The Girl on the Broom

fairytale

Typology

feature

Czech title

Dívka na koštěti

Runtime

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production year

1971

Premiere

08.09.1972

Language version

Czech

Director

Václav Vorlíček

Summary

In 1971, the workshop of director Václav Vorlíček and the screenwriter Miloš Macourek produced one of the most successful titles of their common filmography. This surreal comedy about a witching student kept in after school who accidentally ends up in the world of ordinary people is used by Macourek as a popular means of contrasting an unusual element with our “normal” world. Thanks to the charming, albeit somewhat confused Saxana, the subgenre of a high-school comedy in Dívka na koštěti (The Girl on the Broom) transforms into a funny critique of everyday, real life. The titular heroine has to become clear in her mind about such basic concepts as good and evil, hatred and love. Her stay in the world of humans, where she meets a nice boy called Honza and the greedy class creep Miky Rousek, teaches the young witch incomparably more than the original 300 years detention that she had been given in her educational institution at home. Miky and his cronies use the naïve witch for their own benefit, and it takes Saxana a while before she realises that they have tricked her… In The Girl on the Broom, a modern fairy tale, which Macourek also returned to in, among other things, the TV series Arabela, becomes the basis for an intelligent, imaginative, and funny spectacle that has acquired cult status among several generations of viewers. The then 22-year-old singer Petra Černočka also contributes to the success of the film. She plays Saxana with charm, grace, and love. The popular player of nice, sensitive young men, Jan Hrušínský appears as Honza in the film. Vorlíček, however, also exhibited an extraordinary talent for casting in the supporting roles (Vladimír Menšík in the part of a vampire janitor, Jan Kraus as the malevolent Miky, Helena Růžičková as a crazy patient in a lunatic asylum, etc.). In 2011, Václav Vorlíček made a loose sequel to the film, called Saxána a Lexikon kouzel (The Little Witch on a Broomstick). In this film, however, the original characters only appear fleetingly and attention focuses on the daughter of the first heroine – little Saxana.

Synopsis

The young witch Saxana is not doing well in school and must remain in detention for three hundred years. In the class, the old caretaker stays with Saxana and tells her about his adventures from the world of humans. He even shows the girl a book with the magic formula that could take her there. After seeing the formula, Saxana reads the magic words out loud, changes into an owl and vanishes without trace. Panic breaks out at the school and the caretaker has to go after Saxana. If she fails to return within forty-six hours, she will be forced to remain in the world of people. The owl-Saxana shows up at the zoo and the director Bláha brings her home as a birthday gift for his son Honza. Honza, who is completely ignorant of the witch world, accidentally says the magic words and Saxana turns into a girl. The next day, Honza takes her to school with him. Saxana likes the human world and decides to stay. But in order to do this she needs a "grandmother's ear". Three boys - the worst pupils in the class - promise to fetch the ear for her. As a reward, they ask for various bits of magic that cause trouble to the teachers crowd, and to Honza and his family. But the little louts refuse to keep their promise, and Saxana has to keep on looking. Only a few moments before her time is up, she finds out that grandmother's ear is a popular name for the herb lilac sage, a concoction of which happens to be in a thermos bottle in the headmaster's office. Despite further traps prepared by the naughty threesome, she manages to drink the concoction and some is even left for the caretaker, who is apparently very taken with the high-spirited lady caretaker at the school for humans.

Film online

Photos

Renée Nachtigallová

žákyně kouzelnické školy

Milena Steinmasslová

žákyně kouzelnické školy

Marie Bílá

příšera

Zdeněk Novák (2)

muž pod autem

Jiří Vašků

biskup Bohouš

Josef Jakoubek

loutkoherec

Karel Nikolau

loutkoherec

Blanka Vrbecká

loutkoherečka

Crew and creators

Director

Václav Vorlíček

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour

Assistant Director

Robert Vacík, Olga Bourková

Set Designer

Jaroslav Chytrý, Eva Slívová, Dana Smržová

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Costumes

Marie Knotková, Jarmila Benešová

Make-Up Artist

František Malec, Jana Bozděchová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Special Effects

Vladimír Novotný

Titles Designed by

Adolf Born

Production Manager

Miloš Stejskal

Unit Production Manager

Kučera Jaroslav (výroba), Gabriela Bašeová, Miroslav Dousek

Unit Production Manager

Antonín Suchánek

Cooperation

Bohumil Nový, Zdeněk Dukát, Jarmila Kovtanová, Jitka Šulcová, Jiří Matolín

Music

Music Composed by

Angelo Michajlov

Music Performed by

FISYO, Orchestr Karla Vlacha

Music Conducted by

Štěpán Koníček (FISYO)

Songs

Saxana, Světská sláva – polní tráva, To už se nevrátí

Songwriter

Angelo Michajlov (Saxana), Angelo Michajlov (Světská sláva – polní tráva), Angelo Michajlov (To už se nevrátí)

Writer of Lyrics

Pavel Kopta (Saxana), Eduard Krečmar (Světská sláva – polní tráva), Eduard Krečmar (To už se nevrátí)

Singer

Petra Černocká (Saxana), Václav Neckář (Světská sláva – polní tráva), Helena Vondráčková (To už se nevrátí)

Production info

Original Title

Dívka na koštěti

English Title

The Girl on the Broom

Working Title

Saxana

Copyright

1971

Production Year

1971

Premiere

08.09.1972

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

Ota Hofman, Jiří Šebor

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Versions

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Václav Vorlíček

Vítěz

Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival fantastických filmů a hororů Sitges

1973
Sitges / Spain
Oldřich Bosák

Vítěz

Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival fantastických filmů a hororů Sitges

1973
Sitges / Spain

Vítěz

Festival: 23. filmový festival pracujících – červen ´72

1972
43 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 10. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1972
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 10. mezinárodní festival vědeckofantastických filmů Terst

1972
Terst / Italy

The Girl on the Broom

Typology

Czech title

Runtime

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Language version

Director

Summary

Synopsis

Film online

Photos

Cast

Renée Nachtigallová

Marie Bílá

Zdeněk Novák (2)

Jiří Vašků

Josef Jakoubek

Karel Nikolau

Blanka Vrbecká

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Screenstory

Screenplay

Shooting Script

Script Editor

Camera

Camera Operator

Production Designer

Set Designer

Costume Designer

Costumes

Make-Up Artist

Film Editor

Sound Designer

Special Effects

Titles Designed by

Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Cooperation

Music

Music Composed by

Music Performed by

Music Conducted by

Songs

Songwriter

Writer of Lyrics

Singer

Production info

Original Title

English Title

Working Title

Copyright

Production Year

Premiere

Production

Copyright Holders

Distribution

Creative Group

Sales

Technical info

Versions

Awards

Vítěz

Vítěz

Vítěz

Vítěz

Vítěz

Vítěz

Library