Chalk and Cheese

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1941

Production year

1941

Premiere

31 October 1941

Runtime

93 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Nebe a dudy

Czech title

Nebe a dudy

English title

Chalk and Cheese

Parallel title

Himmel und Hölle

Summary

This tragicomedy – the story of an aloof factory owner who adopts a new perspective on life after an encounter with the good-hearted quarryman Fábera – constitutes an important entry in actor Jindřich Plachta’s filmography from the era of the Nazi Protectorate. Presented with the role of a simple and loving common man in this 1941 motion picture, Plachta was given the opportunity to underscore the acting skills that had kindled and buoyed his popularity among domestic audiences going right back to the 1920s. Experienced director Vladimír Slavínský offers the audience a high-quality genre spectacle without any surprises; even the cast was thus essentially predictable. By embodying factory owner Bartoš, Jaroslav Marvan portrays yet another of his unpleasant heroes who discover their inner kindness thanks to elements in their surroundings. The narrative leads to lovers from the opposing sides – Bartoš’s nephew Oldřich and Fábera’s daughter Anča, embodied by Raoul Schánil and Jana Romanová, respectively – clashing on the barricades of the social struggle.

Synopsis

Rudolf Bartoš, the owner of a farm, quarry and factory, is extremely rich, however, he is unapproachable and irritable, and the dread of his employees. One day he falls down a steep slope by a river and hurts himself. The quarryman Fábera finds him groaning in pain and takes him to his cottage. Fábera lives with his pretty daughter Anča and his orphaned nephews - the twins Tonda and Vašek. The several days spent in the company of these poor but loving people completely changes Bartoš's view of the world. He shocks his servants with his affable behaviour on his return home and he increases the wages of the men working for him in his quarry. He continues to visit the Fábera family. His old pride, however, comes to the surface once again as he discovers that his nephew Oldřich wants to marry Anča. They part on bad terms and Fábera, who does not want to prevent his daughter marrying, is given the sack. Bartoš soon realises he had overstepped the mark. He sends Fábera a letter of apology with his payslip. It is almost too late. Before payday arrives, Fábera, upset by recent events, slips on the rock and has a serious fall. Fortunately, his injury is not fatal, thus the life of Bartoš's one true friend is saved.

Cast

Jindřich Plachta

skalák Antonín Fábera

Jana Romanová

Anči, Fáberova dcera

Jiří Blahník

Tonda, Fáberův synovec

Lumír Blahník

Vašek, Fáberův synovec

Jaroslav Marvan

průmyslník Rudolf Bartoš

Raoul Schránil

Ing. Oldřich Čermák, Bartošův synovec

Antonie Nedošinská

kuchařka Fanynka

Karel Dostal

Bartošův lékař

František Filipovský

Bartošův tajemník

Sláva Grossmann

účetní Jahoda

Antonín Holzinger

ředitel továrny na masové konzervy

Vladimír Pospíšil-Born

ředitel velkostatku

Jan Černý

ředitel cementárny

Jiří Vondrovič

řidič Vojtěch

L. H. Struna

lamač Jarda

Bolek Prchal

četnický strážmistr

Fanča Lopatová

služka Běta

Anna Somolová

ošetřovatelka

Dubbing

Vojta Novák

hlas mzdového účetního v dole

Crew and creators

Director of Photography

Ferdinand Pečenka

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Set Designer

Prokop Pěkný

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Emil Poledník

Production Manager

Oldřich Papež, Vilém Brož (ředitel výroby)

Consultant

Jan Wenig (jazykový poradce)

Cooperation

Jaroslav Balzar (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Josef Dobeš

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Josef Dobeš), Lumír Blahník /harmonika/

Songs

Nám je to jedno

Song Composer Josef Dobeš
Writer of Lyrics František Kudrna
Singer Jiří BlahníkLumír Blahník

Loučení, loučení

Singer Jiří Blahník

Namluvil si malý rajteráček

Singer Jiří Blahník

Tovačov, Tovačov

Production info

Original Title

Nebe a dudy

Czech Title

Nebe a dudy

English Title

Chalk and Cheese

Parallel Title

Himmel und Hölle

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1941

Production Year

1941

Production specifications

start of filming 11 July 1941
end of filming 08/1941
date of censorship 7 October 1941 (kulturně-výchovný)
projection approval 11/1945 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 12. 1947)

Premiere

premiere 31 October 1941 /suitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /3 týdny/ a Lucerna /3 týdny/, Praha)
gala premiere 31 October 1941 (kino Lucerna, Praha)
renewed premiere 15 December 1945 /suitable for youths/

Production

Lucernafilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Lucernafilm (původní 1941), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

93 min

Original length in metres

2 650 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech, German