Searching

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production year

1965

Premiere

1 April 1966

Runtime

77 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Bloudění

Czech title

Bloudění

English title

Searching

Summary

Bloudění (Searching) provided a 1965 debut for then novice director Antonín Máša and experienced cameraman Jan Čuřík. Both served as directors of this film which maps the generation gap between 1960s youths just coming of age and their parents, who were shaped by the 1950s. Similarly to other heroes seen in Czechoslovak New Wave films, young Michal clashes with his estranged father, a man who once took part in political show trials. The film, however, also reflects the guilt-ridden parent’s “rebirth” in relation to his son. This film – rather unfairly very much forgotten – features impressive acting by the then 17-year-old Jaromír Hanzlík in the lead role and assorted other appealing performances – such as that of Jan Kačer, who plays a driver with poor eyesight, and Miroslav Macháček's portrayal of the hero’s painter-uncle.

Synopsis

Michal's father and his friends are stigmatised by their war experience and the post-war social deformations in which they took part either directly, or watched them cowardly and in silence. They are trying to repress their feelings of guilt and justify their behaviour to the young generation with memories of their heroic war feats. Michal, however, does not want to have anything to do with their problems. He subconsciously perceives the unpleasant atmosphere in the family as well as his father's hypocrisy. After one of many quarrels with his father, he runs away from home, determined to go his own way. At the first visit he stays with his father's brother - a painter who sought refuge for his work in the seclusion of a village a long time ago - as a hitch-hiker he is symbolically driven by a half-blind driver in a luxurious car. After that, he meets a group of eccentric young people who travel to the sea, although they are very well aware that they cannot get there. Eventually, Michal comes to understand that he cannot reach freedom by escape, and returns home. On Sunday, the father takes the family on their usual trip by car, as if everything was all right again.

Cast

Jaromír Hanzlík

Michal Hrabák

Jiří Pleskot

dr. Jiří Hrabák, Michalův otec

Jiřina Jirásková

Helena, Michalova matka

Vladimír Šmeral

novinář Ornet

Alexandra Myšková

Ornetova žena

Jana Brejchová

Eva Holasová

Jiří Holý

Evin manžel

Miroslav Macháček

malíř Pavel Hrabák, otcův bratr

Nataša Gollová

slečna, Pavlova družka

Jan Kačer

automobilista Miska

Taťána Fischerová

dívka Věra-Eva

Alena Bradáčová

Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
otcova milenka Vlasta

Karel Kafka

mladík

Helena Samohelová

Voice by Olga Čuříková
Irena

Karel Vašta

lesník

Hynek Sedláček

hostinský Čermák

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Miloš Kohout

Assistant Director

Anna Lackovičová, Zdenka Pešulová

Screenstory

Antonín Máša

Screenplay

Antonín Máša

Director of Photography

Jan Čuřík, Ivan Šlapeta

Second Unit Photography

Oldřich Hubáček, Ivan Šlapeta

Camera Operator

Jiří Polák

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Art Director

Věra Vainarová

Set Designer

Karel Kracík, Roman Svoboda, Ladislav Winkelhöfer

Costume Designer

Lubomír Hrůza

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Production Manager

Jiří Krejčí

Unit Production Manager

Josef Mojžíš, Vlasta Kolbasová

Unit Production Manager

Milada Krůtová

Cooperation

Hana Cillerová (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jan Klusák

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Rožnovské hodiny

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Bloudění

Czech Title

Bloudění

English Title

Searching

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1965

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 4 September 1964
technical Screenplay approved 23 February 1965
start of filming 7 April 1965
end of filming 23 July 1965
projection approval 21 October 1965

Premiere

premiere 1 April 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Praha /3 týdny/ a Paříž /2 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 1 April 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

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

77 min

Original length in metres

2 200 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