Murder in the Excelsior Hotel

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production year

1970

Premiere

8 October 1971

Runtime

89 min

Category

film

Genre

detective

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vražda v hotelu Excelsior

Czech title

Vražda v hotelu Excelsior

English title

Murder in the Excelsior Hotel

Summary

Author and screenwriter Jiří Marek achieved fame with his TV crime series Hříšní lidé města pražského (The Sinful People of Prague, 1968) directed by Jiří Sequens. Police counsellor Vacátko (Jaroslav Marvan) and his colleagues Bouše (Josef Vinklář) and Brůžek (Josef Bláha) hit the silver screen in the “Sinners'” films Pěnička a Paraplíčko (Burglar and Umbrella), Partie krásného dragouna (Game of a Handsome Dragoon) and Smrt černého krále (Death of the Black King) made between 1970 and 1971. In Vražda v hotelu Excelsior, the interwar period homicide detective squad from Prague investigates the murder of a wealthy woman, Mrs Matoušová, which threatens the reputation of the eponymous luxury hotel popular with Prague’s elite. Even the retired police inspector Mrázek (František Filipovský), who works at the Excelsior as a hotel detective, is unable to help at first. Although the investigation inevitably uncovers the hotel staff’s scheming, Vacátko and his team unerringly follow the trail that leads them to the murderer…

Synopsis

The hall of the Excelsior Hotel is filled with a song to which the elegant and rich guests are dancing. Among them are also two married couples from Kladno - the Janík and the Matouš family. The next day, the hotel manager, Arno Hnízdo, appears in the office of the police the superintendent Vacátko. After many digressions and notices of the great reputations of his hotel, the manager finally reveals that Dana Matoušová was murdered there during the night. The superintendent Vacátko and the detectives Bouše and Brůžek are questioning the hotel guests as well as the staff. The retired detective Mrázek, currently working as the hotel detective, cannot help them as he is apparently out of shape and was asleep. The apartment used by the Matouš family was during that night frequented by many people. The instrument of crime, an empty Cognac bottle, was thrown out of the bathroom window, where the coquettish Matoušová was found by her drunken husband early in the morning. A Persian diplomat, Zade, is also suspected, as he was flirting with the woman and his fingerprints were found on the bathroom doorframe. The detectives soon find out why the hotel manager and the rest of the staff are so nervous. The hotel is a venue of gambling and false card games. Gambling was a source of income not only for the waiter Pepa, the pianist Krofta and the hotel manager, but also for Janík and Matouš. The crime reconstruction gradually excludes most of the suspects. Matouš tries to blame the diplomat. He killed his wife himself though, out of jealousy. He reveals his guilt because he is the onlyone to mention where the instrument of crime was disposed of.

Film online

Cast

Jaroslav Marvan

policejní rada Karel Vacátko

Josef Bláha

vrchní inspektor Josef Brůžek

Josef Vinklář

vrchní inspektor Josef Bouše

František Filipovský

hotelový detektiv Václav Mrázek

Zdeněk Řehoř

úředník Jára Janík

Slávka Budínová

Irča, Janíkova žena

Josef Somr

pojišťovací agent Polda Matouš

Milena Dvorská

Dana, Matoušova žena

Miloš Kopecký

ředitel hotelu Arno Hnízdo

Otto Lackovič

číšník Pepi

Václav Lohniský

pianista Krofta

Josef Langmiler

hotelový zpěvák

Jan Šmíd

perský princ a diplomat Mohamed Rasul Zade

Vladimír Stach

Voice by Jindřich Narenta
německý obchodník Hans-Joachim Kirchmayer

Otakar Brousek

daktyloskop

Jiří Smutný

strážník Hrůza

Oldřich Musil

hotelový lékař Zima

Miroslav Homola

zástupce ředitele Hnízdy

Milan Kindl

nový číšník Honzík

Viktor Očásek

nový pianista

Přemysl Černý

hudebník

Otto Gassenbauer

hudebník

Zdeněk Jareš

hudebník

Tomáš Linka

hudebník

Miloš Mikula

hudebník

Dana Bučková

tanečnice

Alice Hašová

tanečnice

Celestina Horwitzová

tanečnice

Alena Janošková

tanečnice

Milena Kaplická

tanečnice

Charlota Novotná

tanečnice

H. Ruprichová

tanečnice

J. Smolíková

tanečnice

R. Vedralová

tanečnice

L. Walterová

tanečnice

Petr Jákl

číšník ve vlaku

Lubomír Štros

barman

Josef Kochman

vrátný

David Novotný (2)

muž u baru

Ing. Lánský

muž u baru

Pavel Osif

muž u baru

Ivan Šilhavý

muž u baru

Ing. Němeček

člen mordparty

František Rulík

vrchní

Dubbing

Bohuslav Kupšovský

hlas na nádraží

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Mikeťuk

Assistant Director

Věra Pištěková

Based on

Jiří Marek (Vražda v hotelu – povídka ze sbírky Panoptikum hříšných lidí)

Shooting Script

Jiří Sequens

Director of Photography

Václav Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Michal Kulič

Camera Operator

Luděk Kopal

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Assistent Production Designer

Miloš Červinka

Set Designer

Jaroslav Česal, Karel Kočí, Bohuslav Varhaník

Costume Designer

Vladimír Synek

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Jana Suková

Sound Designer

Adolf Nacházel

Stunts

František Fára, František Jákl, Jaroslav Kubeš (2), Jiří Mašín, Josef Szigeti, Václav Vilon, František Znojil

Production Manager

Josef Císař

Unit Production Manager

Josef Hudlička, Karel Hyka

Unit Production Manager

Milena Andrejsková

Cooperation

Hana Jozífková (klapka), Jindřich Panáček (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Zavři očka, zavři /Excelsior-slow/

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Josef Langmiler [dab]Eduard Hrubešsbor

Production info

Original Title

Vražda v hotelu Excelsior

Czech Title

Vražda v hotelu Excelsior

English Title

Murder in the Excelsior Hotel

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production Year

1970

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 29 July 1970
technical Screenplay approved 26 August 1970
start of filming 2 November 1970
end of filming 7 December 1970
the first film copy approved 29 March 1971
projection approval 19 September 1971

Premiere

premiere 30 September 1971 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Světozor, Praha)
premiere 8 October 1971 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Bohumila Šmídy, Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

89 min

Original length in metres

2 513 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, German, French

Subtitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech