Little Fatty

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production year

1971

Premiere

3 March 1972

Runtime

77 min

Category

film

Genre

family

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Metráček

Czech title

Metráček

English title

Little Fatty

Summary

Terribly overweight but likeable teenager Jitka Pažoutová, who has picked up the nickname Little Fatty, is the protagonist of this 1973 family film with a sports theme. The film was born of the girls’ novel Metráček aneb Nemožně tlustá holka (Little Fatty or The Impossibly Fat Girl, 1969), penned by a popular author of books for adolescents, Stanislav Rudolf. The motion picture was directed by a seasoned creator of family films for children and young people, Josef Pinkava, who cast 16-year-old non-actor Markéta Světlíková in the lead role. The story tells how Jitka is finding it difficult to come to terms with her bodily proportions and clumsiness. She is regularly ridiculed by her peers, but the tables turn when she finds her forte in an athletic discipline in which her physical constitution works to her advantage: shot put. The once sneered at girl goes on to experience her first romantic affairs with boys: class outsider Libor (Jan Schmedka), fancied schoolmate Petr (Zdeněk Szamko) and athlete Honza (Vítězslav Jandák).

Synopsis

Jitka Pažoutová is not doing well at physical education. She is fat and clumsy and often gets laughed at because of her look. Back at home in the cellar, she practices her hits for a pig-in-the-middle game by throwing a ball at the PE teacher's name she has written on the wall. Her fellow pupil Libor, the worst pupil in the class, is feeling quite miserable because his father often beats him brutally. Jitka fancies fellow pupil Petr, but he likes Nina better. Thanks to all her practicing, Jitka is getting better at pig-in-the-middle and the PE teacher includes her in the team for the tournament. At the tournament, she is insulted by a handsome-looking boy sitting in the audience who calls out "Fatball" in her direction. After the game Honza, a member of the athletes' team apologizes to her for the abusive nickname. He likes Jitka's powerful throw and persuades her to try shot putting. Although Jitka finds it difficult at the beginning, Honza keeps encouraging her. He even warns her that she shouldn't lose weight if she has decided to take up shot putting. Libor gets his first A at school and is delighted. One day, Honza sees Jitka with Petr and assumes that the two are going out together. He is offended and refuses to accept Jitka's explanation. The misunderstanding results that both of them doing badly in the first tournaments. But they make it up in the end.

Cast

Markéta Světlíková

Jitka Pažoutová

Míla Myslíková

Helena, Jitčina matka

Lubomír Lipský

Jitčin otec

Jaromír Hanzlík

Břéťa, Jitčin bratr

Helena Růžičková

teta Lída, sestra Heleny

Zora Rozsypalová

učitelka Pavlásková

Ladislav Mrkvička

tělocvikář Bohoušek

Vítězslav Jandák

atlet Honza Koubek

Jiří Vala

trenér atletiky Skřivánek

Jan Vostrčil

listonoš

Alena Jurášová

Voice by Libuše Šafránková
Nina

Marie Nocarová

Andula

Zdeněk Szamko

Voice by Ivan Vyskočil
Petr

Jan Schmedka

Libor Březina zvaný Lišák

Věra Baťková

Ivana, Břéťova dívka

Stanislav Tříska

prodavač v papírnictví

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Zdeněk Zydroň

Based on

Stanislav Rudolf (Metráček – povídka)

Dramaturg

Milan Šimek

Director of Photography

Karel Kopecký

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Set Designer

František Santarius

Costume Designer

Ladislav Branč

Make-Up Artist

Dušan Brodanský

Sound Designer

Radomír Koutek, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Zdeněk Stibor

Unit Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Cooperation

Karel Kopecký (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Angelo Michajlov

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Krása skrývaná

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Miluše Voborníková

Dynamit

Song Composer Petr Janda
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer skupina Olympic

Dávný kavalír

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Josef Laufer

Nejlíp jsem se měl

Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Jaromír Mayer

Production info

Original Title

Metráček

Czech Title

Metráček

English Title

Little Fatty

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

family

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production Year

1971

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 06/1970
start of filming 16 January 1971
end of filming 20 June 1971
projection approval 23 December 1971

Premiere

premiere 3 March 1972 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 9 March 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

77 min

Original length in metres

2 174 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

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival filmů pro děti a mládež Gottwaldov

1972
Zlín / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 10. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1972
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Markéta Světlíková

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival filmů pro děti a mládež Gottwaldov

1972
Zlín / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival filmů pro děti a mládež Gottwaldov

1972
Zlín / Czechoslovakia