Who Wants to Kill Jessie?

comedy, parody

Typology

feature

Czech title

Kdo chce zabít Jessii?

Runtime

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production year

1966

Premiere

26.08.1966

Language version

Czech

Director

Václav Vorlíček

Summary

There was no place in socialist Czechoslovakia for “low” capitalist entertainment. Nevertheless, films were made that referred to it, not only in parody but with a humorous, creative distance. Examples included the Western Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera (Lemonade Joe) (1964), the Bond-style Konec agenta W4C prostřednictvím psa pana Foustky (The End of Agent W4C) (1967), the crime caper „Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku!“ (Four Murders Are Enough, Darling) (1970), the hard-boiled Adéla ještě nevečeřela (Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet) (1977), the Vernesque Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (The Mystery of the Carpathian Castle) (1981) – and the comedy Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?) (1966). The latter was the feature screenwriting debut of Miloš Macourek and the first of a series of zany comedies on which he worked with director Václav Vorlíček. Alongside the experiments with “Western” models that Jiří Brdečka and Oldřich Lipský went in for, the story centring on the materialisation of dreams enjoys a special status. It amuses viewers by playing with elements that they could not have been familiar at the time, but supplements them with elements that were intelligent and politically satirical. The emancipated associate professor of somnology Beránková (Dana Medřická) invents a machine capable of monitoring and influencing dreams and, spurred by jealousy, uses it on her diffident, unsuccessful husband Jindřich (Jiří Sovák). Three comic-book characters escape from Jindřich’s dreams into reality – the beautiful Jessie (Olga Schoberová) and two baddies: a gunslinger and Superman… The narrative offers a criticism of everything that mankind attempts to manage, perfect and control (including dreams). Its makers develop the witty idea at the formal level: the comic characters don’t speak but express themselves via speech bubbles. The comic book aesthetic spreads to the live action in a broad variety of inventive ways. Cinematographer Jan Němeček and artist Karel Saudek had a significant impact on the film’s visual form. The movie was shot in cinemascope but had to be released in black and white due to the demands of executing the special effects.

Synopsis

In front of a group of foreign scientists, senior lecturer in somnalogy Růženka Beránková demonstrates her invention: a machine capable of seeing and influencing dreams. Meanwhile, her docile and less ambitious husband senior lecturer Jindřich Beránek is not overly successful in constructing a crane with colossal lifting capacity. The foreign scientists at the international symposium watch a laboratory cow as a single injection of the serum frees it from the bothersome horseflies in its dreams. They do not even notice that the insect has materialized in the experimental laboratory. Beránek is absorbed in a comic strip in a scientific magazine, where a seductive girl called Jessie invents special gloves that give great power to anyone who wears them. Her adversary, Superman, tries to steal her invention with the help of the Gunman. Later, in the night, Beránek dreams of single-handedly saving the beautiful girl Jessie. Růženka uses her invention on her fitfully sleeping husband and injects him with the serum out of jealousy. The three comic book figures enter the human world, with a single difference - their "conversation" proceeds in speaking bubbles. The battle continues and Superman demolishes the flat of the Beránek couple's neighbours. The chase continues through the streets. They all get arrested but only Beránek is finally sentenced with three days in prison. The resolute Růženka immediately invents an antiserum. While Jindřich constructs the gloves, his wife turns Superman into her lover. Running away from her, the comic book hero injects himself with the antiserum and is back in the dream. The lovesick scientist follows him. Free at last, Beránek lives with Jessie.