The Figure Skater and Fidelity

Country

Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic

Copyright

1965

Production year

1964—1965

Premiere

17 December 1965

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

music, comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Strašná žena

Czech title

Strašná žena

English title

The Figure Skater and Fidelity

Co-production title

Eine schreckliche Frau

Working title

Die unmögliche Frau

Summary

In 1965, director Jindřich Polák and screenwriter Vratislav Blažek worked together on this East German co-production. It provided few hints of the future successes both men would achieve. The protagonist of the comedy story is a marriage counsellor, the doctor Pavel Novák – himself in a happy relationship with ice skater Eva. On the day of the couple’s second wedding anniversary, Eva mysteriously disappears. Gripped by jealousy, Pavel imagines all the different scenarios that might surround the vanishing of his wife... This light film is built upon bringing to life a series of jealous fantasies through a number of ice skating sequences, underscored by contemporary pop music numbers sung by Eva Pilarová, Waldemar Matuška and Karel Štědrý. Husband Pavel is portrayed by Jiří Lír, while Eva is performed by real-life figure skater Olga Divínová.

Synopsis

Doctor of Social Sciences Pavel Novák regularly appears on television in discussions of marital problems. He himself is happily married to the figure skater Eva, who is appearing in an ice revue. On the day of his second wedding anniversary Novák invites a young quarrelling married couple to dinner, wanting to give them a practical example of how a good marriage works. And just when Pavel is so much depending on it, Eva is not returning. The celebration, attended by another couple of neighbours, is ruined. Pavel starts to imagine all kinds of situations in which Eva might have found herself. His dreams are like individual ice dance numbers, in each of which the usually so rational Novák sees his previously faithful wife in the arms of a different seducer. In the end he goes off to the stadium, but Eva has left hours before. Tormented by jealousy, Pavel drinks himself into the ground in a bar. Early in the morning the porter telephones his flat for help. The guests come for Pavel. When they try to get the drunken man in the lift, they find the desperate Eva, who has been stuck in the lift all night since trying to get home for the party. Everyone is pleased that the doctor's optimistic view of marriage has been confirmed. Except that Pavel has to beg the insulted Eva for forgiveness for his suspicions.

Cast

Jiří Lír

dr. Pavel Novák

Olga Divínová

Voice by Eva Klepáčová
Eva, Novákova žena

Karol Divín

svůdce-diplomat

Jiří Sovák

rybář Kaválek, Novákův soused

Vladimír Menšík

Kouba, Novákův soused

Karin Schröder

Voice by Jaroslava Tvrzníková
Alena Pokorná

Günter Junghans

Voice by Jan Tříska
Honza, Alenin manžel

Karin Buchali

Voice by Míla Myslíková
Pavlína, Koubova milenka

Hans-Dieter Schlegel

Voice by Milan Neděla
hokejista

František Landl

prokurátor

Pavel Šmok

Voice by Bohumil Švarc
obhájce

Eberhard Cohrs

Voice by Josef Beyvl
venkovský strýc

Harry Studt

předseda soudu

Gerd Ehlers

Voice by Oldřich Musil
František, vrátný v baru Trocadero

Zdeněk Doležal

Evin partner na ledě

Václav Trégl

vrátný ve sportovní hale

Heinz Schröder

televizní reportér

Miroslav Hodan

cizinec v baru

Paul Berndt

choreograf

Erika Radtke

televizní hlasatelka

Günter Rüger

inspicient

Siegfried Nürnberger

přísedící

Werner Wieland

přísedící

Rudi Schiemann

režisér

Hanna Rimkus

dívka s cigaretovou špičkou

Sylva Schüler

bardáma

Axel Triebel

plešatý muž

Maria Besendahl

Voice by Eva Svobodová
domovnice

Hans-Joachim Blochwitz

bufetář

Ingrid Barkmann

bufetářova manželka

Ingrid Grun

krasobruslařka

Ute Langer

krasobruslařka

Jörg Jäckel

krasobruslař

Bernd Gerwien

zvukový mistr

Ursula Goin

asistentka střihu

Maika Joseph

posluhovačka

Horst Giese

televizní divák

Fritz-Otto Giese

televizní divák

Erich Brauer

televizní divák

Fredy Barten

televizní divák

Christa Pasemann

televizní divačka

Karla Thomalla

televizní divačka

skupina Olympic

beatová skupina

Karel Hovorka

divák hokeje

Rudolf Milič

kameraman

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour, Doris Borkmann

Director of Photography

Rudolf Milič

Second Unit Photography

Josef Pechar, Josef Pávek

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka, Paul Lehmann

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Unit Production Manager

Gerrit List, Jan Kadlec, Dorothea Hildebrandt

Cooperation

Roland Dressel (fotograf), Bohuslav Kück (fotograf)

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac), Taneční orchestr Československého rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Josef Vobruba), skupina Olympic

Choreographer

Luboš Ogoun, Míla Nováková

Danced by

Pražská lední revue, Balet Státního divadla v Drážďan., Balet Friedrichsstadtpalastu

Songs

Ve tříčtvrtečním taktu zkuste mi zahrát blues

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Štědrý

Smuteční hraje kapela

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer soubor Jiřího Linhy

Ani sedmerá stěna klidně nedá ti spát

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva Pilarová

Inzerát

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva PilarováWaldemar Matuška

Venuše

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva Pilarová

Fellini /Ó, pane Fellini/

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Štědrý

Irský tanec /Šejkspír/

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer soubor Jiřího LinhyKarel Štědrý

Production info

Original Title

Strašná žena

Czech Title

Strašná žena

English Title

The Figure Skater and Fidelity

Co-production Title

Eine schreckliche Frau

Working Title

Die unmögliche Frau

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music, comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1964—1965

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 24 January 1964
technical Screenplay approved 7 July 1964
start of filming 10 August 1964
end of filming 12 February 1965
projection approval 12 June 1965
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974

Premiere

premiere 2 July 1965 /suitable for youths/ (kino Alfa /3 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 17 December 1965 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny), Roter Kreis (DEFA), Hans Mahlich (vedoucí skupiny Roter Kreis DEFA)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 385 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech