The House of the Five Squirrels

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production year

1943

Premiere

25 February 1944

Runtime

78 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

U pěti veverek

Czech title

U pěti veverek

English title

The House of the Five Squirrels

Parallel title

Zu den fünf Eichhörnchen

Synopsis

The owner of the House of the Five Squirrels, Josef Houbička, is henpecked by his wife Filoména. Houbička is a kind man who secretly lends two down-at-heel painters money for rent and bribes the injured maids so that there is peace in the household. He would like to convert the house into a soap factory, as it was before, but his wife wants a garage which will be more lucrative. Houbička gets uncustomary energy for his plan when he finds an old chronicle written by the house's former owner, a soap boiler who hoped the trade would continue to be practised there. After a row with Filoména, Houbička moves out. He becomes friends with the innkeeper Pulc. He invests his money into transforming the inn into a successful wine bar which his painter friends decorate. Filoména in the meantime is duped into making dubious investments by the swindler Kozel. The two young painters, who have a power of attorney from Houbička, stop the old soap house being demolished. Kozel disappears with Filoména's money. She faked Houbička's signatures on several contracts and so she is relieved when her husband forgives her. She works hard in the office of her husband's new soap factory.

Cast

Míla Pačová

domácí Filoména Houbičková

Jindřich Plachta

domácí Josef Houbička

Růžena Nasková

majitelka hodinářství Bety Mráčková

Jana Romanová

hodinářka Míla, dcera Mráčkové

Eva Klenová

fotografka Lída, dcera Mráčkové

Jan Pivec

malíř portrétista Jan Rezek

Ladislav Pešek

malíř krajinář Jiří Holec

Jaroslav Průcha

mydlář Antonín Aloyz

Jaroslav Marvan

Jan Pulec, hostinský U děravého džbánu

František Kreuzmann

podnikatel Anatol Kozel

Helena Bušová

služka u Houbičků Stázi

Jana Dítětová

služka u Houbičků Růžena

Antonín Holzinger

domovník Jánský

Bohuš Hradil

sochař Perner

Nelly Gaierová

přítelkyně paní Filomény

Ema Kreutzerová

přítelkyně paní Filomény, paní doktorová

Milada Horutová

přítelkyně paní Filomény

Bohuš Záhorský

architekt Koumar

Jindřich Doležal

účetní u Houbičků

Alois Peterka

obchodník s obrazy Brázda

Eva Šípová

stenotypistka Mánička

Ladislav Janeček

číšník U děravého džbánu

Zdeněk Šolle

číšník U děravého džbánu

Karel Pavlovský

právní zástupce JUDr. Malík

Jindřich Láznička

bednář z Kampy

Emanuel Hříbal

bednář z Kampy

Miloš Šubrt

bednář z Kampy

Jan Fifka

bednář z Kampy

R. Antony

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Eduard Šimáček

Screenstory

Maru

Screenplay

Maru, Miroslav Rutte

Director of Photography

Karel Degl

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Set Designer

Ina Kubová

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Sound Designer

Stanislav Vondraš

Production Manager

Karel Šilhánek, Vilém Brož (ředitel výroby)

Consultant

Miroslav Rutte (jazykový poradce)

Cooperation

Jaroslav Balzar (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Josef Stelibský

Selected Music

Georges Bizet (Carmen /Toreadore smělý/)

Music Performed by

Orchestr Pragfilmu

Songs

Píseň o děravém džbánu

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Singer Ladislav PešekJan PivecSetleři

Praha je krásná

Song Composer Josef Stelibský

Production info

Original Title

U pěti veverek

Czech Title

U pěti veverek

English Title

The House of the Five Squirrels

Parallel Title

Zu den fünf Eichhörnchen

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production Year

1943

Production specifications

start of filming 14 September 1943
end of filming 11/1943
date of censorship 8 February 1944 (predikát „uznáníhodný film“)
projection approval 09/1945 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 12. 1947)
withdrawal from distribution 1947

Premiere

premiere 25 February 1944 /suitable for youths/ (kina Adria /3 týdny/, Kapitol /3 týdny/ a Lucerna /3 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 11 October 1945 /suitable for youths/

Production

Lucernafilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Laboratories

Pragfilm

Distribution

Lucernafilm (původní 1944), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

78 min

Original length in metres

2 276 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