Dominika’s Name Day

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production year

1966

Runtime

59 min

Category

film

Genre

children

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionmedium

Original title

Když má svátek Dominika

Czech title

Když má svátek Dominika

English title

Dominika’s Name Day

Working title

Zázraky se nepůjčují

Summary

A 1967 musical comedy for small children directed by Jan Valášek. The film tells the story of an entrepreneurial young girl, who is never fazed by any situation. Along with little Honzík, Dominika exchanges her four-year-old brother Míša for the stolen cat Kajetána. The distraught parents of missing Honzík and Míša are joined in their search by 12 comical police detectives able to deploy a number of disguises. This simple story based on a screenplay by Vladimír Kalina serves as an ideal example of a film in which reality is presented through an imaginative, playful and poetic child’s eye point-of-view. The fairytale world is also accentuated through aesthetic choices such as utilising coloured filters. Consequently, experienced cinematographer Jan Stallich plays a crucial part in this movie. Alongside its child actors, a number of well-known actors appear in small roles including Karolína Slunéčková, Vladimír Menšík, and Miloš Kopecký.

Synopsis

Eight-year old Dominique has a nameday. Her parents have a gift for her, but only give it to her in the evening, when everybody has come home from work. Then she darts out, where her girlfriends are already waiting for her. She plays with a red ball but forgets all about it as soon as a kitten appears by the fence. Dominique takes hold of the kitten and ties it onto her skipping rope. She meets Honzík with his little brother Míša. Honzík thinks Míša is a downright nuisance. The little boy gets muddy and stubbornly refuses to wash himself. Fed up, Honzík gladly swaps him for Dominique's kitten, but his parents are not pleased with the barter and want their little boy back. However, Honzík doesn't know where Dominique lives. The parents contact the police and twelve detectives try to find the little boy. Honzík also goes looking for Míša; he is worried that the police may put Dominique in prison. He finally finds his little brother and goes to the fence together with Míša and Dominique. They let the kitten go and Dominique takes the red ball that she forgot all about. All is back to normal.

Cast

Dáša Beranová

Dominika

Michal Pospíšil (2)

Míša, Honzíkův bratr

Simona Uhlířová

užalovaná Zdena

Karolina Slunéčková

matka Míši a Honzíka

Vladimír Menšík

otec Míši a Honzíka

Miloš Kopecký

náčelník detektivů

Oskar Hák

detektiv

Jiří Lír

detektiv

Eugen Jegorov

detektiv-metař

Bohuš Pastorek

detektiv-listonoš

Viktor Riebauer

detektiv-lodník

Lenka Jandlová

Kateřina

Jarka Jedličková

Zuzana

Helena Lišková

Eliška

Jiří Lukeš

kluk-chovatel

Z. Mihulová

Eva

J. Chocholová

holčička z party

L. Řeháková

Jitka

J. Kačírek

kluk

Vl. Pokorný

kluk

D. Straka

kluk

Pavel Zejfart

kluk

I. Vávrová

Petra

M. Záluská

Jana

M. Ženíšková

Helena

Lubomír Lipský

vrátný na výstavě

Josef Hlinomaz

řidič kropicího vozu

Ivana Pavlová

květinářka

Karel Kmoch

číšník/kominík

Ota Motyčka

muž s holí

Marie Brožová

stará žena v parku

Karel Hruška (3)

aranžér

Jaromír Linhart

aranžér

Ivan Krob

aranžér

Jiří Halamka

zmrzlinář

Vladimír Klos

zmrzlinář

Miroslav Vilímek

zmrzlinář

Petr Vondruška

zmrzlinář

Zdeněk Doležal (2)

komik-tanečník

Jarmila Švabíková

majitelka kocoura Kajetána

M. Kobr

pilot vrtulníku

Jiří Merta

kominík

Miroslav Strejček

kominík

Ján Šprlák-Puk

kominík

Otto Lackovič

muž od kolotoče

Helena Růžičková

žena od střelnice

Vl. Nový

medvěd

Oldřich Musil

pořadatel soutěže exotického ptactva

Jan Tureček

vousatý děda

Marta Cvejnová

tanečnice

Jana Chábová

tanečnice

Rozina Kamburová

tanečnice

Blanka Modrá

tanečnice

Helena Richterová

tanečnice

Marcela Tomaierová

tanečnice

Aneta Voleská

tanečnice

Eva Maříková

tanečnice

A. Roleničová

tanečnice

Alena Pencová

manekýna

Dana Reimová

manekýna

Vladimír Hrubý

chovatel exotického ptactva

Rudolf Veselý

chovatel

A. Pospíšilová

chovatelka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Hraběta

Assistant Director

Ljubica Václavová

Continuity

Anna Pokorná

Screenstory

Eva Seroffová

Shooting Script

Jan Valášek

Director of Photography

Jan Stallich

Second Unit Photography

Stanislav Kautský

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Kaiser

Production Designer

Boris Moravec

Assistent Production Designer

Zbyněk Hloch

Set Designer

Václav Kozel, Přemysl Pražský, František Straka

Costume Designer

Drahomíra Moravcová

Assistant Film Editor

Diana Heringová, E. Husmannová

Sound Designer

Jiří Lenoch

Production Manager

Miloslav Procházka

Unit Production Manager

Vlastimil Maršálek, Richard Němec

Unit Production Manager

Milan Štěch

Cooperation

Zorka Chrastinová (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Miloš Vacek

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songwriter

Miloš Vacek

Writer of Lyrics

Viktor Dusil

Singer

Pavel Zeyfart, dětský sbor, sbor

Choreographer

Pavel Šmok

Danced by

Balet Praha

Production info

Original Title

Když má svátek Dominika

Czech Title

Když má svátek Dominika

English Title

Dominika’s Name Day

Working Title

Zázraky se nepůjčují

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production Year

1966

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 2 May 1966
technical Screenplay approved 6 June 1966
start of filming 13 July 1966
end of filming 24 September 1966
the first film copy approved 31 March 1967
projection approval 4 April 1967
withdrawal from distribution 1 July 1977

Premiere

premiere 8 September 1967 /suitable for youths/ (kino Klub /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 8 September 1967 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Švabík – Procházka, Jan Procházka (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Erich Švabík (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

medium length film

Duration in minutes

59 min

Original length in metres

1 686 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech