What Is the Colour of Love?

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production year

1973

Premiere

4 January 1974

Runtime

88 min

Category

film

Genre

love story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jakou barvu má láska

Czech title

Jakou barvu má láska

English title

What Is the Colour of Love?

Summary

Director Zbyněk Brynych has to his credit several love stories associated with the atmosphere of the given times. Žižkovská romance (A Local Romance, 1958) was delivered with a civilism that was unusual for the end of the fifties, while Transport z ráje (A Convoy Leaving Paradise, 1962) explored the then highly taboo subject of the holocaust (benefiting from a relaxation of censorship). In contrast, this 1973 love story is deliberately attuned to the approved trends of the era's “normalisation”. The story's heroes are young TV reporter Cyril and chemical engineer Milena, who experience “exemplary” love within a manufacturing environment. There are no obstacles in their way. Even Milena’s relatively unsubstantial problems at work are in the end satisfactorily resolved. The main roles are taken by Vaclav Postránecký and Jaroslava Obermaierová, famous for the daring love scenes in Brynych’s film Souhvězdí Panny (Constellation of the Virgo, 1965).

Synopsis

Cyril Dadák, a TV reporter falls in love at first sight with a young engineer Milena while he makes a reportage in a chemical factory. Milena has been dating for several years with a test driver Pavel, however when she meets Cyril she feels that he might be the Mr Right. She accepts Cyril's invitation for a date and she spends a night with him. In the morning she finds in her flat Pavel. She wants to explain to him everything but Pavel makes coffee with a smile and gives her back the keys from the flat. Milena takes her relationship with Cyril seriously. She spends all her spare time with him. Her work in the research of a new plastic and in the social commission of the municipality legs behind. On a holiday at the sea side she tells him that she is pregnant. Cyril is happy. After they come back home they visit Milena's parents and then they have a wedding. Milena's problems at work and also in the children's home which she takes care about in her function get solved. She gets labour pangs at work and soon she gives birth to her and Cyril's daughter. Pavel is happy as well, he found a new girl-friend - a nurse Milena.

Cast

Václav Postránecký

televizní reportér Cyril Dadák

Rudolf Jelínek

zkušební řidič Pavel Pospíšil

Jaroslava Obermaierová

inženýrka Milena Šulcová, vývojová pracovnice

Jiřina Švorcová

Karla, Milenina kolegyně a kamarádka

Jana Dítětová

Šulcová, Milenina matka

Jaroslav Rozsíval

Šulc, Milenin otec

Josef Větrovec

lékař na jednotce intenzivní péče

Ilja Prachař

Hlavsa, Milenin nadřízený

Jan Libíček

řidič Klásek

Otakar Brousek

Morávek, Milenin kolega

Karolina Slunéčková

barmanka Hedvika

Viktor Maurer

Otík Ryšánek, Milenin kolega

Kateřina Macháčková

zdravotní sestra Milena Grosová

Vladimír Krška

inženýr Havránek

Josef Dvořák

otec Kovář

Radúz Chmelík

obrýlený muž v laboratoři

Hanuš Bor

Voice by Petr Skarke
předseda SSM

Josef Burda

Voice by Josef Vinklář
důchodce Mácha

Jan Pohan

praporčík VB

Stanislav Šupka

podpraporčík VB

Ludmila Roubíková

vrátná v porodnici

Božena Böhmová

ředitelka dětského domova

Josefa Pechlátová

Voice by Eva Svobodová
stařičká teta

Vladimír Čermák

řečník

Zora Jiráková

úřednice na VB

Oleg Reif

televizní režisér

Alena Motyčková

Voralová

Jan Kuželka

střihač v televizi

Eva Vlachová

zdravotní sestra

Radim Vašinka

vypravěč

Michaela Mišková

sekretářka Věra

Milan Klacek

uvaděč

René Gabzdyl

Voice by Petr Skarke
televizní hlasatel

Karel Fiala

pracovník laboratoře

Erich Fichtner

pracovník laboratoře

Jindřich Heidelberg

pracovník laboratoře

Anita Jassiková

pracovníce laboratoře

František Skalský

pracovník laboratoře

Dagmar Zusková

pracovnice laboratoře

Věra Štěpánková

televizní střihačka

Vojtěch Španihel

člen závodní stráže

Antonín Sedlák

Pavlík

Helena Klusáková

zdravotní sestra v nemocnici

Jarmila Horská

vysoká žena

Vladimír Zoubek

muž s cigaretou

Pavel Burian

televizní režisér

Zdeňka Vanišová

správcová

Petr Prokop

televizní kameraman

Eduard Peroutka

dědeček v nemocnici

Zdena Pavlátová

žena ve skleníku

Božena Králová

číšnice v podniku

Alena Janošková

mladá recepční

Jiří Flíček

muž v montérkách

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Zdena Pavlátová

Assistant Director

Antonín Kopřiva

Shooting Script

Zbyněk Brynych, Jan Kališ

Dramaturg

Josef Bouček

Director of Photography

Jan Kališ

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Holan

Camera Operator

Jan Hanzal

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Jan Hodný, Jaroslav Chytrý, Karel Kočí

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Šulcová

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Jaroslav Vágner

Cooperation

Alexandra Tachezyová (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Sternwald

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Jakou barvu má láska

Czech Title

Jakou barvu má láska

English Title

What Is the Colour of Love?

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

love story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production Year

1973

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 30 October 1972
start of filming 2 January 1973
technical Screenplay approved 24 January 1973
end of filming 10 August 1973
projection approval 22 August 1973

Premiere

gala premiere 3 January 1974 (Kulturní dům, Neratovice)
premiere 4 January 1974 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 31 January 1974 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 450 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