Enchanted Heritage

Country

Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic

Copyright

1985

Production year

1984—1985

Premiere

1 October 1986

Runtime

77 min

Director

Zdeněk Zelenka

Genre

fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Čarovné dědictví

Czech title

Čarovné dědictví

English title

Enchanted Heritage

Parallel title

Eine zauberhafte Erbschaft

Summary

This debut feature film from writer-director Zdeněk Zelenka is a fairytale loosely inspired by a storybook of the same name written by Václav Řezáč. The title inheritance in question is a magic hat, which fulfils every wish of its owner. By chance, the hat ends up in the possession of hat maker’s son Vítek and his band of young friends. But a power-hungry duke, who rules over his subjects in a harsh and unjust manner, is also after the magical item. The children realise that in the wrong hands, the magic hat could become a dangerous weapon, and so they rid the item of its powers. Evil is ultimately punished and ordinary folk realise that they can best govern themselves... Zelenka’s “de-magicked fairytale” is an East German-Czechoslovak co-production released in 1985. Asides from illustrating the strong state of 1980s children’s film fairytales, it offers a fantastic performance from Jiří Kodet in the role of an irascible blue-blooded fiend.

Synopsis

A small town living at a satisfied and calm pace is approached by a regiment of the duke's cavalry. The baker Průba is followed by a peculiar man wearing a cloak - a junk dealer and the duke's informer. At the town market, the cavalry men break the inhabitants' goods and then lead the hatmaker Vojtěch away. His son Vítek escapes and meets his friends, Hynek and Majda, in the evening. He finds out that the housekeeper Agáta is searching for something in their house. The children scare her and the woman runs away. The dog Cesar guides them to a coffer, which contains a document and a hat. Vítek puts the hat on his head and learns after a while that it is magical and fulfils every wish he says. A duke's gunsmith shows a new model of three-barrelled cannon. The duke wants the reported treasure from Vojtěch's house, not knowing that the treasure is in fact the hat. The cavalrymen, the junk dealer and Agáta search for the treasure in vain. They focus on the children because Agáta learned from the document that it is them who have the hat. The children try to free Vítek's father with its help. He, however, has already escaped from the prison himself. The junk dealer attempts to get the hat by a trick. But the children, who got to the castle before, realize that the hat would be very dangerous in the wrong hands. They thus say a wish to make it lose its magical power. The people have enough injustice and set off to the castle. Vítek gives the hat to the duke and liberates all the imprisoned. The duke wants to fight the people with the cannon because the hat cannot help him any more. But the cannon explodes and catapults the duke to the tower. The people celebrate their victory. The duke is locked in a cage below the castle gate and becomes just a laughing stock.

Photos

© Jaromír Komárek, Barrandov Studio a.s.

Jan Spitzer

Voice by Jiří Prager
kornet

Jörg Panknin

Voice by Michal Pavlata
čepičář Vojtěch, Vítkův otec

Jarmila Renčová

hraběnka

Dagmar Neumannová

hraběnka

Miroslav Grác

soukeník

Martina Richterová

holčička

Lucie Vojtěchová

holka

Karel Smrž

mužík

Ivo Kieslich

bubeník

Peter Heiland

žalářník

Jaroslav Tomsa

dubl za Ladislava Gerendáše/vesničan

Rudolf Hrušínský st.

Dubbing

Antonín Jedlička

hlasy zvířat

Crew and creators

Project author

Václav Řezáč

Director

Zdeněk Zelenka

Second Unit Director

Stanislava Hutková, Michael Kann

Assistant Director

Markéta Jiroušková, Filip Renč

Continuity

Dagmar Švejdová, Eliška Vojtová

Based on

Václav Řezáč (Čarovné dědictví – kniha)

Screenplay

Josef Hanzlík, Zdeněk Zelenka

Shooting Script

Zdeněk Zelenka

Dramaturg

Jiří Švejda (Filmové studio Barrandov), Carmen Blazejewski (DEFA)

Set Designer

Ladislav Balous, Günther Pullmann, Josef Pavlík, Josef Večerek, Miloslav Dvořák

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Costumes

Jaroslava Adámková, Uwe Bornemann, Eva Staňková, Renata Ryšavá

Make-Up Artist

František Příhoda, Heinz Kosse, Božena Došlá, Christa Eifler, Zdeněk Klika

Film Editor

Petr Sitár

Assistant Film Editor

Marta Borowiecová, Růžena Hejsková

Sound Designer

František Fabián

Special Effects

Jiří Milfait, Boris Masník, Jaroslav Čermák, Michael Poledník

Production Manager

Vladimír Vojta, Dietmar Richter

Unit Production Manager

Jarmila Benešová (2), Ralf Biok, Eva Kulhánková

Unit Production Manager

Zdena Junková, Zdeněk Hurník

Consultant

František Michálek (jezdectví)

Cooperation

Barbora Bílková (klapka), Dana Šomková (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf), R. Pfeifenberger, Helmut Jurytko, Roman Gegenbauer, Siegfried Stallner, W. Grossmann, Hans-Jürgen Deponte, Th. Zienicke

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří F. Svoboda

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán KoníčekMario Klemens)

Songs

Šly panenky silnicí /parafráze Rejtary jsme vypekli/

Singer Martin PeřtRudolf ŠtědrýTereza Chudobová

Na tom pražským mostě

Song Composer lidová píseň

Production info

Original Title

Čarovné dědictví

Czech Title

Čarovné dědictví

English Title

Enchanted Heritage

Parallel Title

Eine zauberhafte Erbschaft

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic

Copyright

1985

Production Year

1984—1985

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 04/1984
start of filming 29 October 1984
technical Screenplay approved 26 November 1984
end of filming 9 September 1985
projection approval 20 December 1985

Premiere

premiere 1 October 1986 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov, DEFA – Die Deutsche Film AG

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

6. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina Tvůrčí mládí, Jan Vild (vedoucí 6. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny Tvůrčí mládí), Roter Kreis (DEFA), Thea Richter (vedoucí skupiny Roter Kreis DEFA)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

77 min

Original length in metres

2 211 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

1987
Praha / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 20. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1986
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Zdeněk Zelenka

Vítěz

Festival: 26. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov

1986
Zlín / Czechoslovakia

Enchanted Heritage

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Parallel title

Summary

Synopsis

Photos

Cast

Jan Spitzer

Jörg Panknin

Jarmila Renčová

Miroslav Grác

Martina Richterová

Lucie Vojtěchová

Ivo Kieslich

Peter Heiland

Peter Pauli

Alexandra Antalová

Petr Hlinka

Jiří Hnilička

Miroslava Housková

Gabriela Janíková

Miroslav Komárek

Jana Lálová

Marie Ladmanová

Michaela Medová

Božík Petrovič

Václav Podlipský

Radka Sládková

Jaroslava Šporclová

Jaroslav Štojdl

Jiří Štosek

Miroslav Tampír

Jiřina Tampírová

Jana Tomášková

Hana Čarná

Vladimír Čunát

Eva Karlíková

Jaroslava Kozibratková

Drahomíra Ptáková

Eva Slavíčková

František Švamberk

Rostislav Tarasuk

Commentary

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Project author

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Continuity

Based on

Screenplay

Shooting Script

Dramaturg

Director of Photography

Second Unit Photography

Camera Operator

Production Designer

Assistent Production Designer

Set Designer

Costume Designer

Costumes

Make-Up Artist

Film Editor

Assistant Film Editor

Sound Designer

Special Effects

Production Manager

Unit Production Manager