"Four Murders Are Enough, Darling"

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1970

Production year

1970

Premiere

16 July 1971

Runtime

107 min

Category

film

Genre

gangster, comedy, parody

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

„Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku“

Czech title

„Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku“

English title

"Four Murders Are Enough, Darling"

Working title

Mrtví, zvoňte třikrát

Summary

As a screenwriter, Miloš Macourek contributed to two unforgettable gangster comedies – Kdo chce zabít Jessii (Who Wants to Kill Jessie, 1966), directed by Václav Vorlíček, and “Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku...” (Four Murders Are Enough, Darling, 1970) by Oldřich Lipský. In both instances, the artist Kája Saudek was also involved in the fray. Whereas Jessie imbues the ordinary Czech milieu with characters and elements from an “American” comic strip, Oldrich Lipský’s film throws itself headlong into comic exaggeration. Both films use cartoon elements, but Macourek and Lipský’s work creates a coherent fictional world set in the imaginary “Western” country of Bonzania. The film was loosely inspired by the humorous novel Mrtvým vstup zakázán (No Admittance for the Dead), by the Yugoslav author Nenad Brixi from 1960, but its atmosphere and milieu reflect the impending period of Soviet entrenchment that occurred in Czechoslovak society during the “normalisation” that followed the Warsaw Pact invasion. Nonetheless, this crazy cartoon comedy abounds in visual and formal ideas as well as absurd “messages” that produce a barrage of gags, and yet it evidently reflects a desire to escape – at least in comic fiction – beyond the iron curtain that was coming down under increasing totalitarianism. Secondary school teacher George Camel (played by the director’s brother Lubomír) is one of Macourek’s traditional timorous ingénus, who one day discovers that as soon as he opens a door, a corpse falls out. It seems that George has got mixed up in a war between two bands of gangsters fighting over a cheque for a million dollars. The Hitchcockian story of a man wrongly accused of a crime is peopled with many colourful characters, including George’s love interest, the energetic journalist, Sabrina (Jiřina Bohdalová), and the female crime boss, Kate (Iva Janžurová). The ensemble cast comprises the crème de la crème of the Czech acting fraternity as well as some of Lipský’s favourite actors, e.g. Marie Rosůlková as Camel’s landlady and Josef Hlinomaz as the memorable tough guy Gogo.

Synopsis

In the compartment of an American express train, James Porter, who is transferring a cheque for a million dollars from Michago to San Fernando seats himself and gets buried in a comic book. - Two groups of gangsters begin to compete for the precious check. José Manuel Antonio commands the swarthy boys from San Bonigo and the unscrupulous Ms Kate Draxl heads the Michago gang. In the meantime, in the little town of Springtown, the teacher Georg Camel tries to win the respect of his students in vain. Georg reveals himself to be a dope even in the editorial office of the local magazine to which he tries to sell his poetry. He has no idea that the charming editor Sabrina's sudden interest in him is designed to make the illustrator Henry jealous. Then, however, there is a reversal. Porter, who unexpectedly got off the train in Springtown, dies on the doorstep of Camel's room in the pension of the affected Mrs Harrington. The innocent and naive Georg is drawn into the fight of the two gangs and is suspected of murder, especially when a corpse falls onto him every time he opens a door. Sabrina thinks that Georg murders out of love for her in order to give her enough material to write about. Mrs Harrington is convinced that Camel wants to destroy the reputation of her house. After is Georg found in an underground garage where the two gangs have shot each other dead, he is proclaimed a hero and purged of all crimes he was suspected of. - Porter happily finishes the comic book. But when he opens the door of the compartment, a dead conductor falls onto him.

Cast

Lubomír Lipský

učitel Georg Camel

Jiřina Bohdalová

redaktorka Sabrina

Iva Janžurová

Kate Draxlová, šéfka bandy z Michaga

Marie Rosůlková

Harringtonová, Camelova bytná

František Filipovský

detektiv Sheridan

Jan Libíček

policejní komisař Brooks

Josef Hlinomaz

znalec nápojů Gogo

Karel Effa

Kovarski, majitel baru Kochba

Lubomír Kostelka

policista Davidson

Vlastimil Hašek

policista Harley

Stella Zázvorková

prostitutka Peggy

Josef Kemr

zubatý gangster ze San Boniga

Jaroslav Moučka

gangster Tom z Michaga

František Peterka

Francis Owens z Michaga

Jan Přeučil

kreslíř comicsů Henry

Robert Vrchota

ředitel školy

Zdeněk Kryzánek

gangster Bill z Michaga

Lubor Tokoš

gangster Ronald z Michaga

Jiří Lír

gangster Jaime

Otto Lackovič

José Manuel Antonio, šéf ze San Boniga

Karel Pavlík

gangster, Owensův kolega

Viktor Maurer

dr. James Porter

Ivo Gübel

šéfredaktor časopisu Voice of Springtown

Karel Augusta

hotelový vrátný Freddy Rogers

Antonín Jedlička

barman z baru Kochba

Antonín Kryl

Horace

Martin Štěpánek

gangster Alvarez

Oldřich Musil

návštěvník baru

Zdeněk Srstka

jednooký gangster

Kateřina Frýbová

Henryho přítelkyně

Zdeněk Blažek

průvodčí ve vlaku

Aladar Petický

gangster

Josef Engel

gangster

Karel Engel

gangster

Milan Kindl

gangster

Karel Vítek

gangster

Petr Fleischer

gangster

Karel Tokar

gangster

Ladislav Tokar

gangster

Jan Vítek

gangster

Jaroslav Tomsa

gangster Luis

Zoltán Tokar

gangster Fernandez

Nora Krčmářová

trafikantka Clarková

Ladislav Mrnka

Voice by Oldřich Velen
tiskař Willy

Rudolf Kalina

číšník

Jaroslava Závodská

dubl za Jiřinu Bohdalovou

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Aleš Dospiva

Assistant Director

Ivana Tokošová

Continuity

Hana Kozlová

Based on

Nenad Brixi (Mrtvým vstup zakázán /Mrtvacima ulaz zabranjen/ – román)

Director of Photography

Jiří Tarantík

Second Unit Photography

Stanislav Kautský

Camera Operator

Bohumil Vodička

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Art Director

Karel Saudek (kresby)

Set Designer

Jan Petrů, Rudolf Beneš, Václav Pošta

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Šulcová

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty), Antonín Jedlička (zvukové efekty)

Titles Designed by

Karel Saudek

Production Manager

Miloš Stejskal

Unit Production Manager

Miroslav Dousek, Gabriela Bašeová

Unit Production Manager

Antonín Suchánek

Cooperation

Dana Lišková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Vlastimil Hála

Music Performed by

Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Jen jednou bylo včera

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Eva Olmerová

Bílá noha na ubrusu

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Iva JanžurováZdeněk Kryzáneksbor

Production info

Original Title

„Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku“

Czech Title

„Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku“

English Title

"Four Murders Are Enough, Darling"

Working Title

Mrtví, zvoňte třikrát

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

gangster, comedy, parody

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1970

Production Year

1970

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 27 February 1970
technical Screenplay approved 4 April 1970
start of filming 20 May 1970
end of filming 6 August 1970
the first film copy approved 4 December 1970
projection approval 26 December 1970
withdrawal from distribution 1 July 1993

Premiere

festival premiere 10 June 1971 (22. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´71)
premiere 1 July 1971 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
premiere 16 July 1971 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 26 August 2021 /suitable for all ages without limit/

Studio

Barrandov

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1971), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2021)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Jiřího Šebora, Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

107 min

Original length in metres

2 906 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD

Animation technique

cartoon, combined (technique), feature

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