Catherine and Her Children
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1970Production year
1970Premiere
19 September 1975Runtime
78 minDirector
Václav GajerCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Kateřina a její dětiCzech title
Kateřina a její dětiEnglish title
Catherine and Her ChildrenSummary
This village-based 1970 drama from director Václav Gajer met with the same fate as a slew of other films suddenly subjected to the “normalisation-era” whims of the censor. But its pessimistic and existential tone, reflecting the nature of Czechoslovak New Wave films of the 1960s, was left intact nonetheless. Consequently, this raw, brooding story set in a forgotten mountain village somewhere in the Beskydy Mountains only made its way to cinemas in 1975, five years after completion. The heroes of the story are women – widow Kateřina Valigurová and her three daughters, all fruitlessly seeking a safe place to settle in a male-dominated world. In the end, they are forced to rely on their own strengths and women’s solidarity. The film benefits from ethereal cinematography by Jan Čuřík, a timeless natural backdrop, and also top-notch performances by lesser-known actors (somewhat tainted by efforts to have the principals speak in Moravian Wallachian dialects). It is regarded as the strongest of Gajer’s films; in subsequent years, the director opted for non-controversial escapist children’s movies.
Synopsis
After the death of her husband, Kateřina Valigurová cares for her three daughters and a farmstead alone. Life has never been kind to her, and she, too, thus often behaves harshly. She, however, loves her daughters with a non-sentimental love and does her best for the family to live according to settled rules. The oldest daughter, Kateřina, lives in a city, married to an army officer, and Valigurová is now marrying off the second daughter Marie. But at the wedding, the groom Cyril has a fight with a guileful man nicknamed Marmalade [Marmeláda], and, being on probation, is taken to jail a few days after the wedding. Marie is left alone in Cyril's home and becomes a source of temptation for the village men - the village teacher confesses his love to her and Marmalade tries to rape her. When he fails, he begins to spread gossip about Marie, telling that she lives with the crazy Umpaj. Anděla, the youngest, who is still trying to find out who she is, runs away from home after a quarrel with her mother. Kateřina, on the contrary, returns home, having been abandoned by her husband. The proud Valigurová cannot bear so much unhappiness and falls ill. One day, Anděla appears in the village, pregnant. Both her sisters are afraid to tell the news to the mother, but she soon recovers. With the new life in the family, she also finds a new meaning of life. The four women merrily wade through the snow to have the successor of the family, Anděla's son, baptised.
Note
The film was finished in 1970 and was handed over to the Central Film Distributors on the 1st of September 1969, but its distribution was approved only five years later.
Photos
Cast
Zora Rozsypalová
dělnice na pile Kateřina Valigurová zvaná Valigurka
Drahomíra Hofmanová
Marie, prostřední dcera Kateřiny
Jorga Kotrbová
Anděla, nejmladší dcera Kateřiny
Jana Vychodilová
Kateřina, nejstarší dcera Kateřiny
Karel Augusta
strážný na pile Jan Prda zvaný Marmeláda, strážný na pile
Václav Sloup
kočí Jan Dorňák
Petr Kopřiva
blázen Umpaj
Jaromír Hanzlík
učitel Jarda Pavlíček
Jiří Pleskot
řídící učitel
Zuzana Ondrouchová
servírka Jana
Jiří Tomek
Cyril Argaláš, Mariin muž
Oldřich Velen
hostinský, Janin otec
Jaroslav Cmíral
příslušník VB
František Čužna
příslušník VB
Karel Engel
rváč
Jaroslav Klenot
rváč
Jaroslav Tomsa
rváč
Zdeněk Srstka
rváč
František Hanus
kovář Podešva
Miriam Kantorková
Dubbing Alena Kreuzmannová
Drozdová
Jan Pohan
Pavel, manžel Kateřiny, kapitán armády
Ludmila Roubíková
porodní bába
Helena Růžičková
hostinská, Janina matka
Jaroslava Tichá
Koňařička
Vladimír Ptáček
hajný Klaban
Věra Tichánková
Brnoviačka
Marcela Martínková
tetka
Jan Teplý
úředník ve vězení
Miloš Grossman
účetní z pily
Oldřich Velen
hospodský
František Kubíček
strýc Ovenec
Jan Koliha
hudebník
Josef Lang
hudebník
Jiří Malý
hudebník
Ladislav Mrázek
hudebník
Karel Venzara
hudebník
Bohumil Slezáček
hudebník
Jar. Drážďanský
hudebník
Jar. Vokál
hudebník
Bernard Marek
hudebník
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Josef Sandr, Anna Lackovičová
Based on
Jiří Křenek (Hořké deště – román)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Script Editor
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Josef Calta, Jiří Štípek, Václav Šebek
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jaroslava Pražská
Cooperation
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček),
Songs
Zavrť sa mně, dcérečko
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer sbor
Ej, zomrela mně žena
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer sbor
Byla jsem ve Frenštátě
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer František Hanus
Pytlácká
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Vladimír Ptáček
Perina má čtyry rožky
Songwriter lidová slovenská píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová slovenská píseň
Singer Drahomíra HofmanováZora RozsypalováJorga Kotrbová
Hore potůčky, zelené lúčky
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Drahomíra HofmanováJana Vychodilová
Už mně koně vyvádějí
Songwriter lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer sbor
Production info
Original Title
Kateřina a její děti
Czech Title
Kateřina a její děti
English Title
Catherine and Her Children
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1970
Production Year
1970
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 07/1969
technical Screenplay approved 17 November 1969
start of filming 5 February 1970
end of filming 17 May 1970
the first film copy approved 20 August 1970
projection approval 1 September 1970 (neschváleno do distribuce)
Premiere
premiere 19 September 1975 /unsuitable for youths/ (omezená distribuce)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Barrandov
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Kunc (příprava), František Břetislav Kunc (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí a vedoucí výrobní skupiny), Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Bohumila Šmídy
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
78 min
Original length in metres
2 245 meters
Distribution carrier
35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
