Romance for the Bugle

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production year

1966

Premiere

3 March 1967

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological, poetic

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Romance pro křídlovku

Czech title

Romance pro křídlovku

English title

Romance for the Bugle

Summary

A trio of features united with the name of the poet František Hrubín holds an exceptional place in Otakar Vávra’s filmography. The director, who reached his fifties at the beginning of the 1960s, reveals himself in the films Srpnová neděle (August Sunday, 1960), Zlatá reneta (The Golden Queening, 1965) and Romance pro křídlovku (Romance for the Bugle, 1966) as a personality that foreshadowed and absorbed the artistic achievements of the Czechoslovak New Wave. As a lecturer at Prague film school FAMU, Vávra shaped many of its future leading representatives, but at the same time he was influenced by his students. So the “Hrubín trilogy” shows qualities that were never typical of Vávra´s work – elaborate lyrical optics, a sense for the ordinary and empathy for characters nostalgically searching for the things of the past. Romance pro křídlovku (Romance for the Bugle), inspired by the eponymous Hrubín poem, works with the unexpected encounter of two men who three decades ago had fought for the love of a beautiful girl from the circus – 16-year-old Terina (Zuzana Cigánová). The inert memory of ageing teacher Vojta is revived by a mere four bars played on a bugle. The man, leaving the village pub late in the evening, recognises another man, Viktor (Štefan Kvietik), as his former rival in love. He discovers that Terina, who had been engaged to Viktor, is no longer alive. However, the memories bring Vojta back to the past, to the summer holidays and the intoxicating power of first love. The naïve romantic outburst of an inexperienced student (Jaromír Hanzlík) presents a stark contrast to the death of his grandfather that will fatefully affect the young couple’s preparations for their escape to imaginary freedom. This evergreen feature, one of the best entries in Vávra´s filmography, won a number of local and international awards (among the awards are the Special Jury Award and Silver Medal at the 1967 Moscow International Film Festival (IFF), and the Silver Siren at the 1969 Festival of Czechoslovak Film held in Sorrento, Italy).

Synopsis

An ageing musician plays the first few bars of the Memory of the Hercules Spa melody on his bugle, Vojta, former student and now the school director, recognizes an old acquaintance -Viktor, a travelling showman. Years before the two men were both in love with the same girl - sixteen-year old Terina. It happened in the summer and she was Vojta's first love. He and Terina used to meet at the merry-go-round and in the evenings they would sometimes go for walks in the countryside. Their meetings were brief. Vojta has to look after his grandfather who had suffered a memory loss after a stroke, while Terina was watched closely by Viktor, to whom her parents have promised the girl. One day, Terina come to say good-bye to Vojta. The summer is over and they will not be seeing each other for at least another year. Vojta cannot bear the thought of parting with her for so long and he and Terina decide to run away together. But Viktor keept watching. He broke into the house where Vojta was just packing his bags. Their furious quarrel brings the grandfather's memory back for an instant but the old man dies shortly afterwards. Vojta shaken by his death took a long time to recover and look for Terina. In the meantime, the girl has returned home in tears, and Viktor took her away into his trailer. Vojta dressed his grandfather for the last time and then runs after the departing show. He called on Terina but she did not even look back. After two months, she died of diphtheria. They couldn't get her to see the doctor on time. Perhaps she just wanted to die.

Film online

Cast

Jaromír Hanzlík

student Vojta

Július Vašek

Vojta jako padesátiletý řídící učitel

Zuzana Cigánová

Terezie Landová zvaná Terina

Štefan Kvietik

majitel střelnice Viktor

Jaroslav Rozsíval

Vojtův otec, železničář

Jiří Štancl

kolotočář, Terinin otec

Věra Crháková

Terinina matka

Jaroslav Heyduk

pohřební agent

Karel Roden

pohřební agent

Marie Štrampachová

Mařka, Vojtova teta

Jindřich Vocásek

vesničan

Jaroslav Kladrubský

vesničan

Dubbing

Oldřich Musil

hlas vrchního

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Drahomíra Vihanová

Assistant Director

Milan Jonáš

Based on

František Hrubín (Romance pro křídlovku – báseň)

Director of Photography

Andrej Barla

Second Unit Photography

Jiří Stöhr

Production Designer

Karel Škvor

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Kňákal

Art Director

Ester Krumbachová

Set Designer

Josef Calta, Miloš Sršeň

Costume Designer

Ester Krumbachová

Make-Up Artist

Rudolf Hammer

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Miroslav Smrček

Cooperation

Jana Fassatiová (klapka), Josef Vítek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Srnka

Selected Music

Jakob Pazeller (Vzpomínka na Herkulovy lázně)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Pochovejte mě na oujezdským hřbitově

Singer mužský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Romance pro křídlovku

Czech Title

Romance pro křídlovku

English Title

Romance for the Bugle

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological, poetic

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production Year

1966

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 18 February 1966
technical Screenplay approved 27 June 1966
start of filming 5 July 1966
end of filming 6 October 1966
projection approval 30 December 1966

Premiere

premiere 3 March 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 17 March 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Hvězda /10 týdnů/, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Fikar, Ladislav Fikar (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 399 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: Přehlídka českých a slovenských filmů 69 Sorrento

1969
Sorrento / Italy
Otakar Vávra

Vítěz

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra

Vítěz

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Hrubín

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra

Vítěz

Event: Odměna vedení Československého filmu za nejúspěšnější film roku 1966

1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra

Vítěz

Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966

1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra

Vítěz

Festival: 3. filmový festival mladých Pardubice

1967
Pardubice / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966

1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Hrubín

Vítěz

Event: Odměna vedení Československého filmu za nejúspěšnější film roku 1966

1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Hrubín

Vítěz

Festival: 5. mezinárodní filmový festival Moskva

1967
Moskva / Russia

Vítěz

Event: Odměna vedení Československého filmu za nejúspěšnější film roku 1966

1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Andrej Barla