Lets Be More Clever Next Time, Buddy!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production year

1982

Premiere

31 December 1982

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Příště budeme chytřejší, staroušku!

Czech title

Příště budeme chytřejší, staroušku!

English title

Lets Be More Clever Next Time, Buddy!

Summary

This 1982 comedy about freshly released thieves unsuccessfully trying to better their lives turned out to be the last film entered into director Petr Schulhoff’s filmography. Schulhoff thus wound up a decade of making films primarily devoted to satirical narratives dealing with all manner of abuses and difficulties in a modern socialist society. The filmmaker particularly focused on bruised inter-human relationships. This is seen in his comedy Hodíme se k sobě, miláčku…? (Are We a Good Match, Darling?, 1974), which squeezes fun out of a computer selecting life partners; his double critique of the petty bourgeoisie via the films Zítra to roztočíme, drahoušku…! (We'll Kick Up a Fuss Tomorrow, Darling!, 1976) and Co je doma, to se počítá (What I Have I Hold, Gentlemen!, 1980); and in his satire on misanthropy, Já už budu hodný, dědečku! (I’ll Be Good, Old Man!,1978). He was, however, also ridiculing the fraudulent practices in which state enterprise recruiters indulged (Já to tedy beru, šéfe! [O. K., Leave it to Me, Boss...!, 1977]). The comedy Příště budeme chytřejší, staroušku! (Lets Be More Clever Next Time, Buddy!) deals with both thematic areas – on the one hand it gives an account of the relationship between two crafty repeat offenders, while on the other it describes the dirty tricks cunning socialist asset strippers use to enrich themselves… The thieves Karel Vašátko and Gustav Makovec vainly try to start a new life after having been released from prison. However, they are surrounded by legions of enticers who foil their honest endeavours. Their experiences in the car repair shop and with a delivery drivers' enterprise kindle fresh creativity in their minds. This prompts them to once again start actively stealing from their naïve fellow men. Their plans, however, never work out in the way they wish and their crimes start to turn against their own fortunes. But they quickly stop mulling over how they might lead a decent life – it is, after all, all a matter of being wiser the next time… Schulhoff, who also wrote the screenplay, produced a simple story about criminals being deceived to serve as the backbone of what is a light folk comedy. The main parts are taken by Karel Augusta and František Peterka, an actor whom, as one of the director’s favourites, appeared in the majority of Schulhoff's films. Schulhoff also allotted parts to very much tried and tested Czech comedy actors Helena Růžičková, Jan Skopeček and Vladimír Hlavatý.

Synopsis

Gustav Makovec and Karel Vašátko are released from prison and make a resolution to begin a new, honest life. They find work in a car-mechanic's workshop of the Frigotherm enterprise where their resolution, however, soon withers. They fulfill their foreman's wish to make a car, which is in good condition, look like a wreck. But the planned deceit fails and the foreman does not prolong their work contract. The two find new work as driver and co-driver in the Kotlana enterprise. Makovec solves the problem of the insufficiently used capacity of the vehicle by assembling a folding case which makes the road controls think that it is fully loaded. But their boss does not want to have anything to do with the idea and eventually fires the two men. Makovec is outraged and convinces Vašátko to rob the old Kuklík who brings the daily takings from the local shop to the post office. But this trick does not work out, either. The publican Julinka offers the two a profitable "deal" – to distribute alcohol gained on the black market for ten percent of the profit. The operation succeeds thanks to Makovec's clever plan. Julinka, however, offers them free food instead of money. The next action concerns a fur coat which the two men's acquaintance Babánek wants for his wife. The two scamps thus go to a theatre and manage to steal the coat. But Babánek gives them only a few hundred crowns for it. The scamps compensate for the failures only by the sale of a fictitious cottage to Julinka. They "borrow" a luxurious car and go for a trip. They get drunk beside a pond and fall asleep. A fisherman takes advantage of their sleeping, stealing Makovec's jacket in which he had spotted some banknotes, and escapes on a motorcycle. The robbed thieves pursue him. They are halted along with the fisherman by the police patrol for speeding. The three men blame each other for robbery and they all finally end up at a police station. Unable to explain the origin of the money, Makovec and Vašátko are eventually imprisoned again, comforting themselves that they will be more clever next time.

Film online

Cast

Karel Augusta

zloděj Karel Vašátko

František Peterka

zloděj Gustav Makovec

Helena Růžičková

hospodská Julinka Vobořilová zvaná Twiggy

Jaroslav Heyduk

hospodský Adolf Vobořil, Julinčin manžel

Antonín Hardt

vedoucí autoprovozu Karas

Zdeněk Srstka

Voice by Mirko Musil
saniťák Pidloch

Václav Štekl

vedoucí skladu lihovin Lojza Babán

Božena Böhmová

Anička, Babánkova žena

Zdeněk Dítě

náměstek Exner

Vladimír Hlavatý

děda Vojtěch Kulík

Dalimil Klapka

šéf výstupní kontroly Kotlář

Bohuslav Čáp

vedoucí autodopravy Koudelka

Eva Svobodová

šatnářka v divadle

Jiří Lír

dispečer

Jana Altmannová

úřednice na poště

Zuzana Burianová

sekretářka

Vítězslav Černý

prodavač losů

Jan Skopeček

velitel věznice

Adolf Filip

vyšetřovatel

Miloslav Homola

vedoucí obchodu elektro

Vladimír Hrabánek

dozorčí ve věznici

Vladimír Ptáček

Voice by Jan Cmíral
nadpraporčík VB

Vladimír Salač

televizní reportér

Raoul Schránil

postarší seladon

Aja Farkačová

blondýnka

Karel Smrž

host v hospodě

Karel Vavřík

vrátný Frigothermu

Gustav Vondráček

vrátný v lihovaru

Josef Havel

skladník

Jan Laibl

skladník

Oldřich Velen

stavební mistr Straka

Jana Robenková

babka v šátku

Ladislav Krečmer

zavalitý svůdník v divadle

Svatava Smoláková

dáma v divadle

Karel Hovorka

muž v divadle

Jiřina Bílá

majitelka kožichu v divadle

Josef Střecha

manžel majitelky kožichu

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour

Assistant Director

Petr Šícha

Continuity

Eva Kolářová

Screenstory

Petr Schulhoff

Screenplay

Petr Schulhoff

Dramaturg

Karel Cop

Director of Photography

Andrej Barla

Second Unit Photography

Eduard Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek

Production Designer

Bohumil Pokorný

Assistent Production Designer

Olga Rosenfelderová

Set Designer

Bedřich Čermák, Rudolf Beneš, Josef Müller, Jaroslav Lehman

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Chvojková

Sound Designer

Roman Hloch

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Petr Čapek, Jiří Ulrich ml.

Unit Production Manager

Irena Koucká

Cooperation

Zuzana Plecerová (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Milan Dvořák

Songs

Hm hm, ach ty jsi úžasná

Song Composer Leopold Korbař

Production info

Original Title

Příště budeme chytřejší, staroušku!

Czech Title

Příště budeme chytřejší, staroušku!

English Title

Lets Be More Clever Next Time, Buddy!

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production Year

1982

Premiere

premiere 31 December 1982 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Drahoslava Makovičky, Drahoslav Makovička (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 417 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