
There Was Once a King...
Released: February 11, 1955Runtime: 107 minLanguage: CS
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.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
Technical specs
No technical specs (aspect ratio, sound mix, cameras…) documented yet. Know it? Add it →
Awards
No awards or nominations listed yet. Know it? Add it →
Connections
No connections (sequels, references, remakes…) mapped yet. Know it? Add it →
Soundtrack
No soundtrack documented yet. Know it? Add it →
Filming locations
No filming locations documented yet. Know it? Add it →
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page. A tag becomes publicly visible once it reaches the community vote threshold.
Cast & Crew
Top billed cast
Jan Werich
as King Já I. ("Myself, First")
Vlasta Burian
as radce Atakdále ('Et cetera')
Irena Kacirkova
as princezna Drahomíra
Stella Majova
as princezna Zpevanka
Milena Dvorska
as princezna Maruska
Frantisek Cerny
as Kuchar
Lubomir Lipsky
as princ chrabrý - syn Deloslava VIII.
Miroslav Hornicek
as princ krásný - syn Alabastra XVI.
Milos Kopecky
as Princ chytrý
Terezie Brzkova
as Starenka korenárka
Directors
1Writers
4Other crew
4Ratings & reviews
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Parents Guide
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for There Was Once a King... yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on There Was Once a King...?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on There Was Once a King....
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Trailers
Browse all →No trailers logged for There Was Once a King... yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for There Was Once a King... yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
Trivia & Mistakes
No trivia or mistakes yet for There Was Once a King....
The bot is still curating — or no one’s added one yet. Did you spot a continuity slip, a fun production fact, or a hidden cameo? Use + Add trivia above to contribute.
Physical & Digital Releases
No release dates on file yet.
Use Edit above to add the theatrical, digital, Blu-ray, DVD, or 4K release dates. Special editions (Criterion, Steelbook, Limited Edition) go in the dedicated array below the date fields. Every contribution is reviewed before going live.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on There Was Once a King...No comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
No discussion yet
Start the discussion on There Was Once a King....
You’ll be the first. We’ll spin up a forum tied to this page, your first post will live there, and other readers can join in.
Edit history
Loading edit history…
