The Bet

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production year

1964

Premiere

22 October 1965

Runtime

19 min

Category

film

Genre

narrative

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionshort

Original title

Sázka

Czech title

Sázka

English title

The Bet

Synopsis

It is a summer day and a foursome of very young men is slightly bored. They arrange to go to the coffee house Národní dům in the evening. The youngest, Shorty [Pinďa], however, doesn't much want to go and his friends decide that he must have a date with a girl. After some teasing they propose a bet; if Shorty brings his date to the coffee house he will win a bottle of wine, but if he fails he will have to buy a bottle of wine for each of his friends. Shorty bravely agrees, but now he actually has to find a girl so as not to lose face with his friends. His cousin can't help, since she has gone off to their grandmother's. Shorty wanders the streets of Olomouc, when he is approached by a young girl who needs to borrow a pencil. Shorty goes "on the attack". At first, blonde young Eva is rather aloof, but soon they are having a friendly conversation. By a bookshop window the girl recites the verses of her favourite poet Nezval and the young man is more and more enchanted. The afternoon hours go by like minutes and finally, in front of the house where the girl lives, Shorty finds the courage to invite her to the coffee house that evening. Eva agrees and disappears behind the gate, but then Shorty starts to imagine the encounter between his fragile only just beginning love and his crudely jocular friends. He catches Eva up on the steps and changes the place of the date. Losing the bet is better than losing his incipient feeling.

Note

Although the opening credits state the 1965 incorrect copyright, the film was completed and approved on December 21, 1964.

Cast

Pavel Novotný

Pinďův kamarád

J. Švec

Pinďův kamarád

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Gino Hašler

Continuity

Eva Beránková

Screenstory

Milan Šimek

Director of Photography

Karel Kopecký

Camera Operator

Arne Parduba

Set Designer

Vilém Janík

Make-Up Artist

Dušan Brodanský

Production Manager

Karel Hutěčka

Unit Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Cooperation

Jana Ivánová, J. Bosáková

Music

Music Composed by

Harry Macourek

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Sázka

Czech Title

Sázka

English Title

The Bet

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

narrative

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production Year

1964

Production specifications

projection approval 21 December 1964

Premiere

premiere 22 October 1965 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 22 October 1965 /suitable for youths/ (kino Hvězda /1 týden/, Praha)

Distribution slogan

no caption

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

19 min

Original length in metres

534 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