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Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...

Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...

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Status

Released

Release Date

Feb 11, 1955

Runtime

1h 47m

Genres

Family, Comedy, Fantasy

User Score

80%

Original Title

Byl jednou jeden král...

Production Companies

Studio uměleckého filmu Praha

Director

Bořivoj Zeman

Description

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.