Passing Through a Thick Forest

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1963

Production year

1963

Premiere

10 April 1964

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Cesta hlubokým lesem

Czech title

Cesta hlubokým lesem

English title

Passing Through a Thick Forest

Synopsis

Cyril and Rudolf, two workers from a sawmill in the Bohemian Forest, militia men and Communists, have been good friends since their childhood. After the February putsch of 1948, Rudolf is assigned to work in the regional committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia while Cyril still works at the sawmill. The first split in their friendship appears during the founding of an agricultural cooperative in Mokrá Hora. Rudolf roughly and ruthlessly fulfils Party orders and even imprisons several men to force his will on the village. One of the arrested is Baltazar, father of Cyril's girlfriend Anička. Despite that, Cyril marries Anička. Rudolf, dazzled by the proclaimed existence of the class enemy, begins to look at Cyril with suspicion. He even bans him from participating in the pursuit of the former owner of the sawmill, Matouš, who secretly returned from emigration and, along with his companions, tries to harm both the Communists and the village. Cyril, deeply hurt by the distrust of Rudolf and other comrades, sets out on his own against Matouš and his accomplices. He is shot dead in the forest and is accompanied by all village men along with Rudolf on his last journey.

Cast

Mojmír Fašung

řidič Cyril Ježek, milicionář

Jan Kačer

funkcionář OV KSČ Rudolf Tesařík, milicionář

Jaroslav Moučka

předseda ZO KSČ zv. Havran, Rudolfův otec

Ilja Prachař

hospodář Baltazar

Marie Drahokoupilová

Anička, Baltazarova dcera

Václav Lohniský

dřevař Kozinek zvaný Canca

Jiří Kostka

mistr na katru František Modlitba

Václav Všelicha

předseda JZD Mateřanka

Marie Štrampachová

Mateřankova žena

Miroslav Částek

bývalý majitel pily Karel Matouš

Otto Lackovič

hospodář Jožka Kupec

Karel Třebický

poručík SNB

Vladimír Hrabánek

vesničan Béďa z Mokré Hory

Vlastimil Čaněk

vesničan z Mokré Hory

Josef Hamáček

mladý diverzant

Karel Hovorka

mladý diverzant

Radim Cvrček

dirigent svazáckého orchestru

Jan Antonín Pacák

bubeník svazáckého orchestru

Miroslav Laňka

příslušník SNB

Zdeněk Mlčoch

příslušník SNB

Vladimír Navrátil

příslušník SNB

František Votruba

starší muž

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Lada Vacková

Assistant Director

Jaroslav Toms

Screenstory

Jaroslav Dietl

Screenplay

Jaroslav Dietl

Shooting Script

Štěpán Skalský

Director of Photography

Václav Hanuš

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Kupšík, Antonín Vojáček

Production Designer

Karel Škvor

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Kňákal

Set Designer

Václav Šebek, František Zajíček

Costume Designer

Karel Postřehovský

Assistant Film Editor

Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

František Šindelář, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Jiří Bečka

Unit Production Manager

Josef Hudlička, Pavel Krůta, Karel Hyka

Cooperation

Doriana Felberová (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Avanti o popolo

Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Cesta hlubokým lesem

Czech Title

Cesta hlubokým lesem

English Title

Passing Through a Thick Forest

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1963

Production Year

1963

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 15 January 1963
start of filming 18 April 1963
technical Screenplay approved 6 May 1963
end of filming 9 October 1963
projection approval 13 December 1963
withdrawal from distribution 6 April 1973

Premiere

premiere 10 April 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 24 April 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Alfa /1 týden/, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

95 min

Original length in metres

2 693 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,85, 1:2,35

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech