Corpus Delicti
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1991Production year
1991Premiere
14 November 1991Runtime
110 minDirector
Irena PavláskováCategory
filmGenre
drama, psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Corpus delictiCzech title
Corpus delictiEnglish title
Corpus DelictiSummary
After her successful debut, Čas sluhů (Time of the Servants), the director Irena Pavlásková immediately made another commentary on the declining moral condition of Czech society. The psychological drama Corpus Delicti became one of the first Czech films to look doubtfully at the opportunities that opened up for the country’s morally shaken and internally enslaved citizens thanks to the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989. Together with her mother, Nelly Pavlásková, the director wrote a screenplay whose protagonists are three couples. Jana, a divorced teacher, lives with the taciturn Tomáš. However, she still helps her loser husband, Kadlec, who is a journalist. He lives with Helena, a timorous clerk. The lives of both couples are turned upside-down when they meet the older, eccentric and hedonistic Viki, who is a dissident. Despite the fact that 1989 is imminent, Viki’s estranged husband Chlad, who works for the secret police, can still do a lot of damage... Irena and Nelly Pavlásková are indicating that the “microbe of evil” festered in some people under totalitarianism, and that nothing changed this – not even the political and social changes of November 1989. Irena Pavlásková makes her arguments for this assertion in an effective and energetic manner. Moreover, thanks to the F.A. Brabec’s camerawork Corpus Delicti is a visually impressive, dynamic spectacle, in which the filmmaker offered interesting opportunities to older actors (Jiřina Bohdalová excels as Viki, while Michal Dočolomanský plays the urbane villain Chlad) as well as to her younger colleagues (Lenka Kořínková as the sensitive and moral Jana, and the excellent Karel Roden as the wretched aggressor Kadlec). The former student leader Šimon Pánek appears in the role of Tomáš. It’s possible to identify many members of the crew in the smaller roles along with several “celebrities” of that time (e.g. the critic Jan Rejžek).
Synopsis
The divorced Jana stays with the reclusive Tomá. Jana's ex husband Jaromír Kadlec unpleasantly interferes in their life from time to time. He is a journalist with no talent and blames all his failures on the regime. He distastefully misuses the clerk Pulíková to whom he often returns drunk. Jana at times drags Tomá to a pub. Here the couple meet the extravagant Viki who lives with the young and muscled Gojko. Tomá is not satisfied with the life he has with Jana. He leaves for the countryside but returns very soon. At an avant-garde exhibition, Tomá introduces Jana to his friend Gábina from the Netherlands. Viki's husband, the smooth doctor Chlad, returns from Switzerland and announces to his wife that he wants to divorce her. Viki takes her new friends to the Luke's where the dissidents meet. Tomá and Jana participate in the celebration of the Chlads' twentieth wedding anniversary. Viki invites her dissident friends while her husband Karel invites his comrades. When everybody leaves, Viki finds out that Karel had denounced her guests. She tries to warn them by phone, but then she is in the power of her husband who gradually kills her with alcohol, knowing that Jana cannot drink for health reasons. As late as after three days, Jana and Tomá break into the place and take her to hospital. But it is too late - the woman dies of cirrhosis. Tomá escapes to the West. It is 1989, the year of the Velvet Revolution. Jana spots doctor Chlad working again in the diplomatic service. Later she meets Tomá on the street, embracing the pregnant Gábina.
