The Hero Is Afraid

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production year

1964—1965

Premiere

24 June 1966

Runtime

73 min

Category

film

Genre

satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Hrdina má strach

Czech title

Hrdina má strach

English title

The Hero Is Afraid

Summary

For the broadest film audiences, the 1960s are always tightly bound to the Czechoslovak New Wave artistic movement in cinema. However, the period also produced genre films that endeavoured to offer a humorous approach to expressing a critical view of everyday reality under the socialist regime. Based on a script inspired by Jaroslav Dietl’s stage play (Dietl also contributed to the film screenplay), successful TV director František Filip created a 1965 satire about a lowly clerk who achieves a promotion thanks to a momentary absence of timidity. But Jan Vavřinec fails to achieve anything in his new post as his own personal courage is vastly insufficient when it comes to changing the prevailing state of affairs and, above all, the ways of those around him… The film, attractive for its formal elements, successfully utilises internal monologues in which the protagonist offers a detached commentary for his own actions. Rudolf Hrušínský is terrific in the title role and enjoys equally proficient support from Ladislav Pešek, Jiří Sovák and Vladimír Menšík.

Synopsis

Honza Vavřinec works in the investment department of a large office. One day he gets involved in the case of an unjustly convicted worker who mistakenly considers him a parliamentary deputy. Honza as a "deputy" interferes in the case and helps the worker. Encouraged by the success and possibly also out of love for the beautiful secretary Svatava, the then shy and fearful Honza stands up for the chief of the department, Hofmánek, who has been removed from his position. The cause for the chief's dismissal was an accident during the construction of a hall in the town of Brod. Everybody knows that Hofmánek made every effort to prevent the accident but his suggestions were shuffled from one department to another in vain. Honza proves that many people in various positions are responsible for the situation. To his own surprise, he himself is appointed the chief of department. Honza tries to work in a different way and kicks out his former colleagues, who are indifferent to their work. His effort, however, is unsuccessful - the new ones are the same and Honza can only work with them.

Cast

Rudolf Hrušínský

úředník investičního odboru Honza Vavřinec

Ladislav Pešek

vedoucí investičního odboru Hofmánek

Jiří Sovák

úředník Zdeněk, Honzův přítel

Rudolf Deyl ml.

úředník Bedřich zvaný Béďa

Ilja Prachař

náměstek ředitele

Blanka Bohdanová

Svatava, sekretářka plánovacího odboru

Vladimír Šmeral

vysoký zmocněnec

Marie Glázrová

Hofmánkova žena

Jaroslav Moučka

František Velda, stavěč jeřábů

Alena Procházková

mladá úřednice

Pavel Spálený

Masna, Veldův vedoucí

Milan Mach

tajemník

Jiří Lír

tajemník

Josefa Pechlátová

Honzova matka

Božena Böhmová

sekretářka

Antonín Jedlička

úředník Kalinka

Míla Myslíková

slečna z podatelny

Jitka Frantová

slečna z podatelny

Rudolf Wolf

vysoký brýlatý úředník

František Jaderník

naháč

Josef Drbohlav

naháč

Rudolf Veselý

naháč

J. Kratochvíl

harmonikář

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Helena Rohanová

Based on

Jaroslav Dietl (Nehoda – divadelní hra)

Shooting Script

František Filip

Director of Photography

Jan Roth

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Vojtěch Kuthan

Production Designer

Boris Moravec

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Set Designer

Zdeněk Jeřábek, Jiří Haller, Jan Petrů

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Assistant Film Editor

Jarmila Müllerová

Sound Designer

Jaromír Svoboda

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Rudolf Wolf

Unit Production Manager

Josef Pitrák, František Jaderník

Unit Production Manager

Ferdinand Zelenka

Cooperation

Ladislava Boudová (klapka)

Music

Music Performed by

Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)

Songs

Strahováček

Song Composer Karel Hašler
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hašler
Singer mužský hlas

Den je krásný

Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří BažantVlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Gott

Zčervená

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jaroslav Moučka

Koupím já si koně vraný

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Rudolf HrušínskýJaroslav Moučka

Production info

Original Title

Hrdina má strach

Czech Title

Hrdina má strach

English Title

The Hero Is Afraid

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1964—1965

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 3 April 1964
technical Screenplay approved 12 April 1964
start of filming 5 October 1964
end of filming 21 January 1965
projection approval 14 June 1965

Premiere

premiere 24 June 1966 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 1 July 1966 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /3 týdny/, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

73 min

Original length in metres

2 072 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