Salt & Gold

The old king Pravoslav decides to leave his kingdom to whichever of his three daughters loves him most. The youngest, Maruška, cannot put her love in the words her father expects; he takes this for contempt and sends her away from the castle. She sets out and meets the mysterious Prince Milivoj, who appears and vanishes at will, and who gives her a rose made of salt so she can call him. What the tale teaches sits in its title: salt, being necessary to live, is worth more than gold and emeralds. Martin Hollý directed, from the Slovak tale collected by Pavol Dobšinský. Libuše Šafránková plays Maruška, with Karol Machata and Jozef Kroner in the cast. A Czechoslovak and West German co-production, it opened on 27 February 1983.