Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... (1955)

80 %
based on 28 user ratings
Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... on IMDb 8.2/10 884 votes

Released:
1955-02-11

Overview:
A selfish self-centered widowed ruler, barely tolerated by his subjects and called appropriately enough, 'King Myself, First' asks his three daughters to name the measure of their love for him. When one of them says, "more than salt", he banishes her from the kingdom. Not understanding what she meant the King assumes love can only be measured by precious metals or one's own talent, the 'correct' answers from his other two daughters. The arrogance of the King leads him to gather all the salt in the kingdom and destroy it. Of course, this backfires as he slowly learns the universal value of the substance, and of course, the essence of his daughter's reply. With the help of the wise and magical old 'herb woman', the King also learns what it means to be a true and wise ruler.

Director:
Bořivoj Zeman

Runtime:
1h 47min

Genre:
Family, Comedy, Fantasy

  • Cast:
  • Jan Werich
    as
    král Já I.
  • Vlasta Burian
    as
    kancléř Atakdále
  • Irena Kačírková
    as
    princezna Drahomíra
  • Stella Májová
    as
    princezna Zpěvanka
  • Milena Dvorská
    as
    princezna Maruška