The Avenger

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production year

1959

Premiere

8 April 1960

Runtime

81 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Mstitel

Czech title

Mstitel

English title

The Avenger

Synopsis

Kašpar Lén returns home after three years in the army. He vainly searches for the mason Kryštof's family where he had lived before he left. All he finds out is that Kryštof's daughter Márynka, who was in his thoughts all those years, is now working in the local brothel. He goes to visit her and Márynka tells him of the misfortunes which befell her family. Her father lost his job and hunger forced him to steal some food from the merchant Konopík. Konopík caught him red-handed and threatened him with the police. He finally raped Márynka. Kryštof went mad and drowned himself in despair. Márynka grew up in a reformatory and then found herself in the brothel where she had to work to pay off her debts. Lén decides to avenge Kryštof's family and pay Márynka out of the brothel. He gets work with the team building Konopík's house where he is witness to the death of old Bráborec caused by the collapse of rusty scaffolding. Konopík is to blame for his death but will not even pay for the funeral. Márynka is wrongfully accused of stealing jewellery. She is finally released and hurries off to try to prevent Kašpar from executing his revenge. The police follow her to the building site. She stops Lén at the last moment from killing Konopík with a plumb-line. Konopík, however, is struck by a falling brick. Lén is arrested. He hands Márynka the money he has saved and promises to return to her after he has served his time.

Cast

Radoslav Brzobohatý

zedník Kašpar Lén

Ivanka Devátá

Márynka Kryštofová

Jan Pivec

kupec Jindřich Konopík

Gustav Nezval

zedník Kryštof, otec Márynky

Josef Beyvl

posluha Josef Cverenc

Libuše Řídelová

maltářka Růžena Kabourková

Vladimír Hlavatý

starý zedník Bráborec

František Filipovský

zedník Mareček

Gustav Heverle

zedník Koutný

Jan Skopeček

zedník Truneček

František Kubíček

zedník Trhlík

Martin Růžek

milostpán

Libuše Bokrová

slečna Klára

Anna Friedová

milostpaní

Dagmar Doubravská

kramářka

Václav Fišer

policista s komisařem

Rudolf Jelínek

Bráborcův slepý vnuk Toník

Zdeněk Jelínek

průvodčí

Magda Maděrová

lehká ženština

Heda Marková

dohazovačka

Miroslav Homola

pouťový vyvolávač

Jarka Pižla

muž na pohřbu

Valentin Knor

vysloužilec

Miloš Hlavica

vysloužilec

Ivo Gübel

policista

Ladislav Gzela

opilý muž

Václav Kyzlink

zřízenec

Eva Šenková

zpěvačka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour

Based on

Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod (Kašpar Lén mstitel – román)

Screenplay

Karel Steklý

Director of Photography

Jan Stallich

Second Unit Photography

Josef Pechar

Camera Operator

Josef Pávek

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Pokorný

Set Designer

František Rieger, Jiří Rulík

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Ladislav Kalaš

Unit Production Manager

Adolf Široký, Josef Mathauser

Cooperation

Petr Böhm (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jan Seidel

Music Performed by

Ivan Kawaciuk /sólo na housle/, Jan Kaláb /sólo na housle/

Songs

Kéž přijde čas, kdy srdce vzplane zas'

Vždyť jsme jen jednou na světě

Ach, já tu nebudu

Singer František Filipovský

Daisy, Daisy

Production info

Original Title

Mstitel

Czech Title

Mstitel

English Title

The Avenger

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production Year

1959

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 6 May 1959
technical Screenplay approved 26 June 1959
start of filming 27 July 1959
end of filming 3 November 1959
projection approval 19 January 1960

Premiere

preview 1 April 1960 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 8 April 1960 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /2 týdny/, Kyjev /1 týden/, Odboj /1 týden/ a Mír /1 týden od 15. 4./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

81 min

Original length in metres

2 311 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech