Skid

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production year

1959—1960

Premiere

28 October 1960

Runtime

99 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological, spy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Smyk

Czech title

Smyk

English title

Skid

Working title

Mrtvý si přišel pro smrt

Synopsis

František Král escapes across the border in 1948 in search of adventure. He leaves his native Prague, his parents, brother Václav and his young wife Marie and their little son. The frivolous young man changes into a very hard person in the foreign country, and for money he joins the intelligence service. He burns his face in a serious car accident and plastic surgery entirely changes his appearance. He returns to Prague with a new identity and a cover occupation of a variety clown, so as to acquire microfilms during the tour and revive a spy network. He is hiding his past from his new professional and life partner Luisa, but cannot resist and finally goes looking for the members of his family. Meanwhile, Marie married František's brother Václav and told her son that his father died. The mother cannot forgive František for what he did, and the entire family receives him coldly and with dismissal. František has no luck with his spying task either; he's been discovered and followed. František already knows the game is lost, and ends his life in the wreck of a stolen car.

Cast

Jiří Vala

Voice by Gerry Wolff
František Král alias Franz König

Jiřina Švorcová

lékařka Marie, Františkova žena

Jiřina Jirásková

artistka Luisa Kopacek

Walter Taub

klaun Rudy Kopacek, Luisin otec

Ivo Palec

dělník Václav, Františkův bratr

Josef Vinklář

Kubeš, Františkův kamarád

Jarmila Kurandová

Králová, Františkova matka

Libuše Matějová

striptýzová tanečnice Maria

Ota Sklenčka

masér Smrček

Karel Pavlík

Král, Františkův otec

Jaroslav Moučka

příslušník VB

Jiří Smutný

pohraničník

Josef Kozák

Karel Kopáček, Kopacekův bratr

Václav Podhorský

Kubeš st.

Milena Zahrynowská

tanečnice v baru

Zdeněk Štábla

muž s aktovkou

Karel Vlach

dirigent varietní orchestru

Orchestr Karla Vlacha

varietní orchestr

Jan Kühnmund

vrátný ve varieté

Jan Pohan

muž ve vlaku

Pavel Juráček

mladík u nehody v tunelu

Olga Kachtíková

dívka na baru

Dubbing

František Miška

hlas konferenciéra ve varieté

Jindřich Narenta

hlas konferenciéra v baru

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Georgis Skalenakis

Assistant Director

Irena Vachatová, Ivan Passer

Shooting Script

Zbyněk Brynych, Jan Kališ

Director of Photography

Jan Kališ

Production Designer

Karel Škvor

Set Designer

Jiří Cvrček, Karel Kočí, František Zeman

Costume Designer

Pravoslav Sovák

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Jaroslav Prokop

Unit Production Manager

Vlastimil Maršálek, Jiří Kamarýt

Cooperation

Miroslav Pešan (fotograf), Vladimír Březina

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Sternwald

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Krautgartnera, Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)

Choreographer

Luboš Ogoun

Songs

Svět je veliká koule

Song Composer Jiří Sternwald
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kohout
Singer Karel Höger

Internacionála

Song Composer Pierre Degeyter
Writer of Lyrics Antonín MacekJosef Skalák
Singer sbor

Kde domov můj

Song Composer František Škroup

Production info

Original Title

Smyk

Czech Title

Smyk

English Title

Skid

Working Title

Mrtvý si přišel pro smrt

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological, spy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production Year

1959—1960

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 17 June 1959
technical Screenplay approved 2 September 1959
start of filming 18 September 1959
end of filming 14 March 1960
projection approval 1 July 1960

Premiere

premiere 28 October 1960 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Alfa /8 týdnů/, Květen /1 týden od 18. 11./, Aero /1 týden od 25. 11./, Svornost /1 týden od 2. 12./, Belvedere /1 týden od 9. 12./ a Odboj /1 týden od 9. 12./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Kunc, František Břetislav Kunc (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

99 min

Original length in metres

2 833 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

stereo

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, English, German

Subtitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1963

1964
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Zbyněk Brynych

Vítěz

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1960

1961
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Československý film

Vítěz

Festival: 3. festival českých a slovenských filmů Ostrava

1961
Ostrava / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Exhibition: 3. světová přehlídka filmových festivalů Mexico City

1960
Mexiko City / Mexico

Vítěz

Event: Umělecká soutěž k 15. výročí zrodu lidově-demokratické Československé republiky

1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Kohout

Vítěz

Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary

1960
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Jan Kališ

Vítěz

Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary

1960
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Zbyněk Brynych