Escape

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production year

1967

Premiere

8 December 1967

Runtime

74 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Útěk

Czech title

Útěk

English title

Escape

Summary

This 1967 drama laid on a screen debut for 13-year-old actor Roman Skamene. Directed by Štěpán Skalský, and based on the eponymous novel by Ota Hofman, the film tells the story of adolescent boy Saša Tichý, who runs away from home after being suspected of partial responsibility for a fire in a wooden shed. The boy strikes up a chance friendship with young Fangio, the person actually responsible for the fire. Saša decides to bring the boy to justice, keeping him in his sights at all costs. But this odd couple, formed of lies and suspicion, gradually transforms into a genuine friendship, which causes Saša to change his plans. The simple film benefits from authentic performances by Ivan Vyskočil in the role of Fangio, as well as a despondent autumnal atmosphere, and absorbing black and white cinematography by cameraman Jiří Šámal.

Synopsis

A wooden shed on a suburban housing estate burns to the ground. The investigation reveals that three pupils from the nearby school, Saša Tichý among them, used to come here to smoke. After questioning at the police station, Saša is afraid to go home and runs away, hiding in an old garden restaurant, where, however, he is not alone. It turns out that a young man named Fangia, a runaway from justice, has also found his shelter here. Saša, noticing that Fangia's hand is bandaged in a rag from a shirt found at the scene of the fire, grasping that his friends are innocent and the fire was caused by the very Fangia. He decides to prove the young man guilty, and thus sticks to him with all his strength. Fangia, on the contrary, wants to get rid of the boy. In a parking lot, he gets hold of a lorry and leaves for Southern Bohemia. Saša manages to jump up on the body of the car and Fangia must reconcile himself to the boy's presence. In an abandoned spot, they both get off the car, and since they are cold, they break into a locked cottage. Fangia alone sets off to yet another cottage where his girlfriend is supposed to be, but its door, too, is locked. Saša falls ill from cold and bad food, but continues to run away with Fangia. However, Fangia has to return to the cottage for a bag that Saša had forgotten there. Upon his return, he finds Saša unconscious. He wants to save him at any costs. On the road, he stops a lorry, hands Saša over to the driver and, after a long hesitation, leaves in the opposite direction. Saša never betrays his friend.

Cast

Roman Skamene

Saša Tichý

Jana Prachařová

Sašova matka

Jaroslav Cmíral

Sašův otec

Rudolf Čejka

příslušník SNB

Milan Mach

nadporučík SNB

Klementina Zunová

kuchařka

Božena Schimmerová

učitelka

Marie Texelová

uklízečka

Libuše Řezáčová

družinářka

Antonín Hardt

příslušník SNB

Milan Klásek

příslušník SNB

Jiří Ouhleda

příslušník SNB

Zdena Stružková

ošetřovatelka

Tomáš Hádl

spolužák zvaný Slipejš

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Lada Vacková

Continuity

Jana Novotná

Based on

Ota Hofman (Útěk – novela)

Dramaturg

Josef Träger

Director of Photography

Jiří Šámal

Second Unit Photography

Bohumil Rath

Camera Operator

Antonín Holub

Production Designer

Bohumil Pokorný

Assistent Production Designer

Miloš Červinka

Set Designer

Vladimír Ježek, Karel Kracík, Ladislav Winkelhöfer

Costume Designer

Karel Postřehovský

Make-Up Artist

František Novotný

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jana Šimůnková, Jitka Šulcová

Sound Designer

Jiří Pavlík

Production Manager

Zdeněk Oves

Unit Production Manager

Richard Němec, Jaroslav Vágner

Cooperation

Emanuela Peterová (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Útěk

Czech Title

Útěk

English Title

Escape

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production Year

1967

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 31 July 1966
technical Screenplay approved 21 March 1967
start of filming 22 March 1967
end of filming 9 June 1967
projection approval 19 September 1967
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974

Premiere

premiere 8 December 1967 /suitable for youths/ (kino Jalta /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 8 December 1967 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

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

74 min

Original length in metres

2 083 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

Awards

Vítěz

Event: 8. mezinárodní setkání filmů pro mládež Cannes

1969
Cannes / France

Vítěz

Event: 8. mezinárodní setkání filmů pro mládež Cannes

1969
Cannes / France

Vítěz

Event: 8. mezinárodní setkání filmů pro mládež Cannes

1969
Cannes / France

Vítěz

Festival: 3. mezinárodní filmový festival Teherán

1968
Teherán / Iran

Vítěz

Exhibition: 6. přehlídka československých filmů pro děti a mládež Gottwaldov

1968
Zlín / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 3. mezinárodní filmový festival Teherán

1968
Teherán / Iran

Vítěz

Event: Ceny Trilobit 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Šámal

Vítěz

Exhibition: 20. přehlídka filmů pro děti a mládež Benátky

1968
Benátky / Italy

Vítěz

Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Štěpán Skalský

Vítěz

Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti Gijón

1968
Gijón / Spain

Vítěz

Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ota Hofman