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Czech filmmaker Otakar Vavra truly came into his own with his third feature, Guild of the Kutna Hora Virginas, released in the U.S. as The Merry Wives. Though the title was toned down for American consumption, the censors still found fault with the storyline, which concerns a bon vivant (Zdanek Stepanek) who fools around with all available women, especially those who are already married. The hardly exemplary protagonist manages to become a hero by exposing a nest of crooks operating in his community. Much screen time is expended upon Adina Matlova as the town trollop, who turns out to be the most likeable character in the film. Though it earned an award at the Venice Film Festival, The Merry Wives was banned in Czechoslovakia when the Nazis came to power.