Granny

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production year

1970—1971

Runtime

163 min

Category

film

Genre

poetic

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Babička I., II.

Czech title

Babička I., II.

English title

Granny

Synopsis

Early spring (The fairy-tale). Jan, Vilém, Adélka and Barunka, the children of the lords' official Prošek, heartily welcome their granny. It is Barunka that loves kind granny most of all children and listens, fascinated, to her fairy-tales. Granny soon makes friends with the whole valley. Also the princess is pleased by granny and invites her and the children to the castle. The growing up Barunka experiences the first love to Orlík and perceives sensitively love between Jakub and Kristla. She also admires elemental nature and courage of Viktorka who bravely springs over May fires and refuses undesirable suitors. Spring and summer flow and comes autumn. May fires (The romance). Spring is back. Nobility has returned to the castle. On a blooming meadow children and granny meet the joung countess Hortensie. Wise granny guesses that the girl is sad because she left in sunny Italy her love, a young painter. Love influences also the destiny of Viktorka who by all her nature falls in love with the black jaeger. After he leaves she loses her mind and runs away to live in the woods. Barunka shyly meets Orlík. Late summer (The balad). Reapers mow grass, women throw it about. Among them is also the engaged couple - Jakub and Kristla. But the time of their happy love is soon coming to a end. Jakub bastes the scribe clerk, who molested his Kristla, which results in Jakub enlisting for seven years. While repeatedly visiting the castle, granny tells the princess the truth about Jakub, puts in a word for organ-grinder Kudrna, who leads a miserable existence out of work with great family, and eventually calls her attention to the cause of sadness of Hortensie. Summer ends, at the castle there is celebrated the harvest-home. Summer period goes with pleasure. It is the princess that takes care of it. She arranged that Jakub would come back from military service, Kudrna would recquire the permanent employment as a watchman and Hortensie would meet her painter. But the whole village regrets the tragic death of Viktorka. In coming autumn leave both Mr. Prošek and Barunka. The great night (The elegy). It is autumn. Granny with children tend a cow, Kudrna gathers crop of apples. Granny quickly loses vital strength, every now and then she drowses. She recollects Viktorka, Barunka and her husband Jiří who was killed in Austrian-Prussian war. She is delighted by Kristla's little son and gives him a thaler she had received as a present from the Kaiser Joseph. At the walk there fades an old apple-tree and granny feels that she will follow it. She wishes she could see Barunka. Barunka turns up at granny´s death bed only at the moment when granny breathes her last. Then the girl grants granny's last request to announce her death to honey-bees.

Note

The Pavlíček´s authorship of the script was kept secret for political reasons.

Cast

Zdeněk Matouš

panský úředník Jan Prošek

Míla Myslíková

Tereza, Proškova žena, babiččina dcera

Libuše Šafránková

Barunka, dcera Proškových

Erik Pardus

Jan, syn Proškových

Jaroslav Moučka (2)

Vilém, syn Proškových

Lenka Kolegarová

Adélka, dcera Proškových

Libuše Geprtová

Viktorka, dcera statkáře Mikeše

Květa Fialová

paní kněžna

Magda Vášáryová

komtesa Hortensie

Petr Čepek

černý myslivec/babiččin Jiří ve vzpomínkách

Jan Hrušínský

Orlík, syn hajného

Jiří Wohanka

Jakub Míla, Kristlin mládenec

Vojtěch Ron

Voice by Bohuslav Čáp
mlynář

Oldřich Vlach

Toník Šíma, Viktorčin nápadník

Jaroslav Moučka

flašinetář Kudrna

František Hanus

statkář Mikeš, otec Viktorky

Antonie Hegerliková

Mikešová, matka Viktorky

Dana Francová

Mařenka, Viktorčina sestra

Josef Somr

panský písař Picolo zvaný Talián

Josef Kemr

dohazovač

Eva Šenková

správcová

Vladimír Jedenáctík

Šíma, Toníkův otec

Luboš Dittman

Vincek

Ladislav Šulc

Jakoubek

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Helena Rohanová

Assistant Director

Stanislava Hutková

Based on

Božena Němcová (Babička – kniha)

Director of Photography

Jiří Šámal

Second Unit Photography

Jaroslav Kupšík

Production Designer

Vladimír Labský

Assistent Production Designer

Aleš Voleman

Costume Designer

Fernand Vácha

Make-Up Artist

Jaroslav Čermák

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Assistant Film Editor

Jana Šimůnková

Sound Designer

Adolf Böhm

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Vladimír Vojta

Unit Production Manager

Luděk Marold, Hana Jehličková

Unit Production Manager

Zdeněk Flídr

Cooperation

Josef Vítek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Luboš Fišer

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Šly panenky silnicí

Husička divoká

Singer Jarmila Kurandová

Na rozloučení, mý potěšení

Singer sbor

Nešťastný šafářův dvoreček

Singer Oldřich Vlach

Sivá holuběnko

Singer dívčí sbor

Spadla mi šavlička

Singer mužský sbor

Spi, synáčku, spi

Singer Libuše Geprtová

Otvírejte dveře, otvírejte vrata!

Singer sbor

Ó, hřebíčku zahradnický

Singer Jarmila Kurandová

Mořena, Mořena, kam jsi klíče dala

Singer dětský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Babička I., II.

Czech Title

Babička I., II.

English Title

Granny

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

poetic

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production Year

1970—1971

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 20 January 1970
technical Screenplay approved 5 March 1970
start of filming 27 May 1970
end of filming 7 January 1971
the first film copy approved 17 April 1971
projection approval 19 April 1971

Premiere

preview 8 October 1971 (Náchod)
non-distribution premiere 25 December 1971 (televizní uvedení ČST 2 /první díl/)
non-distribution premiere 26 December 1971 (televizní uvedení ČST 2 /druhý díl/)
non-distribution premiere 14 January 1972 (televizní uvedení ČST 1 /první díl/)
non-distribution premiere 16 January 1972 (televizní uvedení ČST 1 /druhý díl/)
premiere 9 March 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž, Praha /první díl/)
premiere 10 March 1972 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní /první a druhý díl/)
premiere 16 March 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž, Praha /druhý díl/)

Copyright Holders

Česká televize

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Skupina zakázkových filmů, Jan Klement (vedoucí Skupiny zakázkových filmů)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

163 min

Original length in metres

4 637 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

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