Directed by:
František VláčilCinematography:
Bedřich BaťkaComposer:
Zdeněk LiškaCast:
Magda Vášáryová, Zdeněk Štěpánek (narrator), Josef Kemr, Naďa Hejná, Jaroslav Moučka, František Velecký, Karel Vašíček, Pavel Landovský, Ladislav Považay (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Young Eugene from the provinces travels to Prague in order to seek a better life and acquire recognition and fame. Initially he earns a living as a road sweeper; he writes rudimentary poetry and occasionally manages to get himself invited to drunken parties thrown by the Prague boho set. At one such gathering he gets an offer to write engagé pop lyrics expressing loyalty to the governing regime. Gradually the naive yet honourable country dweller becomes a cynical man of means, surrounded by beautiful women. While no-one likes him, everyone’s afraid of him, so he commands respect. The graduation film by Petr Nýdrle was made at Prague’s FAMU, thus outside the realms of official programming. After the success of a private screening held in 1980, the film never made it into distribution (although it was never officially banned), and audiences were only able to see it after November 1989. Thirty years have passed since the filming of this satire criticising the flexible morals of normalisation Czechoslovakia. To this day the black-and-white film appeals for its combination of raw shots and stylised acting performances. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
Magda Vášáryová
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Cutting It Short (1980)
Rok na dedine (1967) (TV movie)
On the Comet (1970)
Zdeněk Štěpánek (narrator)
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Malér (1965) (TV movie)
The Emperor's Baker - The Baker's Emperor (1951)
Lucerna (1967) (TV movie)
Josef Kemr
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Naši furianti (1983) (theatrical recording)
Give the Devil His Due (1984)
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen! (1976)
Naďa Hejná
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
The Ballad on the Seven Hanged (1968) (TV movie)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Lekár umierajúceho času (1983) (series)
Jaroslav Moučka
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Men About Town (1969)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1977)
Sňatky z rozumu (1968) (series)
František Velecký
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Zelary (2003)
Louis Pasteur (1977) (TV movie)
Karel Vašíček
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Ear (1970)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Case for a Rookie Hangman (1969)
Pavel Landovský
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Revizor (1971) (theatrical recording)
The Valley of the Bees (1967)
Adelheid (1969)
Ladislav Považay
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Bylo nás deset (1962)
Tatort (1970) (series)
Ivan Palúch
Slovak state
Best movies:
Sváko Ragan (1976) (TV movie)
The Ear (1970)
Signum Laudis (1980)
Martin Mrázek
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Go Back to Your Grave! (1989)
Daddy, Buy Me a Puppy (1964)
Václav Sloup
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Gazdina roba (1992) (theatrical recording)
Romeo, Juliet and Darkness (1959)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Pavla Polášková
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Alena Pavlíková
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Václav Kovařík
Best movies:
Shadows of a Hot Summer (1977)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Křehké vztahy (1979)
Petr Sedlák
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
The Valley of the Bees (1967)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Michal Kožuch
Kingdom of Hungary
Best movies:
The Valley of the Bees (1967)
On the Trail of Blood (1969)
Death Is Called Engelchen (1963)
Zdeněk Lipovčan
Best movies:
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
The Joke (1968)
Harry Studt
German Empire
Best movies:
The Assassination (1964)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)
Eine schreckliche Frau (1965)
Vlastimil Harapes
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
How to Get Dad Into Reform School (1978) (TV movie)
How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth (1977) (TV movie)
Marketa Lazarova (1967)