Report from the celebration of the fourteenth anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic held in front of the Municipal House in Prague on 28 October 1932. The gathering was attended by troops and legionnaires. A Philips Radio broadcast vehicle stands in front of the entrance. The segment includes a silent recording of a speech given by the Former Secretary of the National Committee and current Chairman of the Senate František Soukup.
The segment captures a military parade of new army recruits, held in Bratislava on 28 October 1931 as part of the celebration of the thirteenth anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic. The celebration opens with speeches by General František Škvor and Vladimír Krno, the Mayor of Bratislava. The city of Bratislava honours the 39th Infantry Regiment with the Czechoslovak War Cross and the honorary title "General Graziani´s Infantry Regiment of Reconnaissance". The 54th Artillery Regiment adopts the standard of the 109th and 153rd Artillery Regiments, made by the residents of the Jedlička Institute in Prague. The cavalry and infantry together with the military band take charge of the following parade.
The segment captures a commemorative act for General Milan Rastislav Štefánik held in Prague on 10 May 1919. The mourning procession moves along Na Příkopě Street and through the Powder Tower gate. The procession moves on towards Old Town Square and Invalidovna. General Otakar Husák delivers a speech from the stand. The event is attended by Deputy of the Revolutionary National Assembly František Udržal and Chief of Staff of the Czechoslovak Army General Maurice Pellé.
The segment captures the funeral of the Bishop of Prague Jan Nepomuk Sedlák, held in Prague on 3 October 1930. The funeral procession with church dignitaries sets out from the Archbishop´s Palace in Hradčany towards Hradčany Square and St. Vitus Cathedral. After the funeral ceremony and requeim, the remains of the late bishop were interred at St. Matthew Cementery in Prague-Dejvice (not seen in the footage).
The first, retrospective part of this segment consists of archival images of actor and theatre director Karel Vávra cast in the role of the investigating judge in Dostoevsky´s Crime and Punishment and in a civilian photo. The second part captures the actor´s funeral in Prague on 14 April 1931. The coffin containing the body of the deceased is carried out of the building of the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague. The segment includes two overhead shots showing the large funeral procession on Peace Square.
The segment captures the funeral of YMCA Secretary James B. McCreary, who died in a tragic accident on 7 July 1919 while recording an attempt to fly under the Railway Bridge in Prague. During the attempt, the plane went off course and crashed into the boat from which McCreary was filming the event. The funeral procession of American soldiers and Czechoslovak legionnaires emerges from the building of the military hospital on Charles Square (a former Jesuit residence hall) and continues along Ječná Street. A view of the coffin draped in an American flag and a crowd of mourners in the streets of Prague´s New Town.
The segment captures the funeral of Bishop Antonín Podlaha held in Prague on 18 February 1932. The coffin with the deceased is loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse. The funeral procession with church dignitaries makes its way across Hradčany Square, the first and second courtyards of Prague Castle and then stops in the third courtyard in front of the St. Vitus Cathedral.
The segment captures the funeral of the wife of President T. G. Masaryk Ï the writer and feminist Charlotta Garrigue-Masaryk Ï held in Lány on 15 May 1923. The coffin is loaded onto a hearse in front of the Lány Chateau. The funeral procession sets out from the chateau towards the cemetery in Lány. The coffin is carried by Czechoslovak legionnaires; President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, with his children Alice, Jan and Olga Masaryk, son-in-law Henri Revilliod, Herbert Masaryk's widow Bohumila Masaryková Slavíčková, and granddaughters Anna and Herberta walk behind the coffin. The large funeral procession includes the Chief of the Czechoslovak Main Staff of the Armed Forces General Eugene Mittelhauser, Deputy of the National Assembly František Tomášek, the Senator of the National Assembly, Václav Klofáč, Minister of Foreign Affairs Edvard Beneš, Chancellor Přemysl Šámal, Minister of Health Jan Šrámek, Minister of National Defence František Udržal, Minister of Agriculture Milan Hodža, Prague Mayor Karel Baxa and Minister of Social Welfare Gustav Habrman. The segment ends with an image of the Lány cemetery.
Short footage from the funeral of entrepreneur and head of the footwear imperium Tomáš Baťa and pilot Jindřich Brouček, who tragically died in a plane crash on 12 July 1932. On 14 July, crowds of people gather in the courtyard of the Zlín factory and look on as the plane in which Tomáš Bat´a and his pilot crashed passes by. This is followed by a speech by Jan Antonín Baťa delivered on 12 July 1933, on the first anniversary of his brother´s tragic death (original sound).
Unedited film footage captures the funeral of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik held in Bratislava on 10 May 1919 and copntinued in the village of Brezová on 11 May. The funeral procession through Bratislava, which took place on 10 May 1919, sets off from the Grassalkovich Palace, the current presidential residence. The funeral ceremony continues the following day in the village of Brezová. Minister of Defence Václav Klofáč delivers a funeral speech. The event is attended by the Chief of Staff of the Czechoslovak Army General Maurice Pellé, Minister of Health Vavro Šrobár, chief commander of the Czechoslovak troops in Slovakia General Luigi Giuseppe Piccione, and other luminaries. The procession passes by General Štefánik´s birthplace, the former Protestant parish in the village of Košariská.
The segment captures the funeral of the Zborov hero, General Stanislav Čeček, held in Prague on 5 June 1930. The coffin with the deceased is transported from the Pantheon of the National Museum to the National Liberation Monument in Žižkov. The funeral procession includes not only representatives of the Czechoslovak Legions but also Prime Minister František Udržal and Minister of Supplies Rudolf Bechyně. General Rudolf Medek delivers a speech over the the late hero´s coffin (silent).
The segment captures the funeral of the Mayor of the Czechoslovak Sokol Society Josef Scheiner held in Prague on 15 January 1932. The segment starts with an image of the monument to Miroslav Tyrš and Scheiner´s funeral announcement. The funeral procession sets out from the historic Sokol building in Sokolská Street. The coffin is flanked by a Sokol guard of honour. The camera offers a close-up of the wreath from Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The funeral procession comes out of the Sokol building in Sokolská Street and continues along Ječná, Žitná and Mezibranská Streets. After dusk, the procession moves on across Wenceslaus Square in the effective light of street lamps and burning candles.
The segment captures the state funeral of Minister of Finance Alois Rašín held in Prague on 21 February 1923. The shots of the preparations in front of the National Museum in the beginning of the segment are followed by views of the block of flats in Žitná Street in Prague´s New Town, where Rašín was assassinated on 5 January 1923. The funeral procession assembles in front of the National Museum. Funeral wreaths are carried out from the Pantheon. The coffin is loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse. The funeral procession moves across Wenceslaus Square, continues to Charles Square and Žitná Street towards the Olšany Cemetery crematorium. The streets are filled with on-lookers. The procession includes Sokols, representatives of the chimney sweep guild, scouts, Czechoslovak generals and soldiers. Minister of National Defence František Udržal, Deputy of the National Assembly František Tomášek, Minister of Foreign Affairs Edvard Beneš, Minister of Postal and Telegraph Services Alois Tučný, Minister of Social Welfare Gustav Habrman, Minister of Supplies Emil Franke, Minister of Agriculture Milan Hodža, and Deputy of the National Assembly Mořic Hruban.
The segment captures the funeral of the former Minister of Agricultural, the agrarian politician Otakar Srdínko, held in Prague on 24 December 1930. The footage starts with archival images of Otakar Srdínko delivering a speech. The funeral procession moves through Prague and stops in front of the building of the Institute of Histology and Embryology (now the Purkyně Institute) at Albertov. The mourners include Minister of Defence Karel Viškovský, Prime Minister František Udržal and the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Malypetr.
A segment from the funeral of poet Adolf Heyduk begins with archival footage of the town of Písek, where Heyduk lived and worked for more than 20 years until his death on 6 February 1923. The genre images depict the Otava River, the Wenceslaus suburb, the Great Square, Charles Street, the bustle at the riverside Military Swimming Pool, Aleš Square with a credit union building, the dean´s church at Bakaláře, and the remains of the town walls by the Putim Gate. Adolf Heyduk walks with friends by the Schrenek Pavillion in Palacký Park. A portrait of Adolf Heyduk painted by Jan Skalický. The first part of the final farewell takes place in Písek on 8 February 1923. The funeral procession sets out from the town hall on Great Square towards the railway station, from where the remains of the late poet will be transported to Prague. This is followed by images from the funeral ceremony held in Prague on 10 February. The funeral procession moves across Wenceslaus Square towards Heyduk´s final resting place in Vyšehrad Cemetery.
The segment captures the funeral of politician and Chairman of the Agrarian Party Antonín Švehla held on his farm in Hostivař on 15 December 1933. The coffin with the body of the deceased is loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse. The mourners include President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Senator František Soukup, former Prime Minister František Udržal and Deputy of the National Assembly Rudolf Beran. The memorial event opens with a speech by Prime Minister Jan Malypetr (silent). The funeral procession exits the farm and heads to the Hostivař Cemetery. Mayor of the Czechoslovak Sokol Society Stanislav Bukovský and Senator František Soukup deliver speeches over Švehla´s grave (silent).
The segment captures the funeral of Senator of the National Assembly Gustav Habrman held in Pilsen on 26 March 1932. The funeral procession comes out of the Peklo Workers´ House and sets out along Jungmannova Street, past the building of the Pilsen Electricity Company. The camera focuses on Kramář Park and the crowds of onlookers in the streets. The procession continues through the streets of the city, across Wilson Bridge and towards the crematorium in Doubravka.
The segment captures the funeral of Minister of Social Welfare Josef Gruber held in Prague on 7 May 1925. The flag of mourning is raised above the National Museum. The coffin with the late minister is carried out of the Pantheon of the National Museum. The funeral procession is led by university and church dignitaries. The procession continues across Wenceslaus Square to Charles Square, passing the building of the General Teaching Hospital on Vyšehradská Street. The segment ends with an image of Vyšehrad Cemetery and funeral wreaths by the cemetery arcades.
The segment captures the funeral of theatre director František Neumann held in Brno on 27 February 1929. The coffin is carried out of the building of the Mahen Theatre and loaded onto a horse-drawn hearse. The funeral procession moves along the streets of Brno towards the railway station, where the coffin is placed in a special funeral carriage. The train leaves for Prostějov, Neumann´s final resting place. The footage includes two versions of the film capturing the same event.