Photos
Cast
Lenka Kořínková
učitelka Jana
Šimon Pánek
Voice by Martin Velda
Ing. Tomáš
Jiřina Bohdalová
Viktorie Chladová zvaná Viki
Karel Roden
novinář Jaromír Kadlec, Janin bývalý muž
Jitka Asterová
úřednice Helena Pulíková zvaná Pulice
Michal Dočolomanský
Voice by Ladislav Frej
diplomat dr. Karel Chlad, Vikin manžel
Magda Čermáková
Voice by Lucie Vojtěchová
Marta
Daniel Malaniuk
Voice by David Prachař
Gojko, Vikin milenec
Háta Hlavatá
Gábina, Gojkova kamarádka z Dánska
Václav Křístek
vandrák Bobo
Milena Dvorská
Milena, Vikina přítelkyně
Jan Němec
ctitel Heleny
Milan Šteindler
Ruda
Petra Lustigová
Zora
Viktor Malát
Čenda
Zdeněk Procházka
oponent
Miroslav Frydlewicz
šéfredaktor
Klaudie Hepnerová
Voice by Daniela Bartáková
rozhlasová redaktorka
Kateřina Frýbová
Chladův host
Stanislav Bruder
Chladův host
Jindřich Bonaventura
Chladův host
Julius Matula
Chladův host
Klement Lukeš
Vikin přítel
Jindřiška Lukešová
Vikina přítelkyně
Vratislav Štolba
Vikin přítel
Jiří Brožek
Vikin přítel
Jan Rejžek
Vikin přítel
Ivana Kačírková
Vikina přítelkyně
Josefa Slánská
Vikina přítelkyně
Marta Slánská
Vikina přítelkyně
Jiří Krejčí (2)
Vikin přítel
Petr Sitár
Vikin přítel
Jiří Chlumecký
člen hudební skupiny ZOO
Jan Kalousek
člen hudební skupiny ZOO
Jan Kolář
člen hudební skupiny ZOO
Jiří Matoušek
člen hudební skupiny ZOO
Jan Fuchs
lékař
Markéta Světlíková
tělocvikářka Mráčková
Eliška Vavříková
šprtka
Eva Kucová
sekretářka
Antonín Zacpal
vrátný
Petra Procházková
dívka v hospodě
Jiří Patočka
vousáč v hospodě
Jitka Foltýnová
žena v hospodě
Viktor Riebauer
host v hospodě
Ondřej Šram
host v hospodě
Jakub Šram
host v hospodě
Miloš Větvička
host v hospodě
Jáchym Valášek
žák zkoušený z dějepisu
Kateřina Hrachovcová
žákyně zkoušená z literatury
profesoři a žáci Gymnázia Voděradská
profesoři a žáci
Blanka Jedličková
Voice by Miriam Kantorková
profesorka
Ivana Hrušková
žákyně
Daniel Hruška
žák
Tomáš Vaner
žák
Františka Čížková
host na vernisáži
Simona Rybáková
host na vernisáži
Josef Novotný (3)
houslista
Nelly Pavlásková
host v restauraci
Marie Spurná
Chladův host
Karel Kostroun
host
Jaromír Kallista
host
Zdenek Sirový ml.
Josef Veselý
Markéta Vančurová
Eva Vernerová
Roman Ťalský
Josef Žemla
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Stanislava Hutková
Assistant Director
Josef Kropáček
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Roman Fara
Production Designer
Set Designer
Michal Erazim, Jiří Matějka, Eva Slívová, Robert Vlček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
František Příhoda, Zdenka Prchlíková, Božena Došlá, Rudolf Hammer
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Jaroslav Novák, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)
Special Effects
Titles Designed by
Čeněk Dousek
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Antonín Pražský, Dagmar Pitráková, Irena Ladýřová, Jiří Synek
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Monika Machytková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf), Petr Mach (2), Jaroslav Schreder, Ladislav Chroust, Jiří Štětka
Music
Songs
Cucurrucucú paloma
Song Composer Tomás Méndez Sosa
Writer of Lyrics Tomás Méndez Sosa
Singer sbor
Píseň severu
Song Composer Pavel Milan
Vy mládenci, kteří jste jako já
Singer Jiřina Bohdalová
Production info
Original Title
Corpus delicti
Czech Title
Corpus delicti
English Title
Corpus Delicti
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1991
Production Year
1991
Premiere
premiere 14 November 1991 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Lucernafilm – Gama (monopol do 13. 11. 1996), Bontonfilm
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Miloslav Vydra – Dana Dudová, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí tvůrčí skupiny), Dana Dudová (vedoucí produkce tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
110 min
Distribution carrier
35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
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: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival žen – tvůrkyň Créteil
1993
Créteil / France
