various greater and smaller powers. The head of the Prague counter-intelligence unit gets news of agent W4C's mission. Deficient in personnel, he nominates accountant Foustka as agent 13B. Mr Foustka takes his dog Pajda with him and the two head for the airport. Pajda helps him track down agent W4C in a classy hotel that becomes the battleground for the interests and plans of the secret agents from different countries, each trying to get hold of the precious saltcellar.
The End of Agent W4C
1967
No synopsis available yet.
Vychovatel
1972
6.8Tomas, a 14-year-old boy lives beneath the castle of the powerful Lord Balador. The boy is able to communicate with animals, and he tries to obtain the royal falcon – a symbol of freedom and faith. He also falls in love with Balador's daughter Formina, a girl who is to be married off against her will.
Tomáš and the Falcon King
2000
8.0An only son, Jirí Valenta (Jaromír Hanzlík), has been drafted to the army. At the barracks he acquires the nickname Seamstress because he sews rugs in his spare time. One day, his friend introduces him to Julka Vávrová (Jorga Kotrbová), a girl he is desperate to get rid of. The naive Jirí falls in love with the girl and accepts her invitation to spend Easter together in the country. There he learns that the girl is the single mother of the young boy Martínek, whose father is the married tractor driver.
Dva muži hlásí příchod
1975
8.0An only son, Jirí Valenta (Jaromír Hanzlík), has been drafted to the army. At the barracks he acquires the nickname Seamstress because he sews rugs in his spare time. One day, his friend introduces him to Julka Vávrová (Jorga Kotrbová), a girl he is desperate to get rid of. The naive Jirí falls in love with the girl and accepts her invitation to spend Easter together in the country. There he learns that the girl is the single mother of the young boy Martínek, whose father is the married tractor driver.
Dva muži hlásí příchod
1975
7.0An early comic short film by Václav Vorlíček.
Directive
1955
7.0An early comic short film by Václav Vorlíček.
Directive
1955
4.8Max and Sally, the heroes of popular Czech animated series are leaving the TV in order to become a regular boy and girl.
Max, Sally and the Magic Phone
2001
5.9The sick King Jorgen worries about the marriage of his daughter Elena. The fairytale-like, dramatic confusion triggers a shimmering golden fire bird with its wondrous song every full moon night - it makes the king heal and brings the "good" prince as husband of the "good" Princess Elena.
The Firebird
1997
7.0In this fairy-tale comedy, a clumsy second-rate wizard, Rumburak, gets stuck in the world of humans. He has forgotten the spell that allows him to return to his home fairyland. His only joy is watching the figure skater Helen, whom he would like to woo. His hopes of returning to fairyland dawn when he discovers a computer in a research institute that could generate the lost spell.
Rumburak
1984
5.2The two heroes of the film's story - the decent but dry engineer Zárub and the marriage swindler Majer - are granted this wish by the mysterious forces of the moon. The two men change their appearance, which, however, contrasts sharply with their unchanged characters and voices. The incomprehensible swap naturally becomes the source of many comic plots and situations.
It's Not Me
1986
5.2The two heroes of the film's story - the decent but dry engineer Zárub and the marriage swindler Majer - are granted this wish by the mysterious forces of the moon. The two men change their appearance, which, however, contrasts sharply with their unchanged characters and voices. The incomprehensible swap naturally becomes the source of many comic plots and situations.
It's Not Me
1986
6.4Prince Victor looks in vain for a swan which was wounded by one of his servants. Instead he discovers a beautiful girl with golden hair who has an arrow in her shoulder. She is dumb and can't explain her origin. He falls immediately for her. The girl quickly recovers, but disappears mysteriously.
Queen of the Lake
1998
5.9An evil witch is trying to steal a magic purse possessed by the local ruler. Thanks to Princess Blanka's love, Prince Petr wins out over the witch.
The Magic Book
1996
7.8A loose sequel to the 1976 comedy Stormy Wine. The screenwriters and the director recreate on screen a number of characters from the South Moravian town of Pálavice, characterised by their different attitudes and approaches to work and private life. A number of serious issues touching on the times emerge around the story of the con man. The fundamental dispute between the vice-chairman Janák and the chairman of the merged cooperatives ing. Urban, as well as the satirical theme of illegal machinations and bribes, are undoubtedly of general validity.
Mature Wine
1981
7.7It is the summer of 1968 and also in South Moravian Pálavice appear political clashes. The so far peacefully farming Unified farmers' cooperative starts splitting. Some of the farmers have found the cooperative called Vidrupa and want to deal with wine in private trade. Michal Janák, chairman of the farmers' cooperative is a deliberate man and refuses the latent return to the capitalism. As an excellent farmer he continues preparing planting out new vineyards. His adversaries do not agree - the returns will come many years later. Jozka Hrdlicka, an émigré, notices on the Austrian TV the interview with the representatives of Vidrupa and decides to visit his native village. The new suit and the hired car transform the bankrupt and criminal to the successful businessman with wine.
Wine Working
1976
7.7It is the summer of 1968 and also in South Moravian Pálavice appear political clashes. The so far peacefully farming Unified farmers' cooperative starts splitting. Some of the farmers have found the cooperative called Vidrupa and want to deal with wine in private trade. Michal Janák, chairman of the farmers' cooperative is a deliberate man and refuses the latent return to the capitalism. As an excellent farmer he continues preparing planting out new vineyards. His adversaries do not agree - the returns will come many years later. Jozka Hrdlicka, an émigré, notices on the Austrian TV the interview with the representatives of Vidrupa and decides to visit his native village. The new suit and the hired car transform the bankrupt and criminal to the successful businessman with wine.
Wine Working
1976
A mischievous grandfather likes to play spies with his friends, thereby complicating the family well-being of his daughter-in-law and the love life of his granddaughter Tereza.
Kaktus, bomba, letadlo
1970
5.3A short film about Prague, Prague residents, and the beginning of the weekend.
Zelená vlna
1982
The TV fairy tale based on a book of tales and legends from Prague's Old Town. Its author, writer E. Petiška, set the story at the end of the 16th century, during the reign of Rudolf II, when the wise and learned Rabbi Löwe, on the orders of heaven, created the Golem, whose task was to help the oppressed in their fight against their enemies...
Rabín a jeho Golem
1995
A young and shy bachelor wants to get his driver's license. His driving school teacher, however, is used to "noticing", takes bribes and only gives his pupils their licence for bottles. His pupil, depressed and depressed, becomes close to a colleague, learns to drive at night and not only that...
Přikázaný směr jízdy
1977
8.0Third wine session, this time with a computer. The film was made in direct relation to the audience success of the previous two: "Stormy Wine" and "Ripe Wine". In the comedy-oriented story, the computer is an important actor, around which all the events actually revolve. It is reliable, powerful, but unused. Its future lies in the hands of those who do not yet know how to use it.
Young Wine
1986
8.0Third wine session, this time with a computer. The film was made in direct relation to the audience success of the previous two: "Stormy Wine" and "Ripe Wine". In the comedy-oriented story, the computer is an important actor, around which all the events actually revolve. It is reliable, powerful, but unused. Its future lies in the hands of those who do not yet know how to use it.
Young Wine
1986
No synopsis available yet.
Politická karikatura
1954



