The Girl on the Broom
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1971Production year
1971Premiere
8 September 1972Runtime
76 minDirector
Václav VorlíčekCategory
filmGenre
comedy, fairytaleTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Dívka na koštětiCzech title
Dívka na koštětiEnglish title
The Girl on the BroomWorking title
SaxanaSummary
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.
Photos
Cast
Petra Černocká
čarodějnice Saxana zvaná Kudláčková
Jan Hrušínský
žák Honza Bláha
Jan Kraus
žák Miky Rousek
Vlastimil Zavřel
žák Bohouš Adámek
Michal Hejný
žák Čenda Bujnoch
Jaromír Spal
ředitel zoo Jindřich Bláha, Honzův otec
Jana Drbohlavová
učitelka Marie Pešková
Vlastimil Hašek
sochař Karel, manžel Peškové
Vladimír Menšík
upír, školník v čarodějnické škole
Zdeněk Dítě
ředitel školy
Míla Myslíková
Anna Bláhová, Honzova matka
Meda Valentová
Honzova babička
Josef Bláha
Voice by Dalimil Klapka /v exteriérové scéně/
ředitel čarodějnické školy
Jan Libíček
psychiatr MUDr. K. Boublík
Jaroslava Obermaierová
zdravotní sestra na psychiatrii
Jiří Lír
učitel botaniky
Ludmila Píchová
učitelka v čarodějnické škole
Stella Zázvorková
školnice Vondráčková
František Filipovský
otec Rousek
Helena Růžičková
pacientka na psychiatrii
Milan Neděla
hostinský
Karel Houska
školní inspektor
Lubomír Kostelka
zřízenec v zoo Bauer
Josef Kolb
malý zřízenec na psychiatrii
Milan Kindl
Vilda, velký zřízenec na psychiatrii
Josefa Pechlátová
babka na farmě
Roman Skamene
spolužák
Juraj Štúr
spolužák
František Miroslav Doubrava
vedoucí farmy
Pavel Spálený
Voice by Lubor Tokoš
dopravní policista
Marie Štrampachová
Voice by Eva Svobodová
Rouskova teta
Svatopluk Skládal
učitel Keprle
Jarmila Beránková
učitelka
Zdena Burdová
učitelka
Běla Jurdová
učitelka
Miriam Kantorková
učitelka
Luďa Marešová
učitelka
Milan Jonáš
učitel
Bohumil Koška
učitel
Stanislav Litera
učitel
Jiří Krytinář
učitel zmenšování v čarodějnické škole
Miloslav Balcar
učitel v čarodějnické škole
Jana Boušková
žákyně čarodějnické školy
Renée Nachtigallová
žákyně čarodějnické školy
Milena Steinmasslová
žákyně čarodějnické školy
Marie Bílá
příšera v čarodějnické škole
Karel Vítek
příšera v čarodějnické škole
Vladimír Ptáček
taxikář
Vítězslav Černý
krmič v zoo
Stanislav Hájek
pomocník
Zdeněk Novák
muž pod autem
Vít Pešina
zřízenec
Johana Saudková
zdravotní sestra
Robert Vrchota
Voice by Jan Kraus
žák Miky Rousek v podobě stěhováka
Ladislav Mrnka
Voice by Vlastimil Zavřel
žák Bohouš Adámek v podobě stěhováka
Karel Pavlík
Voice by Michal Hejný
žák Čenda Bujnoch v podobě stěhováka
Vladimír Foukal
Voice by Jan Kraus
žák Miky Rousek v podobě biskupa
Jiří Vašků
Voice by Vlastimil Zavřel
žák Bohouš Adámek v podobě biskupa
Karel Augusta
Voice by Michal Hejný
žák Čenda Bujnoch v podobě biskupa
Otto Lackovič
Voice by Jan Kraus
žák Miky Rousek v podobě Inda
Miloš Vavruška
Voice by Vlastimil Zavřel
žák Bohouš Adámek v podobě Inda
Lubor Tokoš
Voice by Michal Hejný
žák Čenda Bujnoch v podobě Inda
Jarmila Čermáková
loutkoherečka
Josef Jakoubek
loutkoherec
Karel Nikolau
loutkoherec
Blanka Vrbecká
loutkoherečka
Dubbing
Miloš Vavruška
hlas druhého dopravního policisty
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Art Director
Theodor Pištěk ml. (masky)
Set Designer
Eva Slívová, Jaroslav Chytrý, Dana Smržová
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Titles Designed by
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Miroslav Dousek, Gabriela Bašeová, Jaroslav Kučera
Unit Production Manager
Antonín Suchánek
Cooperation
Jarmila Kovtanová (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Songs
Saxana
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Petra Černocká
Světská sláva – polní tráva
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Václav Neckář
To už se nevrátí
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Helena Vondráčková
Production info
Original Title
Dívka na koštěti
Czech Title
Dívka na koštěti
English Title
The Girl on the Broom
Working Title
Saxana
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
comedy, fairytale
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1971
Production Year
1971
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 15 February 1971
technical Screenplay approved 20 April 1971
start of filming 26 May 1971
end of filming 26 August 1971
projection approval 5 November 1971
the first film copy approved 6 December 1971
Premiere
festival premiere 15 June 1972 (23. filmový festival pracujících – červen ´72)
premiere 7 September 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kina Sevastopol a Flora, Praha)
premiere 8 September 1972 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 18 November 2021 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1972), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2021)
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Ericha Švabíka, Erich Švabík (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
76 min
Original length in metres
2 152 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
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
Vítěz
Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival fantastických filmů a hororů Sitges
1973
Sitges / Spain
Oldřich Bosák
Vítěz
Festival: 10. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1972
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 10. mezinárodní festival vědeckofantastických filmů Terst
1972
Terst / Italy
Vítěz
Festival: 23. filmový festival pracujících – červen ´72
1972
43 měst / Czechoslovakia
