Homolka and the Purse

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production year

1971—1972

Premiere

20 October 1972

Runtime

85 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Homolka a tobolka

Czech title

Homolka a tobolka

English title

Homolka and the Purse

Summary

As part of his directorial output, Jaroslav Papoušek made a trilogy of comedies in the years 1969–1972, describing the fate of one ordinary Prague family. After the films Ecce homo Homolka (1969) and Hogo fogo Homolka (1970) he completed his series in 1972 with the movie Homolka a tobolka (Homolka and the Purse). After trying to spend a relaxing family Sunday together (part I) and attempting to enjoy a visit to relatives in the countryside (part II), the Homolka family set off for a winter holiday in the Giant Mountains. Because everyone already knows that every effort at family harmony descends into pointless bickering, this time the Homolkas decide to punish any attempt to quarrel. However, skirmishes with the coordinator of cultural activities Mr Bradáček and Grandpa’s attempts to flirt with the young holidaymakers in the room next door mean that this plan soon falls by the wayside. Once again, the selfishness and greed of the Homolkas plays a major role in the story: the sextet of protagonists, who live in the cramped conditions of a small apartment in Prague, enjoy having two rooms and they refuse to accommodate the requests of another two families who have been mistakenly allocated one room between them… The effort to enjoy a lot of entertainment for little money motivates the protagonists in the same way in which it motivates the characters of other Czech comedies of the 1970s. Homolka and the Purse therefore presages a wave of comedies from the “normalisation” era which ridiculed bourgeois experiences through the thinking and behaviour of ordinary citizens. In this sense – and not only in this sense – the film bears more resemblance to superficial social criticism than it does to the darkly sarcastic works that Papoušek collaborated on in the 1960s with Miloš Forman and Ivan Passer. Despite the fact that the third instalment is the weakest of the entire series, it still offers viewers good entertainment based on naturally funny dialogue and well observed situations. In terms of acting, Josef Šebánek and Marie Motlová don’t disappoint in the roles of the grandparents and neither do Helena Růžičková and František Husák as Heduš and Ludva. The cast also includes Jiří Hrzán as Bradáček and Iva Janžurová as the pushy Mrs Burdová.

Synopsis

The husband and wife Ludva and Heduš Homolkas with their twins Péťa and Máťa and Ludva's parents - the granny and grandpa - arrive in the snowy Špindlerův Mlýn for a holiday. They promise to each other that they will not spoil the quite expensive holiday by quarrels. If somebody hurts the other one he/she will kneel as a punishment. Still on the way while admiring the panorama the family fights with a hairy young man Bradáček, who will work in the holiday cottage Radost [Happiness] as a cultural referee. Bradáček brings a full luggage of his works: pictures and small cages with birds which he wants to sell after his failure in Prague to the holiday makers. The Homolkas are awaited by the Burdas and the Nováks who ended up thanks to a wrong reservation in one room although they don't know each other. The Homolkas have two rooms, but they refuse any exchange. They live in Prague all together in a small flat and they plan to enjoy the privacy well. The grandpa is very eager to help carry an injured older female holiday maker. She stays in the room with young pretty girls and the grandpa has to kneel for flirting with them. Bradáček is not successful even as a referee of enjoyment. The Burdas and the Nováks truckle the Homolkas in vain. Heduš and Ludva experience a new honeymoon. A strong argument - three hundred crown wins in the end. The exchange of rooms will happen. The grandpa looses though the purse with the bribe while he falls on the ski. The Homolkas rake snow while they are quarrelling and accusing each other as usually.

Cast

Josef Šebánek

děda Homolka

Marie Motlová

babi Marie Homolková

Helena Růžičková

Heduš, snacha Homolkových

František Husák

Ludva, syn Homolkových

Petr Forman

dvojče Péťa, vnuk Homolkových

Matěj Forman

dvojče Máťa, vnuk Homolkových

Jiří Hrzán

kulturní referent Bedřich Bradáček

Iva Janžurová

rekreantka Burdová

Eugen Jegorov

rekreant Bohouš, manžel Burdové

Věra Křesadlová

rekreantka Nováková

Jiří Čutka

rekreant Hugoušek, manžel Novákové

Stanislav Dytrich

vedoucí zotavovny

Eva Emmerová

sportovní instruktorka Pavla Chadimová

Ludmila Roubíková

rekreantka Dernáčková

Petr Kakeš

Pepík, syn vedoucího zotavovny

Jiljí Fuka

vrchní

Jiřina Hautová

rekreantka u stolu

Helena Kahovcová

obstarožní dáma

Ladislav Smoljak

hádající se rekreant

Soňa Smoljaková

hádající se rekreantka

Libuše Zátková

recepční Hanička

J. Dvořák (3)

rekreant

Vít Pešina

rekreant

Jaroslava Schallerová

rekreantka, nejkrásnější dívka

František Adam

starý muž

F. Lavička

starý muž

Milena Kaplická

dívka

Alena Kryštofková

dívka

A. Jašková

dívka

Z. Králová

dívka

D. Rambová

dívka

S. Stará

dívka

M. Zapletalová

dívka

Ladislav Kouklík

mladík

V. Rozkošný

mladík

Rudolf Šnajdr

mladík

J. Vrbenský

Mireček, syn Burdové

A. Preislerová

Magdalenka, Burdova dcera

Jiří Urych

Jirka

H. Smětáková

žena u stolu

Marta Srovnalová ml.

dívka na večírku

Karel Šíp

hudebník-pianista

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Kadlec

Assistant Director

J. Sejk

Continuity

Helena Pokorná

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Papoušek

Director of Photography

Miroslav Ondříček

Second Unit Photography

Eduard Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jiří Kučera

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Assistent Production Designer

Miloš Červinka

Art Director

Jindřich Hegr

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Dobroslav Šrámek

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jaroslav Solnička

Unit Production Manager

Milan Štěch, František Jaderník

Unit Production Manager

Václav Polák

Cooperation

Alexandra Tachezyová (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Popřejme si dobrý den

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Karel Černoch

Production info

Original Title

Homolka a tobolka

Czech Title

Homolka a tobolka

English Title

Homolka and the Purse

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production Year

1971—1972

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 22 July 1971
start of filming 20 August 1971
technical Screenplay approved 26 October 1971
end of filming 28 April 1972
projection approval 4 September 1972

Premiere

premiere 20 October 1972 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 26 October 1972 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Sevastopol a Metro, Praha)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Zdeňka Dufka, Zdeněk Dufek (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

85 min

Original length in metres

2 409 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech