In the Tunnel

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production year

1968

Premiere

14 March 1969

Runtime

13 min

Director

Ivan Renč

Category

film

Genre

absurd, slapstick

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionshort

Original title

V tunelu

Czech title

V tunelu

English title

In the Tunnel

Working title

Tunel

Synopsis

A young man walks his dog on the railway track. Out of curiosity, he walks into a tunnel and, to his surprise, discovers a very old man lying under his duvet in bed, lit by a lamp and surrounded by numerous objects and photographs. The old man is satisfied with his tunnel-life; the only thing he minds is that the place is drafty. The young man cannot understand how the passing trains get out of his way, but the old man cuts him short, recalling instead his long-gone sport career and a girl he loved. In his opinion, one must only want and trust in oneself - then, one can achieve everything. The old man's lover on the photograph strikingly resembles the young man's desired girl. The sound of the coming train is heard from the distance. The young man runs out of the tunnel at the last moment and moves off the track. Upon his return to the tunnel, the old man only frets and fumes at the train to blow his collection of post stamps from his album. Yet another train is heard and the youth decides to stay with the old man to reveal the secret. The train has passed by and a dog on the rails sadly sniffs around the remains of the young man's body.

Cast

Eduard Peroutka

Voice by František Kovářík
starý muž

Crew and creators

Director

Ivan Renč

Screenstory

Ivan Renč

Screenplay

Ivan Renč

Director of Photography

Svatopluk Malý

Camera Operator

Karel Suzan

Sound Designer

Benjamin Astrug

Production Manager

Zdeněk Novák

Music

Music Composed by

Luboš Fišer

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

V tunelu

Czech Title

V tunelu

English Title

In the Tunnel

Working Title

Tunel

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

absurd, slapstick

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production Year

1968

Production specifications

projection approval 18 December 1968

Premiere

premiere 14 March 1969 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 20 March 1969 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol /4 týdny/, Praha)

Distribution slogan

no caption

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

13 min

Original length in metres

360 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