The Little Mermaid (1976 Czech film)

Lore & Background

The little mermaid, one of the daughters of the King of the Seas, is waiting for her birthday on which she will be able to swim above the sea surface and see the world above. Her grandmother tells her stories about the surface world and warns her to never kiss a human. During the little mermaid's birthday, she sees a prince on a ship that soon sinks in a storm. Having fallen for him, she saves the prince's life, gets him safely to the shore and leaves. There, the prince is found by a young princess he falls in love with, thinking it was she who saved him. A year later, the little mermaid rejects a sea prince's marriage proposal and trades her voice with a sea witch in order to become human and live with her prince. The witch warns her, that if the prince falls for another woman, the little mermaid will turn into sea foam. Upon a painful transformation, the mermaid is found by her prince; he welcomes her to his court and they become friends. Longing for his daughter, the King of the Seas curses the prince's kingdom, but the little mermaid, now well-known as a miracle worker and a friend of the prince, persuades him to lift the curse and the country starts to prosper. While fond of the mermaid, the prince is thinking of the maiden he saw on the shore. Sometime later, the prince is persuaded to meet a suitable princess from another kingdom. He reluctantly takes an entourage for a visit, with the mermaid by his side, only to discover the princess is the maiden he met on the shore. The prince and princess immediately fall in love and marry soon. The King of the Seas gives the little mermaid a dagger — if she kills the prince with it, she can turn back into a mermaid. Loving the prince, the mermaid decides to rather sacrifice herself and throws herself into the sea while her father, grandmother, sisters, and other mermaids watch in sorrow. At dawn, the newlyweds wake up amazed to see a multitude of flowers floating on the sea.

Reader's Guide

Cast includes Miroslava Šafránková as Little Mermaid, Radovan Lukavský as King of the Seas, Petr Svojtka as Prince of the Southern Realm, Libuše Šafránková as Princess of Neighbour Realm, Marie Rosůlková as Grandmother, Milena Dvorská as Sea Witch, Jiří Ornest as Prince's right-hand man, and Dagmar Patrasová as Little Mermaid's sister. Filming locations included Kladruby in the Czech Republic, another coastal town, and Prague. In addition, the film was shot at the Prachov Rocks. The prince's castle is Veltrusy Mansion. Actresses Miroslava and Libuše Šafránková were sisters.

Did You Know?

• The film won the Main Prize at 1977 Gijón International Film Festival.
• Mermaids in this film are portrayed as sea nymphs who appear to have strong disdain for humanity.
• Actresses Miroslava and Libuše Šafránková, who played the Little Mermaid and the Princess of Neighbour Realm, were sisters.

A Distinctive Visual Reimagining

The 1976 Czechoslovak adaptation directed by Karel Kachyňa takes a notably different visual approach compared to other screen versions of Andersen's 1837 tale. Rather than depicting mermaids with fish tails that transform into legs, the film presents them as sea nymphs — a choice that gives the underwater world a distinctly ethereal, almost otherworldly quality. Perhaps more striking still is the tonal choice: these sea nymphs are portrayed as having a strong disdain for humanity, which adds a layer of tension and alienation to the little mermaid's eventual fascination with the surface world. Despite these distinctive choices, the film remains faithful to Andersen's original plot structure, following the story from the mermaid's birthday through her sacrifice. The grandmother's warning to never kiss a human, the sea witch's bargain, and the ultimate selfless act all track closely with the source material, making this a grounded yet visually unique interpretation of a classic fairy tale.

Narrative Arc and Emotional Core

The film's story unfolds with a clear emotional trajectory that builds from wonder to heartbreak. The little mermaid, one of the King of the Seas' daughters, eagerly awaits her birthday — the day she may finally swim above the surface and glimpse the human world. That first glimpse is a prince on a ship caught in a storm, and her decision to save him sets the entire tragedy in motion. A year later, she rejects a sea prince's proposal and trades her voice to a sea witch for a human form, warned that failure means becoming sea foam. Her transformation is painful, and though the prince welcomes her as a friend, his heart remains fixed on the maiden who found him on shore. The King of the Seas curses the kingdom, but the mermaid — now celebrated as a miracle worker — persuades the prince to lift it. The final act delivers the story's devastating turn: given a dagger by her father, she chooses death over killing the man she loves, and the film closes with the newlyweds awakening to find the sea covered in floating flowers.

Cast and Cinematic Locations

The film's cast features a notable real-life connection: Miroslava Šafránková, who plays the Little Mermaid, and Libuše Šafránková, who portrays the Princess of the Neighbour Realm, are actual sisters. This familial link adds an interesting layer to the on-screen dynamic between the two women. The supporting cast includes Radovan Lukavský as the King of the Seas, Petr Svojtka as the Prince of the Southern Realm, Marie Rosůlková as the Grandmother, Milena Dvorská as the Sea Witch, and Dagmar Patrasová as the Little Mermaid's sister. Production took place across several distinctive Czech locations: Kladruby, another coastal town, Prague, and the striking Prachov Rocks. The prince's castle is depicted as Veltrusy Mansion, lending the surface world a stately, architectural grandeur that contrasts with the fluid, otherworldly underwater scenes.

Recognition and Place in Czech Cinema

Released in 1976 as a Czechoslovak production, Karel Kachyňa's adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale found international acclaim relatively quickly. The film was awarded the Main Prize at the 1977 Gijón International Film Festival, a significant recognition that placed this Czechoslovak fantasy on the global stage. Kachyňa's direction brought a particular sensibility to the material, balancing the fairy-tale elements with a grounded emotional weight that resonated beyond the original Czech-speaking audience. The film's success at Gijón helped cement its place as one of the notable Czech fantasy films of the era, offering audiences a version of the mermaid story that felt both timeless and distinctly European. For fans of the tale, the film stands as a testament to how a single adaptation can carve out its own identity through visual choices, tonal decisions, and the particular strengths of its cast and crew.