A Search for Mr Tau
Country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, AustriaCopyright
1972Production year
1969—1971Premiere
5 May 1972Runtime
30 minDirector
Jindřich PolákCategory
filmGenre
childrenTypology
featuretheatrical distributionshortOriginal title
Hledá se pan TauCzech title
Hledá se pan TauEnglish title
A Search for Mr TauParallel title
Pan Tau wird gesuchtWorking title
Pan Tau VSynopsis
Small Claudie lost a figurine of Mr Tau. Her grandfather offers a great reward to the finder. This information together with an amateurish Claudie's drawing spreads around the whole world. Mr Tau is searched also by Emil's bunch of children, who also like the magic little man. Claudie makes friends with the children. While they are searching together the children are brought by the smart dog Žerýk to the shop Lost and Found Property. The morose boss has the figurine, but when the children tell him that the figurine can conjure, he does not give it to them. He learns how to deal with the bowler hat and he starts conjuring. He keeps Mr Tau who grew in a human size in his warehouse. He does not know that the surrounding of the house is watched by Žerýk and other dogs.
Note
The story Search for Mr. Tau was distributed in cinemas in a block of two other stories: Mr. Tau and Thousand Spells and Mr. Tau and a Taxi Driver.
The first (I.) series of thirteen medium-length films about Mr Tau was created in the years 1969–1972. It was first launched in cinemas, in series composed of two parts and accompanied by a cartoon movie (1. Mr Tau Arrives, 2. Mr Tau Gives Presents, 3. Mr Tau at the Mountains, 4. Mr Tau and Sunday, 5. Mr Tau Goes to School, 6. Mr Tau and Cold!, 7. Mr Tau and Claudia, 8. Mr Tau Will Handle It, 9. Mr Tau and Trip around the World, 10. Mr Tau in Circus, 11. Mr Tau and the Taxi Driver, 12. Mr Tau Wanted, 13. Mr Tau and a Thousand Miracles). In the Czechoslovak Television, the series was first introduced in December 1972. Due to its success, another thirteen parts (II.) were filmed in 1973–1975, this time intended exclusively for television (1. Mr Tau Returns, 2. Mr Tau and Robinson, 3. Mr Tau and Too Big Balloon, 4. Mr Tau and Dog Goaty-Dog, 5. Mr Tau and Family Celebration, 6. Mr Tau Goes to Work, 7. Mr Tau and Five Pears and Three Apples, 8. Mr Tau and Black Umbrella, 9. Mr Tau and Big Dog, 10. Mr Tau and Tree-Frog. 11. Mr Tau and Alladin Lamp, 12. Mr Tau and Golden Suitcase, 13. Mr Tau Leaves). The third (III.) and last (seven-part) series was filmed in the years 1977 and 1978 (1. Alert in the Sky, 2. Elephant Hunt, 3. Night at Safari, 4. Mr Tau and Woman-Magician, 5. Mr Tau at Pioneer Camp, 6. Mr Tau – And Which Is the Right One?, 7. No Magic from Tomorrow). On TV, the third series was introduced as a series in the original form and was edited for the film distribution into two feature films Alert in the Sky and No Magic from Tomorrow. The popular bowlered hero last appeared in the feature film Mr Tau, created by a German-Czechoslovak co-production in 1988.
Photos
Cast
Otto Šimánek
pan Tau
Jan Werich
bohatý pan Viola
Veronika Renčová
Claudie, Violova vnučka
Miloš Kopecký
vousáč, vedoucí Ztrát a nálezů
Josef Filip
Emil
Josef Vytasil
kluk-cvalík
Jaroslav Ševčík
pihovatý kluk
Jan Vyčítal (2)
vlasatý kluk
Hana Hátleová
holka s mašlí
Jana Skřivánková
holka s kočkami
Ladislav Krečmer
vedoucí cukrárny
Helena Pelikánová
prodavačka
Zdena Dančíková
prodavačka
Vlastimil Fišar
ředitel Interpolicie
Arnošt Navrátil
policista
Jiří Fictum
dubl za Miloše Kopeckého
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Jiří Potsch, Robert Vacík
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Jaroslav Tuzar, Vladimír Malík (loutková část)
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Art Director
Stanislav Látal (loutková část)
Set Designer
Jan Petrů, Václav Pošta, Jiří Žůček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jan Syrový, Martin Baroch, Dana Dudová
Unit Production Manager
Lucie Hertlová
Cooperation
Dagmar Ševčíková (klapka), Josef Vítek (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Songs
Zaprášený blues
Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří BažantVlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Ota Hofman
Singer Miloš Kopecký
Production info
Original Title
Hledá se pan Tau
Czech Title
Hledá se pan Tau
English Title
A Search for Mr Tau
Parallel Title
Pan Tau wird gesucht
Working Title
Pan Tau V
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
children
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria
Copyright
1972
Production Year
1969—1971
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 4 March 1969
start of filming 28 July 1969
end of filming 26 September 1971
projection approval 18 February 1972
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995
Premiere
premiere 5 May 1972 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 11 May 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kino Hvězda, Praha)
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Ericha Švabíka, Erich Švabík (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
short film
Duration in minutes
30 min
Original length in metres
842 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
