Abstract
The article focuses on compilation documentary Neznámý vojín mluví (The Unknown Soldier Speaks, directed by J. A.
Holman in 1934) in the context of representation of Czechoslovakia and its army during the era of the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938). The film was an adaptation of the American documentary Forgotten Men based on archive footage from the First World War, combined with staged scenes and newly created soundtrack.
The Czech version, in which the former legionnaires participated, emphasized the role of the Czechoslovak foreign resistance. The ambition to create an educational, patriotic film clashed with censorship and promotion, which both saw primarily drastic images "only for strong nerves" in it.
Research on archival sources helps to uncover the background of this paradox.