The Party and the Guests
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1966Production year
1965Premiere
30 December 1966Runtime
71 minDirector
Jan NěmecCategory
filmGenre
allegoryTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
O slavnosti a hostechCzech title
O slavnosti a hostechEnglish title
The Party and the GuestsWorking title
Zpráva o slavnosti a hostech / Letní karnevalSummary
One of the most celebrated titles of the Czechoslovak New Wave. This 1966 picture was director Jan Němec’s second feature film following Démanty noci (Diamonds of the Night, 1964). Following that existential wartime drama, written in collaboration with author and screenwriter Arnošt Lustig, Němec teamed up with Ester Krumbachová for his second film. This screenwriter, author and designer was a key figure in the New Wave, which brought forth a dynamic and liberated aesthetic into the country’s cinema output. Her collaboration with director Věra Chytilová continued beyond the 1960s era, during which time Krumbachová also worked with Němec as a costume designer in Démanty noci, as well as on the scripts for Mučedníci lásky (Martyrs of Love, 1966) and O slavnosti a hostech (The Party and the Guests, 1966). The main characters in this loosely flowing tale are a group of people who, on an ideal summer’s day, head out to the birthday party of a highly-placed important personage. The jovial host presents a facade of well-being, but the open-air celebrations are disrupted by a seemingly insignificant minor annoyance. One of the guests – a brooding husband – leaves. This leads to a manhunt, led by Rudolf, a member of the host’s security detail. A hunting dog and most guests also join in. The reason for the fuss is that the missing guest has broken an unwritten rule of this micro-society, based on apathy, blasé lies, and a hushed-up sense of guilt. Němec’s minimalist story of escape can be read in various ways (primarily as a political allegory about the various masked forces pulling the strings behind-the-scenes, willing to liquidate anyone unwilling to partake in the “collective” celebration of the regime). During its premiere, the film offended regime sensibilities and was subsequently even subjected to a parliamentary inquiry. After briefly being banned outright, during the 1970s and 80s the film disappeared into the censor’s “vault”. The film features many noted Czech intellectuals of the day. Its Kafka-esque tones brought it much international acclaim.
Synopsis
It is a summer day. Several people in good humour are having a snack on a meadow. Josef is meticulously polite, Karel sips wine and keeps praising democracy, František proves to be a good companion, Eva and Marta are jolly girls. The only married couple is a talkative blonde and her taciturn and a bit withdrawn husband. After the snack, the company makes up, changes into cocktail dress and sets off to attend the birthday party of a high functionary. On a forest path, they are surrounded by a group of weird men. Rudolf, the leader of the gang, is seemingly sincere but in fact rather arrogant and aggressive. He divides the men and women into two groups and launches some kind of interrogation. Josef turns servile, Karel protests a little, becoming the target of Rudolf's assaults and minor violence. The host appears in between the trees in a white tuxedo, shouting Rudolf down but at the same time claiming him as his adopted son. All the visitors tenaciously pretend that everything was just a joke and seat themselves by set-up tables. The blonde weeps because her husband has left. He did not enjoy the company where no one likes anybody. The host feels offended. Rudolf decides to make everything right and sends his men headed by a dog-hunter to find the husband, arming himself with a gun. The subsequent man-hunt involves most of the guests. Those who remain put the candles off, sit by the tables in puzzlement and listen to the increasingly loud barking of a dog.
Photos
Cast
Ivan Vyskočil
hostitel
Jan Klusák
Rudolf, hostitelův adoptivní syn
Jiří Němec
Josef
Pavel Bošek
František
Karel Mareš
Karel
Evald Schorm
manžel
Helena Pejšková
Marta
Jana Prachařová
paní
Miloň Novotný
ženich
Dana Němcová
nevěsta Olinka
Antonín Pražák
Antonín
Josef Podaný
tajemník
Otakar Bohata
host-knecht
Vladimír Tvrz
host-knecht
Jiří Kovařík
host-knecht
Adolf Široký
host-knecht
Vincenc Vávra
host-knecht
Josef Hrbek
host-knecht
Jaromír Komínek
host-knecht
Václav Vodák
host-knecht
Jiří Macháně
knecht
Ctibor Sobotka
knecht
Zdeněk Mošnička
knecht
Alois Mottl
knecht
Stanislav Partl
knecht
Vl. Simín
knecht
Josef Elis
knecht
Pavel Šilhánek
knecht
Oldřich Lepšík
knecht
Jan Svoboda
knecht
Boh. Dvořák
svatebčan
Pavel Jaderník
svatebčan
Marie Jančová
svatebčanka
Herbert Kisza
svatebčan
Karel Volf
svatebčan
Jana Mašíková
svatebčanka
Vilém Nademlejnský
svatebčan
Jana Nováková
svatebčanka
Emanuel Pejška
svatebčan
Irena Pejšková
svatebčanka
Herbert Koza
svatebčan
Jiří Reichl
svatebčan
J. Tolar
svatebčan
František A. Dvořák
číšník
Antonín Kolářský
číšník
Václav Rath
číšník
V. Maršálek
číšník
E. Vach
číšník
Jitka Bodláková
host
Michal Bošek
host
Jakub Gregor
host
Zdena Horová
host
Jiřina Jandová
host
Marie Smejkalová
host
Marie Karezová
host
Josef Škvorecký
host
Otta Kutil
host
Božena Soukupová
host
Marie Vávrová
host
Zuzana Vyskočilová
host
Helena Vyskočilová
host
Naďa Tronerová
host
Helena Šindelářová
host
Marta Tvrzová
host
Marie Simínová
host
Olga Bošková
družička
H. Ťukalová
host
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Art Director
Set Designer
Vladimír Mácha, Jaroslav Ciboch, Jiří Široký
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Josef Mathauser, Adolf Široký
Unit Production Manager
Vlasta Mathauserová
Cooperation
Jana Cunderlová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Jiří Všetečka (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček),
Production info
Original Title
O slavnosti a hostech
Czech Title
O slavnosti a hostech
English Title
The Party and the Guests
Working Title
Zpráva o slavnosti a hostech / Letní karneval
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
allegory
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1966
Production Year
1965
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 4 May 1965
technical Screenplay approved 4 June 1965
start of filming 17 June 1965
end of filming 30 July 1965
the first film copy approved 8 January 1966
projection approval 10 January 1966
Premiere
premiere 30 December 1966 /unsuitable for youths/
renewed premiere 1 April 1990 /unsuitable for youths/
renewed premiere 9 September 2021 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
bez ateliérů
Distribution
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1966 a obnovená 1990), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2021)
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Švabík – Procházka, Jan Procházka (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Erich Švabík (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
71 min
Original length in metres
1 925 meters
Distribution carrier
35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
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
Awards
Vítěz
Event: Anketa filmových kritiků o nejlepší česko-slovenský hraný film století
1998
Praha / Czech Republic
Vítěz
Festival: 11. Gran Premio – mezinárodní festival uměleckých filmů a filmů o umění Bergamo
1968
Bergamo / Italy
Vítěz
Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jan Němec
Vítěz
Event: Cena československé filmové kritiky za rok 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Event: Anketa časopisu Film a doba
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ester Krumbachová
