My Sinful Husband

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production year

1986

Premiere

1 July 1987

Runtime

98 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy, sad comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Můj hříšný muž

Czech title

Můj hříšný muž

English title

My Sinful Husband

Working title

Hroši nepláčou

Summary

Screenwriter Halina Pawlowská and director Milan Šteindler teamed-up on two successful movies – Vrať se do hrobu (Go Back to Your Grave!, 1989) and Díky za každé nové ráno (I Thank You for Each New Morning, 1994). But their first collaboration was a joint screenwriting assignment on the relationship comedy Můj hříšný muž (My Sinful Husband, 1986). Director Václav Matějka also had a hand in the script. It was his influence that led to a film which only examines the problem of balancing maternal and work-related duties on a more superficial level. The heroine of the story is Marta, portrayed by Dagmar Veškrnová. As an ambitious budding geneticist, Marta must balance work and family life. Husband Zdeněk (Oldřich Kaiser) deals with the growing tensions by finding a mistress. Shattered Marta finds understanding for her plight, and shelter for her young daughter, with a colleague (Jan Hartl) – but she has no idea how this decent man can help her to resolve her complicated situation.

Synopsis

The student Marta Hančová wants to work in the laboratory of growth factors in the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics after her graduation. She successfully passes the demanding final exams and indeed gets the desired job. But she becomes pregnant by her colleague Zdeněk Hradecký even before her degree ceremony. Freshly married, she selflessly works on a research assignment with Vašek Hořák who loves her platonically. Her husband Zdeněk, too, begins at the institute. He is much less competent than his wife but, instead, much more ambitious. His snobbish mother blames Marta for her insufficient care for the household. She does not let the young couple live in her villa but keeps inviting her son over. The birth of daughter Anička interrupts Marta's promising career for a while. Her friend Irena has not finished her studies and decides to never have children due to her career as a singer. When there is the danger that the institute will employ someone else instead of Marta after a year and a half, Marta hands the daughter to the care of her mother-in-law and returns to work. Zdeněk wants to get the position of head of the cellular physiology department after a colleague retires and is ready to do anything to get it. Marta is tired; she even falls asleep on her way back from work on the subway and only wakes up in the depot. Grandmother Hradecká refuses to take care of her granddaughter any longer and the young parents must find a babysitter even though it is very expensive. Quarrels pile up between the husband and wife. Zdeněk reproaches Marta for neglecting their daughter and supporting Hořánek who is the second candidate for the leading position. The mother-in-law wants Marta to sacrifice her career to her husband's. The nanny falls asleep while babysitting Anička. Marta looks for Zdeněk at work and at his parent's home, but in vain because her husband is dating a lover, the director's wife. Zdeněk offers to the director that he will entertain visitors from abroad in his home. He automatically expects Marta to attend to them, and she thus introduces herself to the guests as a hired auxiliary. When the director behaves too intimately towards her, she slaps him across his face, lands Zdeněk another one and leaves the flat. Irena, however, cannot let her stay at her place; her professional career has finally commenced. The selfless colleague Vašek takes Marta and Anička in and offers to let them share his flatlet. Marta likes him but is unable to return his love. She decides to give up research and start teaching. The psychologist at a marriage guidance bureau is unable to help the Hradecký couple who are at sixes and sevens all the time. The director offers Hořánek the position of department head. Vašek refuses – he surely wants to care for Marta. But the woman convinces him that such scruples are senseless. Zdeněk breaks up with his lover and sobers up from his excessive ambitions. He takes Marta back to their flat and wants to wait at his parents until his wife decides. But Marta herself does not know.

Film online

Cast

Dagmar Veškrnová

bioložka Marta Hančová

Oldřich Kaiser

biolog Zdeněk Hradecký, Martin manžel

Jan Hartl

biolog Vašek Hořánek

Petra Janů

zpěvačka Irena Šebestová, Martina přítelkyně

Josef Somr

ředitel Ústavu molekulární biologie a genetiky dr. Vilém Bárta

Radovan Lukavský

docent Hradecký, Zdeňkův otec

Květa Fialová

Zdeňkova matka

Marie Rosůlková

babička Hradecká

Jana Švandová

Táňa, Bártova manželka

Jiřina Jirásková

chůva Jeníková

Jiří Kodet

vědecký tajemník Kadlec

Michal Nesvadba

asistent Petříček

Miloš Vávra

docent Miloš Pavlíček

Radúz Chmelík

vedoucí oddělení buněčné fyziologie František Vaníček

Svatopluk Matyáš

doktor Beňák

Zdena Hadrbolcová

Hančová, Martina matka

Bořík Procházka

Hanč, Martin otec

Karel Roden

Jéňa, Martin bratr

Bohuslav Drozd

maďarský obchodník Ferkesi

Ivana Chýlková

laborantka Dana

Zdeněk Martínek

profesor Stehlík

Jan Schmid

psycholog manželské poradny Dvořáček

Věra Vlčková

doktorka Kolská

Lenka Kubálková

Anička, dcera Marty a Zdeňka

Lenka Vlachová

Lucka

Radan Rusev

Karel Kučera

Eva Jeníčková

studentka Mačánková

Hana Brejchová

lékařka v poradně

Marta Richterová

zdravotní sestra v poradně

Radka Mayerová

Hlízalová

Jan Okrouhlík

Bobek

Jiří Havel

řidič metra

Miroslav Švejda

Rožánek

Michal Zelenka

hudební režisér

Renata Mašková

maminka kluka Tomáše

Renáta Doleželová

maminka v poradně

Václav Kaňkovský

lesník Šebíček

Pavel Nový

Honza Čeleda

René Gabzdyl

skladatel a pianista

Monika Bolardová

tanečnice

Michaela Štěpánková

tanečnice

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Josef Loučím

Assistant Director

Markéta Jiroušková

Shooting Script

Václav Matějka

Director of Photography

Jiří Macák

Second Unit Photography

Jan Hanzal

Camera Operator

Michal Vlček

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Pištěk

Set Designer

Milan Bábik, Jiří Matějka, Eva Slívová, Milan Tahotný

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Assistant Film Editor

Jan Svoboda, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Adolf Böhm

Production Manager

Jan Syrový

Unit Production Manager

Lev Veltrubský, Jana Hauserová, Helena Landovská

Cooperation

Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Michael Kocáb

Selected Music

Georg Philipp Telemann (Suita F dur)

Music Performed by

skupina Golem, skupina Žentour, Studiová skupina Michaela Kocába (Music Conducted by Michael Kocáb)

Choreographer

Jan Hartmann

Danced by

Monika Bolardová, Michaela Štěpánková

Songs

Co vybrat si mám

Song Composer Michael Kocáb
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Vrba
Singer Petra Janů

Gen

Drobek

Modrý pokoj

Letím

Production info

Original Title

Můj hříšný muž

Czech Title

Můj hříšný muž

English Title

My Sinful Husband

Working Title

Hroši nepláčou

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, sad comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production Year

1986

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 10 October 1985
start of filming 6 January 1986
technical Screenplay approved 15 January 1986
end of filming 4 August 1986
projection approval 29 September 1986

Premiere

premiere 1 July 1987 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 751 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Hungarian

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 25. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1987
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Michael Kocáb