Every Young Man

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production year

1965

Premiere

13 May 1966

Runtime

82 min

Category

povídkový film

Genre

short-story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Každý mladý muž

Czech title

Každý mladý muž

English title

Every Young Man

Summary

Pavel Juráček left his mark on the history of the Czechoslovak New Wave as both screenwriter and director. Alongside the feature-length parable Případ pro začínajícího kata (Case for the New Hangman) (1969), he also created the 1965 diptych of stories Každý mladý muž (Every Young Man). While both stories set against the backdrop of basic military service met Barrandov’s dramaturgical demand for current, topical subjects, their absurdist tone means they significantly exceed that brief. As the author of the story and screenplay and director he succeeded in creating stories that confront the reality of the socialist army with heroes incapable of giving up their ordinariness, humanity and fallibility. While “every young man” behind the walls of the barracks dreams of the outside world and the women therein, he bears the impossibility of liberation internally… In the story Achilles Heel a dismissive old hand – a lance corporal (Pavel Landovský) – gets to know the naive squaddie Soukup (Ivan Vyskočil), suffering from an inflammation of the Achilles tendon, on the way to hospital in Plzeň. In the story Every Young Man soldiers discuss women confidently on exercises. But when a woman appears at an organised dance evening none of them dares to speak to her… Juráček’s delicately casual picture was not unanimously well received; critics at the time were at something of a loss as to what to make of it and in the main regarded it as merely anti-militaristic. The film bears the hallmarks of Juráček’s oeuvre – opposition to the totalitarian system and self-appointed authorities and a sense of alienation in an absurd world that drives right feeling and thinking individuals to derangement. In Every Young Man apparent randomness, a mosaic-like structure and the unclassifiable nature of the story combine with a deeply thought out structure. The film thus offers a good example of the ways in which the members of the Czechoslovak New Wave came to terms with reality. Fledgling cameraman Ivan Šlapeta gave the mosaic-like structure a unified form. In the first story the playwright Václav Havel appears briefly in the role of a hospital patient.

Synopsis

Two short stories.

Note

The film was shot by cameraman Jiří Vojta. After disagreements with director Pavel Juráček, he was replaced by his colleague Ivan Šlapeta.

Film online

Cast

Ivan Vyskočil

vojín Soukup

Hana Růžičková

dívka/zdravotní sestra/lékařka/servírka

Otto Šimánek

muž v okně

Helena Růžičková

smějící se žena

Václav Havel

světlovlasý pacient v nemocnici

Jaromír Hanzlík

vojín Petrus

Ladislav Jakim

vojín Bárta

Jan Kotva

vojín Balónek

Emil Horváth

vojín Matejka

Allan Laufer

vojín Gajar

Petr Štěpánek

vojín Krištůfek

Jan Schaffer

Herold

Karel Charvát

kapitán Pleskot

Josef Šebek

vojín Sobota

Jiří Janoušek

vojín na marodce

Tomáš Sedláček

vojín-radista

Jan Vala

ženatý voják

František Němec

svobodník u bazuky

Viktor Sodoma

zpívající vojín

Miroslav Igaz

vojín Alois Korejs

Josef Bárta

kapitán

Eduard Ambros

vojín

R. Musil

Dubbing

Otto Šimánek

hlas zelináře/hlas muže v parku

Vítězslav Černý

hlas stařečka s králíkem

Věra Tichánková

hlas ženy v muzeu/hlas ženy v okně

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Věra Ženíšková

Screenstory

Pavel Juráček

Screenplay

Pavel Juráček

Shooting Script

Pavel Juráček

Director of Photography

Ivan Šlapeta, Jiří Vojta

Second Unit Photography

Emil Sirotek

Camera Operator

Viktor Růžička

Production Designer

Miroslav Hrachovec

Set Designer

Miloslav Dvořák

Make-Up Artist

Karel Marek

Sound Designer

Jiří Pavlík

Artistic Management

Zbyněk Brynych (supervize)

Production Manager

František Milič

Unit Production Manager

Karel Hyka, Václav Havlík

Consultant

pplk. František Říčka, pplk. Zdeněk Kodeš

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj UzelacŠtěpán Koníček), skupina Mefisto

Songs

Kdepak leží jistej klíč

Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Vomáčka
Singer Viktor SodomaPetr Štěpánek

Jó, holka, vojna, to není žádný med

Song Composer Jaromír Vomáčka
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Vomáčka
Singer Karel Štědrýmužský sbor

Zastavte čas

Song Composer Jaromír Vomáčka
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Čermák
Singer Pavlína Filipovská

Směr Praha /Přes spáleniště, přes krvavé řeky/

Song Composer Ervín Toman
Writer of Lyrics Jan Mareš
Singer mužský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Každý mladý muž

Czech Title

Každý mladý muž

English Title

Every Young Man

Category

povídkový film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

short-story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1965

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 30 April 1965
technical Screenplay approved 7 June 1965
start of filming 26 July 1965
end of filming 19 December 1965
projection approval 28 December 1965

Premiere

premiere 13 May 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 27 May 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Jalta /3 týdny/, Praha)

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

82 min

Original length in metres

2 328 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Exhibition: 13. západoněmecké dny krátkého filmu Oberhausen

1967
Oberhausen / Federal Republic of Germany

Vítěz

Event: 7. mezinárodní setkání filmů pro mládež Cannes

1967
Cannes / France

Vítěz

Exhibition: 13. západoněmecké dny krátkého filmu Oberhausen

1967
Oberhausen / Federal Republic of Germany

Vítěz

Event: Cena Víta Nejedlého 1966

1966
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Juráček

Vítěz

Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Karovy Vary

1966
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia