The Bulldogs and the Cherries

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production year

1980—1981

Premiere

11 September 1981

Runtime

99 min

Director

Juraj Herz

Category

film

Genre

gangster, comedy, crime, parody

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Buldoci a třešně

Czech title

Buldoci a třešně

English title

The Bulldogs and the Cherries

Summary

Parodies of “capitalist” movie genres, which had no tradition in domestic cinema, were a specific feature of Czechoslovak film. Juraj Herz’s sense of absurd humour and hyperbole had stood him in good stead many times and he made good use of it once again when he brought the mafia parody Buldoci a třešně (The Bulldogs and the Cherries) to cinemas in addition to the modern horror Upír z Feratu (The Vampire of Ferato). Herz made the film because he needed the money and he collaborated on the script with the pro-regime writer and screenwriter Ivan Gariš. It is based on the contrast between tough, larger-than-life Italian criminals and the peculiarly “local” Czech underworld. The protagonist of this whimsical tale is the mafia don, Carmello, who tried to swindle his boss and is now seeking a safe place to lie low in Prague, away from those who are gunning for his head. He sees the Central European capital as a safe haven, but the local Prague mafia sees to it that this urbane foreigner gets first-hand experience of the criminal practices that have emerged under real socialism… Like a number of other Czechoslovak parodies, The Bulldogs and the Cherries is not based on a good knowledge of American or Italian mafia films, but rather on the manner in which these movies were perceived. What results is a slightly bizarre film in the guise of a parody that benefits from absurd humour and an interesting cast. The Slovak actor Marián Labuda made good use of his comic talents in the role of Don Carmello. Jiří Kodet, František Němec, and František Filipovský also dressed up as mobsters for the movie. Because Jiří Hrzán died during filming, Miroslav Středa had to take over the role of the mafia hitman Fofo. The director Juraj Herz appears in the film in the role of a conductor, and he also gave a small part to his colleague Jiří Menzel, who plays a waiter.

Synopsis

The Mafioso Carmello breaks the rules when he wants to take control over drug deals by shooting his rivals. The "family council" headed by boss don Morellano sentences him to death. The verdict should be executed by a hitman, Goméz, with his men. Carmello's men end up in concrete blocks but Carmello flees with his bodyguards, Salvatore and Fofo, to Vienna. He sells his enterprise to the powerful underworld boss called Conductor who recommends him the calm Prague instead of the unsafe Vienna. At the railway station, the three men first run into a drunken lady with two bulldogs. In the night, in Prague, Carmello falls victim to the attractive Miss Sylvie who steals his suit from him and locks him in some apartment. Carmello also loses his weapon, and because he escapes by climbing down the eaves, he soon falls into the hands of the police. The two bodyguards lose their guns as well. The bag with the weapons is unwittingly thrown into the airshaft by the drunken lady living next to them. When they try to get new bulldogs (guns) and cherries (bullets), the mafiosos meet the local filchers to whom they mistakenly ascribe extraordinary skills. Carmello moves to Karlsbad to establish a drug channel. He asks the tourist Boháčková, who he gets to know by chance, to transport a bag to Amsterdam. Her greedy husband, however, exchanges the luxurious luggage – having no idea that it contains drugs – for a paper suitcase. He takes the hitchhiker Sylvie to his car and she steals the bag from him. Carmello with his bodyguards and Goméz's men eventually find themselves in a truck in a forest by a chain of coincidences. A forester finds them and calls the police. He himself does not know that Sylvie stole the salaries for his subordinates from him just a while ago. The thief hitchhikes again and the lady with the bulldogs takes her in her car. When Sylvie asks her to stop by a cherry seller, the mischievous lady drives away and takes both the drugs and the money.

Note

Before his tragic death (at night from the 23rd to 24th September 1980), Jiří Hrzán as Fofo managed to complete eleven of the planned twenty-four filming days. The part was taken over by Miroslav Středa. With regard to the conspicuous mask (moustache, hat and black sunglasses) several scenes with the late actor could be left in the final movie.

