A Black Saturday

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production year

1960

Premiere

6 January 1961

Runtime

70 min

Category

film

Genre

detective, crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Černá sobota

Czech title

Černá sobota

English title

A Black Saturday

Working title

Demižón

Synopsis

The railway station kiosk salesman Rezek is making extra profit on various shady deals. So he takes one of the two demijohns of alcohol which the warehouseman Kubíček stole from an abandoned storage tank without realizing that they contained poisonous methyl alcohol. Lorry driver Jan Valena brings Kubíček with the alcohol to the bar ran by Rezek's wife Věra. Věra is unhappy in her marriage with the drunkard and bully Rezek and wants to divorce him, especially now, after she has found her new love in Valena, a widower and father of little Honzík. Rezek offers cheap alcohol to his cronies Málek and Hatina. That same evening, a fight occurs between Rezek and Valena over Věra. Early in the morning, Valena is going to a friend's wedding. Rezek is found heavily wounded on the tracks and dies soon after. An investigation is under way. Valena is suspected of murder, but it is soon discovered that Rezek was not murdered, but that he died of methyl alcohol poisoning. Kubíček also dies, and Málek is blinded. The police officers are searching for Valena, who is taking a three litre demijohn of alcohol, which Kubíček forced on him, to the wedding. The citizens are warned via radio and Valena, still not suspecting anything, is found, and the mass poisoning is prevented. In the meantime, Věra got closer to Honzík, for whom she will soon replace his mother.

Cast

Rudolf Deyl ml.

poručík VBŽ Václav Hájek

Zdeněk Dítě

nadporučík VBŽ Bláha

Lubor Tokoš

kapitán VB Antonín Drahota

Dana Medřická

hostinská Věra Rezková

Josef Bek

řidič Jan Valena

František Holar

trafikant Rezek, Věřin muž

František Filipovský

skladník Václav Kubíček

Josef Kemr

staršina VB Bělka

Oldřich Lukeš

posunovač Jílek

Václav Vydra ml.

oční lékař MUDr. Ondrášek

Zdeněk Kutil

opilec Málek

Josef Beyvl

opilec Hatina

Karel Effa

cestující ve vlaku

Stanislav Fišer

cestující ve vlaku

Josef Hlinomaz

řidič Véna

Hanuš Bor

Honzík, Valenův syn

Otakar Brousek

major Vojenské správy v Táboře

Ivanka Devátá

sekretářka Vojenské správy v Táboře

Arnošt Faltýnek

svatebčan v autě

Václav Fišer

strojvůdce

Josef Koza

úředník

Jaroslav Moučka

ženich Rudolf Štíbr

Déda Papež

předseda MNV

Jana Koulová

Hájkova žena

Monika Soyková

Cilka, dcera Hájkových

Rimma Šorochova

nevěsta

Miloš Willig

klarinetista

Karel Bezděk

Voice by Otto Šimánek
železničář Slávek

Ladislav Gzela

host v hospodě

Oleg Reif

harmonikář Franta

Svatopluk Skládal

náčelník stanice

Jiřina Bílá

zdravotní sestra

Mirko Musil

pokladník na železnici

Jindřich Narenta

staršina VB

Miloš Vavruška

laborant Vojta

Darek Vostřel

ženich u fotografa

Josef Příhoda

svatebčan

Josef Kozák

svatebčan

Milka Balek-Brodská

Kubíčkova bytná

Commentary

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Mikeťuk

Assistant Director

Jordan Balurov

Based on

Miroslav Kratochvíl (Demižón – rozhlasová hra), Lubor Pok (Demižón – rozhlasová hra)

Shooting Script

Miroslav Hubáček

Director of Photography

Jaromír Holpuch

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Kupšík

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Set Designer

Jiří Cvrček, Vladimír Mácha, Jan Vrňata

Costume Designer

Libuše Hozová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Sound Designer

Jaroslav Kopic

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Rudolf Hájek

Unit Production Manager

Vladimír Vojta, Karel Prchal

Consultant

pplk.VB Bořivoj Ambler

Music

Music Composed by

Václav Lídl

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Černá sobota

Czech Title

Černá sobota

English Title

A Black Saturday

Working Title

Demižón

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective, crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production Year

1960

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 7 October 1959
technical Screenplay approved 5 April 1960
start of filming 19 April 1960
end of filming 4 August 1960
projection approval 7 October 1960
withdrawal from distribution 1 April 1966

Premiere

premiere 6 January 1961 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
preview 6 January 1961 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 13 January 1961 /suitable for youths/ (kina Metro /3 týdny/, Flora /1 týden/ a Arbes /1 týden od 20. 1./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

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

70 min

Original length in metres

1 986 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