I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen!
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1969Production year
1969Premiere
27 February 1970Runtime
95 minDirector
Oldřich LipskýCategory
filmGenre
comedy, sci-fiTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové...Czech title
Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové...English title
I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen!Summary
Novelist Josef Nesvadba made his mark in Czech film history as the author of terrific source material and as a screenwriter. With the exception of Tajemství zlatého Buddhy (The Secret of the Gold Buddha, 1973), Nesvadba attended to sci-fi themes. He would write screenplays based on his own literary output, and this is what he did for the 1969 sci-fi comedy Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové..., directed by the experienced Oldřích Lipský. On this occasion, however, the subject matter better suited co-screenwriter Miloš Macourek, who took part in the shooting of several stories based on mind-spinning turns of events with Václav Vorlíček (“Pane, vy jste vdova!” [You Are a Widow, Sir, 1970], Což takhle dát si špenát [How About a Plate of Spinach?, 1977]) and Jindřich Polák (Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem [I’ll Get Up and Scald Myself with Tea Tomorrow, 1977]). When it comes to Lipský’s involvement in directing Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové… it’s clear that sci-fi was not his usual ground as he was essentially a writer-director who dramatised comic material (Muž z prvního století [The Man from the First Century, 1961], Srdečný pozdrav ze zeměkoule [Cordially from Earth, 1982]). This plot of this film, which cinema audiences got to see at the start of the 1970s, turns on a well-known hypothesis concerning time travel. If somebody could go back in time and assassinate Albert Einstein, they would prevent the application of outcomes of the theoretical physicist’s work – outcomes which, the film story relates, were essential in the construction of the destructive “G-bomb” at the dawn of the third millennium. One effect of a G-bomb detonation that has taken place is that women have lost the capability to reproduce and have started to grow beards. A scientific expedition from the future, led by Professor Moore (Jiří Sovák), travels to the year 1911. But expedition members Gwen Williams (Jana Brejchová), a historian, and Frank Pech, a mathematician, do not want to kill: they only want to help facilitate a fatal accident. According to attested historical documents on which the mission is based, Einstein (Petr Čepek) almost died in the house of the banker Wertheim when a heavy chandelier plunged from the ceiling. If they could just move him to the right spot, then it would be mission accomplished. But the thoroughly planned mission fails – and a second expedition causes scientific consequences that end up leaving Moore as the only “real man” on Earth… For Lipský, this motion picture followed his experimental Happy End (1967). It is a crazy, over-complicated comedy, but, in the end, it is saved by a great cast. As an aside, it is noteworthy that the extinction of mankind was connected to secret US arms industry activities.
Synopsis
It is the beginning of the third millennium and the situation of the human race is critical. Secret experiments with the G bomb has caused women to grow beards and completely lose their ability to bear children. The only hope is an expedition which Professor Moore wants to make in his time machine, planning to go to Prague of 1911 and kill Professor Einstein, whose calculations eventually resulted in the production of the G bomb. Moore is accompanied by mathematician Frank Pech and pretty historian Gwen Williams. Their plan is based on historical records, according to which Einstein almost died in the house of the banker Wertheim, standing under a heavy chandelier which fell on the exact spot he had stood on just a while ago. The task of the group of three is only to help the tragedy a little - to thwart the scientist's rescue. The time machine lands in Prague but, gradually, everything goes wrong. Frank makes friends with an ingenious little arithmetician and great rascal named František, his future father. But the boy dies instead of Einstein and Frank - who thus could not have been born - disappears in an instant. The expedition has failed. Moore asks for a new attempt. This time, Gwen decides to use her women's charms against Einstein, convincing him to abandon physics and take up a career playing the violin. But when the expedition returns to the future, everything has changed. Moore finds out to his horror that he had remained the only one real man. Chemistry, which came to rule the world in the new history instead of physics, caused a "female" mutation to men, preventing them from having any descendants. Moore can do naught else but engender new generations and invent the "salutary" nuclear bomb.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Jiří Sovák
profesor David Moore
Jana Brejchová
doktorka historie Gwen Williamsová/Jane Einsteinová, dcera Gwen
Lubomír Lipský
profesor Frank Pech
Iva Janžurová
Betsy, Frankova žena
Petr Čepek
profesor Albert Einstein
Radoslav Brzobohatý
profesor Robert Grant
Svatopluk Beneš
tajemník OSN Giacometti
Jan Libíček
Smith, člen Grantovy bandy
Viktor Maurer
sekretář OSN Snyder
Miloš Kopecký
bankéř Guido Wertheim
Stella Zázvorková
Vilma, Wertheimova žena
Oldřich Musil
rektor Rath
Josef Hlinomaz
inspektor policie
Karel Effa
zástupce velitele policie
Josef Bláha
ředitel fyzikálního ústavu
Josef Kemr
vynálezce profesor Hughes
Vladimír Hlavatý
rada Vágner
Josef Beyvl
chlípný profesor Wurm
Zdeněk Dítě
režisér v Národním divadle
Andrea Čunderlíková
klapka
Vlastimil Hašek
inspicient
Ivo Gübel
fiakrista
Otto Lackovič
asistent
Václav Vydra ml.
režisér
Helena Růžičková
kuchařka
Josefa Pechlátová
Laurinová
Karel Pavlík
mluvčí zmutovaných mužů
Regina Rázlová
skriptka
Jaroslav Štercl
vrchní Franc
Jiří Krampol
asistent
Jarmila Gerlová
herečka Swansonová
Zdeněk Braunschläger
jídlonoš
Marta Richterová
maskérka
Jiří Hálek
člen Grantovy bandy
Vladimír Zátka
malý František, Frankův otec jako dítě
Jindřich Narenta
televizní hlasatel
Jan Pohan
pobočník
Oldřich Velen
dirigent v Národním divadle
Vladimír Hrubý
planetář
Dana Hlaváčová
komorná Emilka
Jiří Lír
lékárník Lier
Luba Skořepová
dáma s lorňonem
Oldřich Dědek
policista
Mirko Musil
delegát-muž s ňadry
Stanislav Litera
delegát-muž s ňadry
Josef Hajdučík
delegát-muž s ňadry
Stella Májová
manželka
Marcela Mlacovská
manželka
Jitka Cerhová
manželka
Jana Krampolová
manželka
H. Bohatová
manželka
Petra Černocká
posluchačka
Lorna Homoláčová
posluchačka
Karel Engel
policista
Jiří Plachý
policista
Jaroslav Tomsa
policista
Karel Vítek
policista
Ladislav Dražan
vrchní
Jana Sedlmajerová
studentka Geislerová
Karel Hejsek
kameraman
Rudolf Jokl
kameraman
Jaroslav Kupšík
kameraman
Václav Štekl
muž-barmanka
Hana Houbová
dáma ve společnosti
Vlastimil Chejn
mechanik
Oldřich Lukeš
generál
Jan Maška
delegát
Vladimír Navrátil
delegát
Robert Morávek
vrátný v Národním divadle
Pavel Navara
pilot
Josef Mojžíš
zvukař
Jarmila Orlová
konferenciérka
Ivo Palec
asistent
Eva Rubínová
laborantka
Svatopluk Skládal
nosič
Václav Halama
pomocník nosiče
Miroslav Smrček
asistent kamery
Antonín Soukup
šlechetný pán
Jan Víšek
asistent
Otakar Rademacher
pilot
Pavel Jareš
host
Vilém Lipský
host
František Šeba
host
Adolf Široký
host
M. Jelínek
host
Alois Zouhar
hudebník
Josef Puffler
hudebník
Václav Čechák
hudebník
Hilbert
hudebník
Vladimír Král (2)
hudebník
D. Špačková
posluchačka
Zuzana Talpová
asistentka
Vondráček
Clark
Leichner
pianista
Sbor Národního divadla v Praze
sbor v opeře
Dubbing
Antonín Jedlička
hlas počítače
Alena Kreuzmannová
hlas ženské podoby Franka Pecha
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Stanislava Hutková
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Art Director
Set Designer
Ivan Ernyei, Oldřich Halaza, Jiří Rulík
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Věra Winkelhöferová, Josef Mojžíš
Unit Production Manager
Jaroslav Vondráček
Cooperation
Věra Rathová (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta /sbor Proč bychom se netěšili/ – opera), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Sonáta e moll)
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Taneční orchestr Václava Hybše (Music Conducted by Václav Hybš)
Production info
Original Title
Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové...
Czech Title
Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové...
English Title
I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen!
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
comedy, sci-fi
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1969
Production Year
1969
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 10 April 1968
technical Screenplay approved 17 March 1969
start of filming 21 April 1969
end of filming 17 July 1969
the first film copy approved 28 November 1969
projection approval 11 December 1969
Premiere
premiere 27 February 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 5 March 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /2 týdny/, Světozor /4 týdny od 2. 4./ a Metro /2 týdny od 4. 6./, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
95 min
Original length in metres
2 694 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66, 1:2,35
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
