The Boys on the River

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production year

1943

Premiere

25 August 1944

Runtime

83 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy, family, poetic

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kluci na řece

Czech title

Kluci na řece

English title

The Boys on the River

Parallel title

Knaben am Fluß

Synopsis

A group of boys in the town of Písek like to play on the banks of the Otava River. One day they set out to visit a mysterious house which appears to be abandoned. In reality living there is the old and ill Mrs. Magdalena with her housekeeper. Magdalena's granddaughter Helenka has come on a visit during her school vacation. The boys, intruded upon by the housekeeper Josefka, run off. Only the eldest of them, the fifteen-year-old Tomík, stays and so becomes acquainted with Helenka. He learns from her that her grandmother is afflicted with nostalgia for her son Jiří, who many years ago went out into the world. Tomík belongs to the gang of Portyčaks for whom the shopkeeper Timtělo has carved out a totem as a talisman. The thirteen-year-old Zuzka belongs to bold Bukoun's gang, but she secretly loves Tomík, from whom she hears about the sick woman. She has the idea to ask the young engineer Palivec to visit Helenka's grandmother and tell her that he has met her son and he sends his greetings. The plan works and Mrs. Magdalena actually recuperates. Helenka, to the sadness of Tomík, begins to go out with Palivec. A battle breaks out between the two gangs of boys which ends in the accidental serious injury of Zuzka. The boys make peace with one another and Tomík promises Zuzka that he will one day marry her.

Note

Václav Krška is always named as the co-director of this film in available written sources. In the opening titles of the film he is presented as having collaborated on the artistic direction.

Cast

Eduard Kohout

syn paní Magdalény Jiří

Karel Černý

MUDr. Albín, přítel rodiny

Zdeňka Baldová

Josefka, hospodyně u paní Magdalény

Zorka Janů

Helenka, vnučka paní Magdalény

Svatopluk Beneš

Ing. Jan Palivec

Jindřich Plachta

hokynář Andělín Timtělo

Marie Blažková

hokynářova žena Terezie

Libuše Stehlíková

Zuzka

Rudolf Král

Pindulinka

Jaroslav Hach

kluk

Eduard Vakrman

kluk

Míša Dvořák

kluk

Jiří Vopálka

kluk

Tomáš Čech

kluk

Miloš Opatrný

kluk

Přemysl Velich

kluk

Ríša Hanzal

kluk

Emanuel Kovařík

cirkusák Ferda

Milka Balek-Brodská

zákaznice u Timtěla

Hermína Vojtová

zákaznice u Timtěla

Commentary

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Ivo Novák

Screenstory

Václav Krška

Director of Photography

Julius Vegricht

Production Designer

Ferdinand Fiala

Set Designer

Oldřich Novotný

Costume Designer

Marie Jindrová

Sound Designer

Stanislav Vondraš

Titles Designed by

Lorenc

Production Manager

Otakar Sedláček, Karel Feix (ředitel výroby)

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Mastník, Josef Holomý

Consultant

Miroslav Haller (jazykový poradce)

Cooperation

Antonín Frič (fotograf), Karel Hájek (fotograf), Fotoatelier Petřík (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Srnka

Music Performed by

Orchestr Pragfilmu (Music Conducted by Jindřich Bubeníček)

Songs

Hledám tě, dálko, v stříbrném chvění

Singer Terezie Brzková /recitativ/

Když jsem já šel tou Putimskou branou

Song Composer lidová píseň

Ó, hřebíčku zahradnický

Plavala husička po Dunaji

Ovčáci čtveráci

Production info

Original Title

Kluci na řece

Czech Title

Kluci na řece

English Title

The Boys on the River

Parallel Title

Knaben am Fluß

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, family, poetic

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production Year

1943

Production specifications

start of filming 18 August 1943
end of filming 11 November 1943
date of censorship 2 August 1944 (predikát „uznáníhodný film“)
projection approval 11 July 1945 (konec povolení k promítání 11. 7. 1946)
projection approval 14 June 1946 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 12. 1946)

Premiere

premiere 25 August 1944 /suitable for youths/ (kina Adria /3 týdny/, Kapitol /3 týdny/ a Lucerna /3 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 21 July 1945 /suitable for youths/

Production

Nationalfilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

83 min

Original length in metres

2 365 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