Film online

Cast

Marián Labuda

mafián Carmello Muscilo

Jiří Kodet

strážce Giulio Salvatore

Miroslav Středa

strážce Fofo

Jiří Hrzán

strážce Fofo

Rudolf Hrušínský

mafiánský kmotr don Morellano

Karel Effa

Pepa, Píškův kumpán

Václav Kovařík

Jára, Píškův kumpán

Lenka Kořínková

zlodějka Sylvie

František Němec

střelec Goméz

Jiřina Bohdalová

Leontýna Boháčková

Juraj Herz

mafián zvaný Dirigent

Dagmar Veškrnová

opilá dáma s buldoky

Jiří Menzel

Voice by Václav Neckář
číšník Pajer v Intercontinentalu

Karel Augusta

barman v Intercontinentalu

Petr Nárožný

Venca, manžel Boháčkové

Pavel Bobek

barman Beno

Jan Schmid

lesník

František Filipovský

stařík mafián

Luděk Sobota

spojka Helmut

Vítězslav Černý

lokaj Morellana

Jana Rabová

dcera Morellana

Bohumila Dolejšová

barmanka v Intercontinentalu

Miloslav Šimek

Josef Novák, bratr Sylvie, Píškův kumpán

Antonín Jedlička

recepční v Intercontinentalu

Jiří Krampol

Gomézův střelec

Jan Obrda

Gomézův střelec

Oskar Gottlieb

Gomézův střelec

Jan Prokeš

Gomézův střelec

Rudolf Kalina

mafián Montego

Oskar Hák

mafián Totto

Jiří Lír

mafián zvaný Tenorista

Milan Neděla

mafián Enrico

Antonín Pokorný

mafián Guesto

Zuzana Langerová

striptérka

Vlasta Kahovcová

blondýna na nádraží

Simona Stašová

servírka v Intercontinentalu

Jaromír Kučera

Voice by Mirko Musil
hlídač na stavbě Domu bytové kultury

Jaroslav Čejka

číšník v Intercontinentalu

Jiří Knot

vrchní ve vinárně

Petr Tausk

mafián

Petr Gottlieb

mafián

Vladimír Turyna

mafián

MUDr. Viktor Řeháček

mafián

Michaela Vítková

břišní tanečnice

Milan Lasica

poručík VB

Július Satinský

praporčík VB

Pavel Havránek

příslušník VB

Karel Smyczek

fotoreportér

Milan Slepička

malý liftboy

Ladislav Šimek

recepční v Puppu

Jaroslav Vozáb

vrchní v Puppu

Jaroslav Tomsa

barman/řidič

Karel Engel

host v baru

Jaroslav Klenot

host v baru

Ladislav Lahoda

host v baru

Zdeněk Srstka

host v baru

Ivan Pokorný

příslušník VB na nádraží

Václav Peiger

homosexuál

Zdeněk Nečesaný

Voice by Josef Velda
řidič chladírenského vozu

Oswald Schorm

feťák v baru

Jaroslav Šanda

gorila Dirigenta

Helena Růžičková

cizinka před nádražím

Pavel Trnavský

člen kapely

Pavel Hradil

člen kapely

Jiří Hrubeš

člen kapely

Zdeněk Juračka

člen kapely

Ivan Kadaňka

člen kapely

František Kotva

člen kapely

Crew and creators

Director

Juraj Herz

Second Unit Director

Miloš Kohout

Assistant Director

Eliška Moulisová, Petr Hartl

Screenstory

Ivan Gariš

Shooting Script

Juraj Herz, Ivan Gariš

Director of Photography

Jiří Macháně

Second Unit Photography

Ota Kopřiva

Camera Operator

Ivan Šimůnek

Production Designer

Vladimír Labský

Assistent Production Designer

František Dvořák

Set Designer

Karel Kracík, Jaroslav Lehman, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šefrna

Costume Designer

Jana Zbořilová

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Chvojková, Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

František Černý

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Special Effects

Jiří Berger (pyrotechnik)

Production Manager

Jan Šuster

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Bouček, Lenka Jandová

Unit Production Manager

Miloslav Doležal

Consultant

plk. Josef Janůrek, pplk. František Kot, pplk. František Havlíček, Josef Koníček, Ice Fanoni, Slah Ben Haš Slama

Cooperation

Magda Chmelová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens), Petr Hapka, skupina Heval

Songs

Právě se vzbouzím

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Singer Jana Kratochvílová

Smaragdové lasery

Song Composer Pavel Trnavský
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer Jana Kratochvílová

Production info

Original Title

Buldoci a třešně

Czech Title

Buldoci a třešně

English Title

The Bulldogs and the Cherries

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

gangster, comedy, crime, parody

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production Year

1980—1981

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 8 January 1980
start of filming 12 May 1980
technical Screenplay approved 29 May 1980
end of filming 16 February 1981
projection approval 20 March 1981

Premiere

premiere 11 September 1981 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miroslava Hladkého, Miroslav Hladký (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

99 min

Original length in metres

2 818 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

Event: Komise pro posuzování a hodnocení technické kvality filmů

1982
Praha / Czechoslovakia