Alibi on the Lake
Typology
featureCzech title
Alibi na voděRuntime
94Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1965Production year
1965Premiere
21.01.1966Language version
CzechDirector
Vladimír ČechScreenstory
Vladimír ČechSummary
The writer and screenwriter Jiří Marek entered the annals of Czech detective fiction not just with the TV series Hříšní lidé města pražského (The Sinful People of Prague), but also by doing the last part of a film trilogy associated with the characters of the crime fighters Tůma and Líbal. After 105 % alibi (105 p.c. Alibi, 1959) and Kde alibi nestačí (Where an Alibi Is Not Everything, 1961), the experienced Vladimir Čech also directed Alibi na vodě (Alibi on the Lake). This time, the sharp-witted detectives are on the trail of the murderer of a beautiful model called Zuzana. She was hidden by the film director Konrád on a houseboat anchored in a small cove. He then secretly filmed the police search for the missing girl. Work on this experimental film turns into a real drama, however, when Zuzana is murdered. The investigation conducted in the fashionable world of Prague filmmakers is complicated by the fact that almost everybody has an alibi… The second sequel in the trilogy is different from the previous two parts, which were a breath of fresh air in terms of genre in Czech cinema at that time. In the context of the exploits of the Czech New Wave, this 1966 film seems rather antiquated despite its use of humour, particularly in the relationship between both protagonists. Vladimír Čech, however, does not hesitate to use the world inhabited by the snobbish Konrád (played by Otomar Krejča) to criticise his intellectual “New Wave” peers. In spite of this and in spite of a certain ideological bias, Alibi on the Lake has proven crowd-pleasing qualities. Jiří Marek ensured the film was convincing in terms of expert forensics and the internal logic of the characters. The film’s appeal is enhanced by Karel Höger and Josef Bek in the leading roles. Oldřich Nový and Svatopluk Beneš, who were stars in the First Czechoslovak Republic, appear in unconventional bad-guy roles. Vladimír Čech entrusted the cinematography to a leading light of Czech film, Václav Wasserman.
Synopsis
Miss Nováková reports to Major Tůma from the police about the disappearance of her roommate, the model Zuzana. Shortly afterwards, a film director named Konrád asks Tůma to cooperate on a new cinéma-vérité film describing the story of Zuzana's disappearance. Konrád claims that he does not know where the girl, his lover, is. In fact, he himself helped her hide on a houseboat in order to follow the process of investigation and the reactions to her disappearance "for research purposes". Konrád's experiment soon takes a tragic turn. The houseboat is nowhere to be found and the only people who have seen it - a waiter and the deaf-and-dumb watchman Lebeda - do not know anything. Eventually, the houseboat is found lying on the bottom of the lake. Zuzana is found in it, murdered. The police investigate several suspects. Light is shed on the case only when a pack of playing cards is found picturing Zuzana nude and following another murder - this time of the houseboat's owner, Vávra. After that, Tůma and his colleague Captain Líbal, are able to easily unravel the complicated case. In the beginning, greed brought together Zuzana, the photographer Laufr, Vávra and the former printer Rýdl to produce and sell the erotic cards. When the threat of disclosure appeared, Laufr killed Zuzana and Rýdl killed Vávra without hesitation. Rýdl confesses but Laufr is proven guilty by a silent screen test of Zuzana competing for a role in a film, since from the discussion between Zuzana and Laufr, Lebeda reads the truth from their lips.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Karel Höger
major Miloš Tůma
Josef Bek
kapitán František Líbal
Otomar Krejča
režisér Konrád
Oldřich Nový
fotograf Laufr
Eva Kubešová
herečka Helena Dvořáková
Josef Beyvl
hlídač Jan Vávra, majitel hausbótu
Jaroslav Vojta
hluchoněmý rybář Lebeda
Ivana Striničová
manekýna Zuzana Kroftová
Svatopluk Beneš
vrátný Bedřich Rýdl, bývalý tiskař
Helga Čočková
Maruška Nováková, spolubydlící Zuz
Zdeněk Dítě
nadporučík Kaláb
Václav Lohniský
vrchní Josef
Jiří Němeček
recepční
Marcela Martínková
sekretářka VB
Miroslav Horák
Nováček
Kateřina Trávnická
Klárka, Laufrova žena
Miloš Willig
redaktor
MUDr. Jaroslav Bůžek
soudní lékař
Martin Štěpánek
kajakář Karel Ostrý
Vladimír Menšík
filmový kritik
Eva Přikrylová
skriptka
Ladislav Knížátko
asistent Rohlena
Karel Cop
scenárista
Miloš Vavruška
poručík Navrátil
Bedřich Bobek
okrskář
Dagmar Dvořáčková
sekretářka
Oldřich Velen
ředitel muzea
Adolf Šmíd
šatnář
Milan Jonáš
kriminalista
Ladislav Žid
příslušník poříčního oddílu
Václav Sloup
příslušník VB, hlásící se jako "se
Marie Grossová
dáma s psíkem
Karel Brynda
příslušník VB
Pavel Handl
příslušník VB
Josef Burda
televizní dramaturg
Jaroslav Čejka
host souseda Kovalčíka, chlapeček
Mojmír Miler
host souseda Kovalčíka, chlapeček
Věra Hanslíková
domovnice
Otto Sattler
hudebník
Vladimír Linka
hudebník
Arnošt Vrána
hudebník
Hana Růžičková
dívka na zkoušce
Jana Sedlmajerová
dívka na zkoušce
Zuzana Schnöblingová
dívka na zkoušce
Milena Geislerová
dívka na zkoušce
Ivana Herglotzová
Zuzana
H. Ťukalová
manekýna
Jarmila Šusterová
televizní hlasatelka
Václav Wasserman
kameraman
Anna Pitašová
barmanka
Jarmila Orlová
dívka v tiskárně
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Lenka Němečková, Miloslav Čech
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Script Editor
Camera
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Vladimír Zábranský
Production Designer
Set Designer
Miroslav Fára, Karel Lukáš, Karel Smrž
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jan Šuster, Otakar Jiříček
Unit Production Manager
Consultant
Karel Kalivoda
Cooperation
L. Pužíková, Eliška Švarcová, Věra Líznerová
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Music Conducted by
František Belfín (FISYO)
Songs
Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer Give Me Water/, Jsi jak třináct soudních znalců
Songwriter
tradicionál (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer Give Me Water/), Kamil Hála (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer Give Me Water/) (úprava)
Singer
Josef Zíma (Jsi jak třináct soudních znalců)
Production info
Original Title
Alibi na vodě
English Title
Alibi on the Lake
Working Title
Je libo alibi?
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1965
Premiere
21.01.1966
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož, Karel Feix
Technical info
Format
Betacam
Versions
Czech