The Portrait
Podobizna
Synopsis
People are afraid of the usurer Chazaj and are convinced that he is the bearer of evil. One day Chazaj pays a visit to the poor artist Simon Jordán and asks him to paint his portrait. Simon agrees but as he progresses with the work his mind conjures up terrible thoughts and in the end he commits suicide. The portrait looks lifelike and Chazaj is content with the results. After Chazaj's death the picture changes hands and brings misfortune to all who own it. The last victim is the young painter Roman who buys Chazaj's portrait in a bazaar. He finds a treasure in the frame and begins to live well off it. The comfortable life suits him so well that he rejects his original artistic aims and becomes a painter of fashionable kitsch.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Otomar Krejča
Simon Jordán / Stepán Jordán
Luba Skořepová
Martina Jordánová
Vladimír Šmeral
Painter Roman
Ladislav Kulhánek
Professor Mikulás
Karel Dostal
Extortioner Chazaj
Rudolf Deyl
Jáchym
Felix le Breux
Marcel Bernard
Růžena Šlemrová
Mrs. Viktorová
Ludmila Píchová
Líza Viktorová
Emil Bolek
Bussinesman Viktor
František Holar
Mr. Zemblovský
Viktor Očásek
Merchant Image
Bohumil Machník
Homegrown
Vladimír Hlavatý
Jiří Těšík
Rudolf Hrušínský
Marie Nademlejnská
Břetislav Hrstka
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Jiří Slavíček
- Screenplay & Story
- František Vlček
- Original Score
- Dalibor C. Vačkář
- Original Title
- Podobizna
- Country of Origin
- Czechoslovakia
- Spoken Languages
- Czech
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Production Studios
- Československá filmová společnost
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Jiří Slavíček
František Vlček, Nikolai Gogol, Martin Frič
Dalibor C. Vačkář
Jan Roth
Jan Kohout
Zdeněk Reimann
Department Leadership Roster
František Vlček
Screenplay
Jiří Slavíček
Director
Josef Liesler
Costume Design
Jan Zázvorka
Production Design
Jan Kohout
Editor
Dalibor C. Vačkář
Original Music Composer
Jan Roth
Director of Photography
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Portrait.
list8
Similar Titles to The Portrait
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.5
7.1
5.8
6.9
7.6
5.5
6.5
7.0
6.7
6.7
5.5![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2 3"%3E%3Crect width="2" height="3" fill="%23161922"/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
5.6Ursula
6.7
5.6
6.6
6.7
More Like The Portrait
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Portrait
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Portrait about?
People are afraid of the usurer Chazaj and are convinced that he is the bearer of evil. One day Chazaj pays a visit to the poor artist Simon Jordán and asks him to paint his portrait. Simon agrees but as he progresses with the work his mind conjures up terrible thoughts and in the end he commits suicide. The portrait looks lifelike and Chazaj is content with the results. After Chazaj's death the picture changes hands and brings misfortune to all who own it. The last victim is the young painter Roman who buys Chazaj's portrait in a bazaar. He finds a treasure in the frame and begins to live well off it. The comfortable life suits him so well that he rejects his original artistic aims and becomes a painter of fashionable kitsch.
Who directed The Portrait?
The Portrait was directed by Jiří Slavíček.
Who stars in The Portrait?
The principal cast of The Portrait includes Otomar Krejča, Luba Skořepová, Vladimír Šmeral, Ladislav Kulhánek, Karel Dostal.
When was The Portrait released and how long is it?
The Portrait was released in 1948 with a total runtime of 1h 27m.
Who composed the musical score for The Portrait?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Portrait was composed by Dalibor C. Vačkář.