1934 Rhythm

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production year

1979—1980

Premiere

28 November 1980

Runtime

92 min

Director

Jaroslav Balík

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Rytmus 1934

Czech title

Rytmus 1934

English title

1934 Rhythm

Working title

Černé světlo

Summary

For 1980s Czech filmmakers, the era of the First Republic became a fictional arena within which official contemporary ideology was reinforced via stories critical of the capitalistic system. Yet it was also an era that provided some opportunities for nostalgia and spectacle. This 1980 film from Jaroslav Balík is a loose adaptation of the Václav Řezáč novel Černé světlo (Black Light). The protagonist is ambitious young man Karel Kubát, who after unfairly being expelled from a Baťa footwear company vocational school, instead starts a career in a musical publishing firm operated by his Prague-based uncle. Kuba begins to use Baťa’s slogans about hard work and remorseless self-furtherance against his contemporaries. Even his uncle’s daughter Bobina becomes just another tool for his pursuit of money and power. Vladislav Beneš – usually a supporting actor during the 1970s and 80s – takes the lead role in this film. Bobina is portrayed by Lucie Žulová.

Synopsis

Year 1934. Karel, a student of Baťa's vocational school in Zlín, is expelled from the school. Somebody turned him in that he had attended a lecture about the Soviet Union. Karel was just looking there for his friend, the pianist Munzar, but he protests in vain. He goes to Prague where his only relative, a rich music publisher Kubát employs him in his shop as an assistant without any salary. Karel does not take a miss from his uncle, he is ambitious and follows Baťa's motto about hard work and a ruthless way to success. The old accountant Mrázek gives him always good piece of advice. The Kubát's only daughter Bobina visits Karel in the attic, in the smallest room of the gorgeous villa but she laughs to his courting. Karel introduces his uncle's family to Munzar and Kubát decides to publish his music. The moody and pampered Bobina falls in love with the handsome poor composer. Kubát published his music, but due to promotion reasons under a more famous name. Munzar refuses an offer from the publisher to give a concert in the Nazi Berlin. The lovers break up. Karel wants to use the chance, but his plan to marry Bobina is strongly opposed by his aunt. Karel will take a revenge. He shows to the sordid uncle a receipt for a contribution to a solidarity fund to which his aunt - formerly a poor shop assistant contributes through Mrázek. The publisher sacks his long-time employee coldly and Mrázek commits suicide. Left oriented newspapers criticize it and Karel is sacked too to avoid any scandal. But the uncle has another offer for this reliable man. Karel shall get an important position in a printing house that Kubát has just bought.

Photos

Based on

Václav Řezáč (Černé světlo – román)

Screenplay

Vladimír Bor, Jaroslav Balík

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Balík

Dramaturg

Věra Kalábová

Director of Photography

Viktor Růžička

Second Unit Photography

Vojtěch Kuthan

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Brabec

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Pavel Pitner

Set Designer

J. Dušek, Ivan Ernyei, Jan Petrů

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Costumes

Petra Barochová, Jana Křížková, Eva Vlková

Make-Up Artist

Rudolf Buneš, Růžena Dusíková, Šárka Šimůnková

Film Editor

Eva Bobková

Assistant Film Editor

Štěpánka Stříbrná

Sound Designer

Jiří Kříž

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Stunts

František Jákl, Petr Jákl, Jiří Kasík, Jiří Kraus, Ladislav Lahoda, Pavel Myslík, Jindřich Sejk, Jaroslav Tomsa

Production Manager

Karel Kochman

Unit Production Manager

Věra Lukášová, Petr Prejda, Eliška Sekavová

Unit Production Manager

Eliška Sekavová

Cooperation

Zora Winkelhöferová (klapka), Jiří Kučera (fotograf), Jan Sládek

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Selected Music

Jaroslav Ježek (Bugatti step)

Music Performed by

Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Jan Hrábek)

Choreographer

Josef Koníček

Songs

Těch tónů pár

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Marcela FamfulováAlena FehrerováJitka Jesenská

Když večer nad Prahou /Tango/

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav MottlKarel Melíšek
Singer Setleři

By By Baby

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Jana Koubková

Já viděl Helenu v bazénu

Song Composer Friedrich Raimund Vesely
Writer of Lyrics Ruda Jurist
Singer Karel Krasnický

Dájo, nevolej

Song Composer Vladimír Eddy Fořt
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Eddy Fořt
Singer Lubomír Kostelka

Život je jen náhoda

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek

Houpy hou

Song Composer Bedřich Nikodem
Writer of Lyrics Karel Růžička
Singer Jana KoubkováMarcela FamfulováAlena FehrerováJitka Jesenská

Koupím ti párek poštovních holubů

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav MottlKarel Melíšek
Singer Lucie Žulová

Čím, čím...?

Song Composer Roman Blahník
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hrnčíř
Singer Lubomír Kostelka

Preussens Gloria /píšťaly a bubny/

Song Composer Johann Gottfried Piefke

Production info

Original Title

Rytmus 1934

Czech Title

Rytmus 1934

English Title

1934 Rhythm

Working Title

Černé světlo

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production Year

1979—1980

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 31 March 1979
start of filming 1 October 1979
technical Screenplay approved 2 January 1980
end of filming 4 July 1980
projection approval 21 July 1980

Premiere

premiere 28 November 1980 /unsuitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Studio

Barrandov

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

92 min

Original length in metres

2 629 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

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 19. festival českých a slovenských filmů Kladno

1981
Kladno / Czechoslovakia

1934 Rhythm

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Working title

Summary

Synopsis

Photos

Cast

Karel Krasnický

Michaela Koliandrová

Marcela Famfulová

Alena Fehrerová

Jitka Jesenská

Tomáš Jančařík

Jan Trkovský

Jan Večeřa

Jaroslav Vejdovský

Vlasta Aplová

Erna Březinová

Karla Celerová

Jana Čižinská

Dana Horáková

Daniela Jeriová

Marie Kadeřábková

Helena Karasová

Naďa Krucká

Alena Kuncová

Stanislava Martínková

Veronika Orlíčková

Jana Ostrá

Helena Štěrbová

Kateřina Štorkánová

Dagmar Vlčková

Zdenka Červenková

Ela Květoňová

Hana Horáková

Vlasta Krasnická

Eva Moulisová

Hana Svobodová-Lejčková

Vlastislav Horák

Jan Jírů

Jan Nepomuk Köhler

Ivan Pazour

Helena Vaňková

Antonín Kysilka

Ladislav Odstrčil

Pavel Arazim

František Bártík

Pavel Burda

Petr Čech (2)

Břetislav Čepelka

Jana Fousková

Ludvík Hašek

Zdeněk Ladislav Hertl

Petr Hornych

Helena Hůlová

Tomáš Jírovec

Michal Kasalický

Josef Krásný

Josef Lakatos

Václav Marek

Antonín Musil

Petr Novobilský

Jan Pačes

Ladislav Pačes

Ivan Počinek

Břetislav Slouka

Oldřich Smola

Petr Smolík

Václav Stoupa