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.
A segment from the Elektajournal Production Company captures the funeral of bishop Josef Gross held in Litoměřice on 24 January 1931. The funeral procession moves through the streets of Litoměřice.
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.
A segment from the Elektajournal Production Company captures the funeral of composer Leoš Janáček held in Brno on 18 August 1928. The coffin with the deceased is loaded onto the hearse in front of the Mahen Theatre. The widow, Zdenka Janáčková, walks behind the horse-drawn carriage. The funeral procession, which includes many representatives of the Sokols, ends at Brno Central Cemetery. The ceremony continues with a mass and the interment of the coffin in the grave.
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.
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).
Segment of the Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel) 1938 No. 18 captures the funeral of politician, former Minister of National Defence and Prime Minister František Udržal held in his native village of Dolní Roveň u Pardubic on 28 April 1938. Images of the mournfully decorated family house. The funeral ceremony opens with speeches by Prime Minister Milan Hodža and Deputy of the National Assembly Rudolf Beran. The mourners include Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Malypetr, Generals Jan Syrový and Ludvík Krejčí, entrepreneur Jan Antonín Baťa and Senator František Soukup. The coffin with the deceased, draped in the national flag, is carried onto a horse-drawn hearse. The funeral procession makes its way through the streets of the village to the local cemetery. A cushion with Udražal´s honours is carried behind the hearse. In addition to his relatives and state officials, the procession includes generals of the Czechoslovak Army, military attaches, Czechoslovak soldiers, church dignitaries and Sokols. Despite the inclement weather, the streets are lined with crowds of onlookers. At the cemetery, the coffin is lowered into a grave. A plane flies past the church tower. The segment closes with an image of Udržal´s family tomb.
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.