Dařbuján and Pandrhola
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1959Production year
1959Premiere
10 June 1960Runtime
79 minDirector
Martin FričCategory
filmGenre
fairytaleTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Dařbuján a PandrholaCzech title
Dařbuján a PandrholaEnglish title
Dařbuján and PandrholaSummary
Jan Drda belongs among those favourite authors whose books were turned into films – mainly fairytales in his case. Along with the film adaptations of Zdeněk Troška (O princezně Jasněnce a létajícím ševci [Princess Brightness and the Flying Shoemaker], Z pekla štěstí [Helluva Good Luck], Nejkrásnější hádanka [The Loveliest Riddle]), this comedy shot in 1959 by the experienced Martin Frič (who in the same year introduced another of his fairytale projects to cinemas, namely Princezna se zlatou hvězdou [The Princess with the Golden Star]) has also gained favour with viewers. In the stylised story, Jiří Sovák plays the poor mine worker Dařbuján, who for his twelfth descendant chooses a scythe, consequently Death (Václav Lohniský), as a godfather. Death helps Dařbuján to become a rich doctor, who with the secret help of his miracle-working godfather can guess what ails each patient. But the mean and wealthy Pandrhola (Rudolf Hrušínský), whom Dařbuján gets involved with, decides to get rid of Death and imprisons it. The absence of the Grim Reaper in the world thus causes a series of comical catastrophes.
Synopsis
A stork brings Markýtka and Kuba Dařbuján their twelfth child. Kuba is a hard-working miner but money is very short. In vain Kuba asks the rich fat brewer Pandrhola to give him a little bit of the draff to make porridge for his hungry children. Looking for someone as godfather to his daughter, Kuba refuses both God and the Devil, because he considers them both unjust to people. So the man with a scythe - Death - becomes the godfather, because he applies the same standard to all alike. As a christening present, Kuba is given a healing ability. Kuba leaves his mining work and proclaims himself a doctor. At the beginning, he is laughed at, but after he heals the paralysed Matěj, he becomes a popular healer. He lets the rich pay him well and helps the poor. Then, Pandrhola falls very ill. Kuba refuses to heal him, but finally, the ridiculous conditions he had set as a joke are fulfilled: there are sausages on the trees and there is beer running instead of water in the brook. Despite Death's prohibition Kuba heals the brewer. The healed Pandrhola shuts Death into a barrel. People and animals stop dying. The witless and fastidious brewer has no meat on his table, and so he releases Death from the barrel. Pandrhola's life is taken with one single stroke of the scythe in return. Kuba, from whom Death took away his gift of healing, returns to mining.
Photos
Cast
Jiří Sovák
havíř a léčitel Kuba Dařbuján
Běla Jurdová
Markýtka, Dařbujánova žena
Rudolf Hrušínský
sládek Pandrhola
Pavla Maršálková
Pandrholova žena
Bohumil Švarc
havíř Matěj Klofát
Květa Fialová
Marijánka, Klofátova žena
Václav Lohniský
kmotr Smrťák
Bohuš Záhorský
stařeček Pánbůh
Otakar Brousek
čert
Stanislav Neumann
děda Pšuk
Josef Hlinomaz
krupař Johan Bašta
Ilona Kubásková
Filoména, krupařova žena
Ota Motyčka
pláteník
Milka Balek-Brodská
plátenice
Růžena Štěpánová
Verunka, dcera pláteníkových
Karel Fiala
kovářský
Alena Kreuzmannová
děvečka Anka
Eman Fiala
havíř klarinetista
Václav Trégl
řezník
Oldřich Dědek
koktavý doktor
Bedřich Bozděch
hostinský na Kocandě
Jan Bobek
havíř
Jaroslav Moučka
havíř, otec nemocného dítěte
Viola Zinková
havířova žena, matka nemocného dítěte
Irena Juřičková
havířská žena
Marie Kautská
havířská žena
Blažena Slavíčková
havířská žena
Jiřina Bílá
havířská žena
Jarmila Kurandová
porodní bába
Josef Příhoda
havíř Choura
Vladimír Menšík
opilec
Vladimír Hrubý
opilec
Věra Ferbasová
měštka
Magda Maděrová
měštka
Alois Dvorský
doktor
Josef Čermák
bednář
Michael Dáňa
syn Dařbujánových
Miloš Vavruška
kočí Vojta
Hana Talpová
děvečka od pláteníkových
Josefa Pechlátová
Pšukova žena
Vítězslav Černý
sladovnický
Josef Langmiler
pomocník u krupaře
Oleg Reif
krejčí
Vladimír Klemens
doktor
Josef Steigl
hospodský
Jan S. Kolár
hospodský z Ouběnic
Ladislav Gzela
sladovnický
Věra Váchová
matka nemocného dítěte
Josef Příhoda
havíř
Václav Švec
havíř
Commentary
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Based on
Jan Drda (Dařbuján a Pandrhola – pohádka z knihy České pohádky)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Art Director
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Titles Designed by
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Ludmila Tikovská, František Jaderník
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Songs
Svatá Barbora, panna poctivá
Singer Stanislav Neumannsbor
Lepší je ten kováříček umouněnej
Singer Jiří Sovák
Napij se, bratříčku, napij
Singer sbor
Glo glo glo, gloria
Singer Jiří SovákVáclav Lohniský
My jsme tady dva
Production info
Original Title
Dařbuján a Pandrhola
Czech Title
Dařbuján a Pandrhola
English Title
Dařbuján and Pandrhola
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
fairytale
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1959
Production Year
1959
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 11 June 1959
technical Screenplay approved 8 July 1959
start of filming 29 July 1959
end of filming 11 December 1959
projection approval 25 February 1960
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995
Premiere
preview 3 June 1960 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 10 June 1960 /suitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /4 týdny/, Arbes /1 týden/, Dukla /1 týden/, Flora /1 týden/, Jiskra /1 týden/, Oko /1 týden/, Svornost /1 týden/, Vzlet /1 týden/, Práce /½ týdne od 17. 6./, Varšava /1 týden od 24. 6./ a Odboj /1 týden od 1. 7./, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Brož – Ptáček, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jaromír Ptáček (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
79 min
Original length in metres
2 236 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
