Christian () is a 1939 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Martin FriÃÂ. The film is based on a French play by Yvan Noé. It is in the style of American screwball comedies such as The Lady Eve and The Awful Truth.
Alois Novák is an uninspired clerk married to Marie, living a dull and uneventful life while yearning for excitement and adventure. Once a month, he visits the Orient Bar in disguise as a wealthy traveler named Kristian, where he seduces elegant women before leaving them heartbroken. One day, he meets Zuzana, who quickly sees through his ruse and refuses to be fooled. Determined to confront him, she begins searching for him, leading to a series of comical situations. Eventually, she finds Novák and compels him to return to reality. In the end, Novák abandons his Kristian persona, emerging as a more confident individual and a more loving, attentive husband to his wife.
The film is based on a play by Yvan Noé. Shooting of the film took 23 days and cost 675,000 KÃÂs. The film premiered on 8 September 1939. In real life, the actresses who played Zuzana and Novák's wife were friends, and during World War II they competed for the affections of the producer Willy Söhnel.
The film premiered on 8 September 1939. It remained in cinemas for 5 weeks. The film was re-released in theatres in 1951, but all scenes featuring Jára Kohout were cut from the film, because he emigrated in 1948.
Oldà Âich Nový wanted to collaborate with Martin Friàon a sequel called Christian Returns. Nový even wrote a screenplay with his wife.