Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1966Production year
1966Premiere
26 August 1966Runtime
79 minDirector
Václav VorlíčekCategory
filmGenre
comedy, parodyTypology
featurelongOriginal title
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?Czech title
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?English title
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?Working Title
Tajemství žluté kometySummary
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.
Photos
Cast
Dana Medřická
docentka somniologie Růženka Beránková
Jiří Sovák
docent Jindřich Beránek
Olga Schoberová
Jessie
Juraj Višný
Superman
Karel Effa
Pistolník, Supermanův pomocník
Jan Libíček
vězeňský dozorce
Valtr Taub
profesor
Bedřich Prokoš
rektor vysoké školy
Ilja Racek
kolega docentky Beránkové
Otto Šimánek
zástupce docentky Beránkové
Svatopluk Skládal
obhájce
Čestmír Řanda
prokurátor
Jaromír Spal
předseda soudu
Jan Pohan
velitel policie
Jiří Lír
vyšetřující policista
Richard Lederer
soused Láďa Kokeš
Alena Bradáčová
Kokešova žena
Jiří Steimar
delegát profesor Alfonso
František Holar
ředitel továrny
Jaroslav Kepka
mladičký strážník
Ivo Gübel
diskutující vědec
Vladimír Menšík
zřízenec Kolbaba
Jan Cmíral
topič v krematoriu
Zuzana Martínková
Alena, Beránkova asistentka
Jitka Zelenohorská
Ivana, Beránkova asistentka
Magdalena Rychlíková
Helena, Beránková asistentka
Oldřich Velen
majitel octávie
Helena Růžičková
manželka majitele octávie
Jan Skopeček
řečník v krematoriu
Zdeněk Blažek
lékař
Jan Schmitt
zapisovatel u soudu
Karel Houska
brýlatý kolega Beránkové
Arnošt Bělohlávek
delegát
Vladimír Fürst
delegát
Miloslav Homola
delegát
František Šeba
delegát
Václav Fišer
pomocný dělník
Karel Hovorka
velitel hasičů
Vlastimil Čaněk
dělník
Zdeněk Hamouz
hudebník, člen kvarteta
Ivo Husák
hudebník, člen kvarteta
Vilém Linke
hudebník, člen kvarteta
Pavel Novák (2)
hudebník, člen kvarteta
Vladimír Navrátil
novinář v soudní síni
Bedřich Čapek
novinář v soudní síni
Alexandr Horváth
novinář v soudní síni
František Fontén
dozorce
Jiří Hrachovec
dozorce
Milan Kindl
dozorce
Jan Krafka
policista na střeše
Eduard Krützner
hasič
Marie Landová
tlumočnice
Luďa Marešová
asistentka Beránkové
Pavel Robin
policista
Lubomír Kostelka
mistr v továrně
Josef Příhoda
soused v domě
Miroslav Rataj
posluchač
Marta Richterová
žena s fotoaparátem
Jindřich Heidelberg
soudce z lidu
Věra Váchová
soudkyně z lidu
Blažena Slavíčková
sousedka
Zora Polanová
sousedka
Jiřina Bílá
sousedka
Alois Dvorský
noční hlídač
Otakar Šindelář
dozorce/delegát
Eva Vosková
kreslička
Gustav Vondráček
policista
Miroslava Babůrková
žena v krematoriu
Dubbing
Zdeněk Dítě
hlas souseda Ládi Kokeše
Alena Kreuzmannová
hlas Ivany
Eva Svobodová
hlas sousedky v okně
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Milan Muchna, Eva Mičulková
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Script Editor
Camera
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Art Director
Set Designer
Jaroslav Chytrý, Karel Kočí, Richard Staněk
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Titles Designed by
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
E. Kneiblová
Consultant
pplk. Josef Menoušek, MVDr. Yvonne Lambertová, RNDr. Antonín Bürger, RNDr. Jan Minář, MUDr. Miroslav Plzák
Cooperation
L. Pužíková, Diana Heringová, Jana Kulhánková, Bohumil Dudař
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Petr Iljič Čajkovskij (Klavírní koncert b moll)
Music Performed by
Music Conducted by
Štěpán Koníček (FISYO)
Production info
Original Title
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?
English Title
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
Working Title
Tajemství žluté komety
Category
film
Typology
feature
Genre
comedy, parody
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1966
Production Year
1966
Premiere
26 August 1966
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1966 a obnovená 1982)
Creative Group
Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala, Ladislav Novotný
Technical info
Lenght
long
Runtime
79 min
Versions
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 19. mezinárodní filmový festival Locarno
1966
Locarno / Switzerland
Vítěz
Festival: 4. mezinárodní festival vědecko-fantastických filmů Terst
1966
Terst / Italy
Revue
Czechoslovak science-fiction films
Only a handful of films which could be described as of the science fiction variety were made in Czechoslovakia prior to ...