Thirty Maidens and Pythagoras

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production year

1973

Premiere

16 September 1977

Runtime

68 min

Director

Pavel Hobl

Category

film

Genre

music

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Třicet panen a Pythagoras

Czech title

Třicet panen a Pythagoras

English title

Thirty Maidens and Pythagoras

Summary

Pavel Hobl, whose films include Máte doma lva? (Do You Keep a Lion at Home?, 1963) and Ztracená tvář (The Lost Face, 1965) concluded his directorial career with this musical comedy. It tells the story of how to present the magical world of mathematics to pupils. Thirty female students in a second-year grammar school are resisting the efforts of old professor Macháček to teach them Pythagoras’ theorem. But then, via a collective classroom vision, the young, good-looking teacher Ludolf appears and decides to put the complicated maths equation to music. Thanks to Ludolf, for the students a hitherto dull class transforms into an hour full of music and song. This 1973 film sees Jiří Menzel starring as the imaginary teacher (his song performances are over-dubbed by Achilles Michailidis). Many charming young actresses appear in the roles of the female students, including Jaroslava Schallerová, Lenka Filipová, and Dagmar Patrasová. Screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák has a cameo in the film as a teacher seen in the staffroom.

Synopsis

An old professor called Macháček strives in vain to teach thirty second-year grammar school girl-students the law of Pythagoras. The girls manage to escape the boring lesson by means of a collective dream, in which a young male teacher enters and casually announces that he will teach them mathematics. All of the girls, however, fail a test and decide to declare a war on the young professor. The school headmaster joins the class in their struggle, because he resents the idea of the whole class failing. Also the girls' parents start pressurizing the headmaster and the young teacher. Ludolf, the young professor, however, cannot be persuaded to take the results back. Only after he is tricked and blackmailed by one of the students, Helena Trojanová, he gives in. Nevertheless, he does not step down from his morals and immediately after entering the classroom he seizes a guitar that one of the students plays. Suddenly he gets a brilliant idea: he sets the law of Pythagoras to music and the girls learn it with joy. The teaching continues in a similar, music-based, manner and the students master various mathematical laws and formulas. Professor Ludolf becomes quickly famous for his revolutionary teaching method, and he even has to go on a tour. Ludolf, however, still prefers his beloved maths. It is also important to focus more on studying, the final exams are approaching. These are already the words uttered by professor Macháček as the girls are slowly waking up from their beautiful dream...

Note

The small role of mother Trojan was originally played by actress Vlasta Chramostová. As she became politically uncomfortable, the only scene with her was rewound with with her colleague Milena Asmanová. However, for technical reasons, the sound track could no longer be modified, so at least Chramostová's voice remained in the film.

Cast

Jiří Menzel

profesor matematiky Ludolf

Jaroslava Schallerová

studentka Helena Trojanová

Vlastimil Brodský

profesor chemie Brom

Marie Drahokoupilová

profesorka Vránová

Lenka Filipová

studentka Rabasová

Sylvie Nitrová

studentka Tichá

Dagmar Patrasová

studentka Kulová

Josef Somr

ředitel školy

František Filipovský

profesor matematiky Macháček

Angelo Michajlov

školník Peloušek

Luboš Ogoun

profesor tělocviku

Jan Kraus

kamarád studentek

Michal Pavlata

kamarád studentek

Michal Pospíšil

kamarád studentek

Karel Gott

on sám, zpěvák

Václav Neckář

on sám, zpěvák

Milena Asmanová

Voice by Vlasta Chramostová
Trojanová, Helenina matka

Ingrid Bernáthová

studentka

Sabina Folbrechtová

studentka

Eva Hnátková

studentka

Ivana Kuchařová

studentka

Věra Masaříková

studentka

Elena Molnárová

studentka

Jitka Ogounová

studentka

Renata Vatková

studentka

Pavel Hobl

muž s pohřebním věncem

Petr Brukner

novinář

Jiří Ornest

novinář

členové divadelního souboru Závodního klubu Pal Magneton Kroměříž

Commentary

Crew and creators

Director

Pavel Hobl

Second Unit Director

Zdeňka Slunéčková

Screenstory

Ota Hofman

Director of Photography

Jiří Kolín

Production Designer

Zdeněk Rozkopal

Art Director

Miloš Noll

Set Designer

Zdeněk Jeřábek

Make-Up Artist

Ladislav Bacílek

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Zdeněk Stibor

Unit Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Cooperation

Vladimír Kolář (fotograf), Josef Ryšánek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Angelo Michajlov

Music Performed by

Orchestr Ladislava Štaidla (Music Conducted by Ladislav Štaidl), FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Music Supervisor

Vladimír Popelka

Singing Voice

Achilles Michailidis (zpěv Ludolfa), Jitka Molavcová (zpěv Heleny)

Choreographer

Luboš Ogoun

Songs

Světská sláva – polní tráva

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Václav Neckář

Kam chodí skrýt se láska /?Já lásku z básní znám/

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott

Jene Ámosi

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Jaroslava Schallerová [dab]Jitka Molavcovávokální skupina Jezinky

Vklouzlo do nás kouzlo

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Jaroslava Schallerová [dab]Jitka Molavcová

Je léto, chce se mi básně psát

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Lenka Filipová

Nenechte dítě doma vám lkát

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Kühnův smíšený sbor

Obloha zatáhla se temně

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Jaroslava Schallerová [dab]Jitka Molavcovávokální skupina Jezinky

Tak jest

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Jiří Menzel [dab]Achilles Michailidisvokální skupina Jezinky

Díky, pane Pythagore

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Jiří Menzel [dab]Achilles Michailidisvokální skupina Jezinky

Production info

Original Title

Třicet panen a Pythagoras

Czech Title

Třicet panen a Pythagoras

English Title

Thirty Maidens and Pythagoras

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production Year

1973

Production specifications

projection approval 1973 (neschváleno do distribuce)
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1991

Premiere

premiere 16 September 1977 /suitable for youths/ (omezená distribuce)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

68 min

Original length in metres

1 972 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech