It is Christmas day. Mr Tau sneaks into the flat of the boy Emil, which is also inhabited by Emil's friend, a dog. The man in the bowler hat moves around the whole flat surprisingly unseen although there is a hectic rush all around. Mother is baking the Christmas sweets, grandfather is building the Christmas crib, Emil's sister Renáta is cleaning and the father is gathering courage to kill the carp. Emil, playing with the fish, splashes water on the whole bathroom and, by way of punishment, is locked into the pantry. He is thus much pleased to meet Mr Tau who, with the help of his magic bowler, can change from a small puppet to an adult man. Mr Tau tries to help everybody secretly, but, being unacquainted with the situation, makes everything even worse. He shocks the grandfather who misses two little sheep for the Christmas crib, by conjuring up two live sheep in the midst of the living room. Then Emil wants to save the carp, Mr Tau complies with his wish and endows the fish with the ability to speak. The father almost turns nuts when the carp, calling himself Albertek, begins to beg for his life. Daddy thus begins to decorate the Christmas tree instead which, however, starts to grow until its top breaks through the ceiling to the flat of Renáta's beloved Petr. Mummy is utterly desperate - the Christmas sweets were in part eaten by the dog and the rest burnt to cinders. It seems that the whole evening will end up in catastrophe but Mr Tau again uses his magic and everything is as it is supposed to be. The festive Christmas dinner is prepared and the tree shines. Renáta is allowed to visit Petr and everybody, dressed for the occasion, can finally enjoy Christmas. At midnight, they together carry Albertek to the river and the father frees the carp.
The film was distributed to Czech cinemas as part of the series Mr Tau Arrives along with the feature film of the same title and a cartoon puppet film What Blew Up? (directed by Břetislav Pojar and Miroslav Štěpánek). For more information about the series, see the note to the movie Mr Tau and Claudia.
pan Tau
Emil
tatínek
maminka
dědeček
Renáta, Emilova sestra
Petr, Renátin kluk
hlas kapra Albertka
Vilém Kijonka, Pavla Marková
Jaroslav Tuzar, Vladimír Malík (loutková část)
Stanislav Látal (loutková část)
Václav Pošta, Jan Petrů, Jiří Žůček
Jan Syrový, Karel Prchal, Martin Baroch
Lucie Hertlová
Růžena Hejsková, Zorka Chrastinová
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Vlacha
Songwriter Franz Xaver Gruber
Singer Vokální soubor Lubomíra Pánka
Pan Tau naděluje
Pan Tau naděluje
Mr Tau Gives Presents
Pan Tau und die schöne Bescherung
Pan Tau II
film
featuretheatrical distribution
children
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria
1970
1970
technical Screenplay approved 11 February 1969
start of filming 3 January 1970
end of filming 3 July 1970
the first film copy approved 20 October 1970
projection approval 7 December 1970
premiere 19 March 1971
non-distribution premiere 26 December 1971 (televizní uvedení ČST 2)
Tvůrčí skupina Švabík – Hofman (příprava), Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí a vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Erich Švabík (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí a vedoucí výrobní skupiny), Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Výrobní skupina Ericha Švabíka
short film
27 min
765 meters
35mm
Czech
Exhibition: 11. celostátní přehlídka československých filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1971
Zlín / Czechoslovakia