Murder Czech Style

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production year

1966

Premiere

24 February 1967

Runtime

84 min

Director

Jiří Weiss

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vražda po našem

Czech title

Vražda po našem

English title

Murder Czech Style

Working title

Jak jsem se stal vrahem / Novomanžel aneb Vražda po našem

Summary

This darkly humorous criminal caper from 1966 is the brainchild of two renowned authors: the writer Jan Otčenášek, who provided the literary template as well as its adaptation into the film’s script, and the seasoned director Jiří Weiss. By the mid-1960s, Weiss had already made several successful films, such as the dramas Vlčí jáma (Wolf Trap, 1957) and Romeo, Julie a tma (Romeo, Juliet and Darkness, 1959), and the crime story Třicet jedna ve stínu (Ninety in the Shade, 1965). The main character in Vražda po našem (Murder Czech Style) is an ageing accountancy clerk František, who cannot believe his luck when he gets married to his attractive colleague, the foreign correspondence clerk Alice. However, he soon comes to realise that their marriage is merely a front for Alice’s affair with deputy director Karel. František resolves to exact his revenge, which eventually turns out to be quite sweet… The appeal of the black-and-white morality tale is bolstered by the cast, led by Rudolf Hrušínský and Květa Fialová. Václav Voska took on the role of the deputy director.

Synopsis

František Pokorný is just about to commit suicide and, in his mind, recollects all the events, which have resulted in this unfortunate decision. – František, a forty-five-year old bachelor, becomes attracted to a beautiful young woman, foreign correspondent Alice Sochorová, during a company holiday. His roommate, Deputy director Karel, encourages him in his wooing and František's wishful thinking eventually turns into reality – Alice marries him. The marriage, however, does not fulfil František's expectations. Alice completely avoids intimate life, leaving for Prague for a whole week every Sunday instead and making František an eternal pretender to love. One day, seized by jealousy and suspicion, František secretly sets off to follow his wife and finds out the devastating truth: Alice had married him only in order to be able to continue in her affair with Deputy Karel. In his mind, the desperate František first tries to murder Karel and then Alice, but eventually turns all such plans down and decides to commit suicide. The gas silently hisses and František waits for death. But, at the last moment, he arrives at yet another solution – to become a man of action and have a vigorous word with the deputy director. As a director of a branch of the enterprise, he then lives affluently with Alice and their little daughter Karlička. He has bought a car, saves to build a family house, and nothing can disturb his satisfaction with life - not even the fact that Karlička does not look like him at all.

Note

The closing of this black-and-white film is in colour.

Cast

Květa Fialová

korespondentka Alice Sochorová

Rudolf Hrušínský

úředník František Pokorný

Václav Voska

náměstek Karel

Vladimír Menšík

Emil, Františkův kolega

Jindřich Narenta

ředitel pobočky

Libuše Švormová

Jindřiška, Františkova švagrová

Jaroslav Solnička

předseda závodní rady

Věra Uzelacová

Jarmilka Bindrová, Františkova kolegyně

Milivoj Uzelac

Bindr, Jarmilčin manžel

Alex Jandouš

úředník

Vladimír Linka

úředník

Paul Leclér

rekreant

Jiří Hrubý

správce chaty

Václav Kyzlink

průvodčí na železnici

Zdeněk Blažek

popravčí

Mariana Lubomírská

sekretářka

Zuzana Minichová

převlékající se dívka

František Suchomel

cizí člověk na zahradě

Libuše Mincová

manželka

Jan Cmíral

závozník

Josef Vondráček

číšník v Lukulu

K. Janoš

úředník

H. Suchopár

příslušník SNB

dr. Procházka

oddávající úředník

Commentary

Crew and creators

Director

Jiří Weiss

Second Unit Director

Jan Turek

Assistant Director

Václav Polák

Continuity

Helena Pokorná

Screenplay

Jiří Weiss

Shooting Script

Jiří Weiss

Director of Photography

Jan Němeček

Second Unit Photography

Karel Hejsek

Camera Operator

Pavel Nečesal

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Josef Calta, Miloš Sršeň

Costume Designer

Zdena Kadrnožková

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Šulcová

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Solnička, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Miroslav Smrček

Cooperation

Marie Koubková (klapka), Drahoslav Kapička (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Slunečník

Song Composer Pavel Blatný
Writer of Lyrics Zora Gaďourková
Singer Helena Blehárová

Vinohrady, vinohrady, dobré vínko

Singer ženský hlas

Zasviť mi ty, slunko zlaté /Vystěhovalec/

Song Composer Alois Jelen
Writer of Lyrics Karel Maria Drahotín Villani
Singer sbor

Až šípky rozkvetou

Song Composer Carlo Donida Labati
Writer of Lyrics Jan Šimon Fiala
Singer Helena Blehárovásbor

Production info

Original Title

Vražda po našem

Czech Title

Vražda po našem

English Title

Murder Czech Style

Working Title

Jak jsem se stal vrahem / Novomanžel aneb Vražda po našem

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production Year

1966

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 13 August 1965
technical Screenplay approved 17 February 1966
start of filming 2 March 1966
end of filming 1 September 1966
projection approval 24 January 1967

Premiere

premiere 24 February 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 3 March 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /1 týden/ a Světozor /4 týdny/, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 401 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour, black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Cena filmové kritiky

1968
Taormina / Italy

Vítěz

Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival San Sebastián

1967
San Sebastián / Spain