Without the iconic fairy tale of director Václav Vorlíček Three nuts for Cinderella a large part of Czechs and Slovaks would probably not even be able to imagine the Christmas holidays. The plot of the film takes place in the winter months, when the temperature dropped well below zero and the snow was knee-deep, and the film was shot in exactly such conditions. Pre Pavel Trávníček (75) recalled the harsh conditions that prevailed during the production of the iconic film.
Some scenes were also filmed in exteriors near Železná Ruda, and in the Šumava, a “proper scythe” was waiting for the crew, which was hated by both the technicians and the actors. They walked on stage in thin costumes even though the temperature was -17 ºC. “It was terribly cold there, but we were young, so we endured it all. We endured it even on that horse, because it’s even colder than normal on it.” said the popular Czech actor, who could not avoid his colleague Libuška Šafránková († 68), who portrayed the legendary Cinderella.
„She was a very brave person and especially liked when someone treated her truthfully and honestly. She had such a special charm, everyone who met her liked her so much. That’s the kind of magic that actors or actresses have. You wouldn’t even notice them in civilian clothes, but when they get on stage or shoot a movie, they are stars. And that’s the gift from God, that’s what Libuška had,” Trávníček added.
But what did they do when there was no snow in the parts they needed? According to the Czech website they used German artificial snow, but it smelled incredibly. Although it was ecological and there was no trace of it the next day, it was made from fish bones and chemicals. The Czech side, on the other hand, supplied artificial snow made of ground polystyrene.
