How to Drown Dr Mráček or The End of Water Sprites in Bohemia

comedy

Typology

feature

Czech title

Jak utopit dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách

Runtime

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1974

Premiere

14.03.1975

Language version

Czech

Director

Václav Vorlíček

Summary

One of the most popular titles in Václav Vorlíček’s extensive filmography remains Jak utopit dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách (How to Drown Dr Mráček or The End of Water Sprites in Bohemia), a 1974 fantasy comedy. As well as the director’s favourite collaborator Miloš Macourek, the author of the book on which it was based, Petr Markov also contributed to the screenplay. In the contemporary fairy tale the titular hero – the young lawyer Jindřich Mráček (Jaromír Hanzlík) – attempts conscientiously to find new, more dignified and healthy accommodation for a family living in a damp house on Prague’s Kampa. He has no idea that they are water sprites, who are not at all enthused by the idea of a dry prefab apartment building. The head of the family Mr. Wasserman (Miloš Kopecký) decides to get rid of the persistent official. This is complicated, however, by the romance growing between Jindřich and his niece Jana (Libuše Šafránková). An interesting aspect of the colourful story is the fact that there are ethnic and social differences within the water sprite community: Wasserman, his wife Matylda (Míla Myslíková) and their spoiled daughter Polly are “bourgeois” nobs but rely on the assistance of their poor, hard-working relatives the Vodičkovýs. Wasserman has further problems with a negative assessment of the standards of the moribund domestic water sprite community, even earning reprimands at a conference in Hamburg… After Dívka na koštěti (The Girl on the Broom, 1971) it was another genre picture in which the Vorlíček-Macourek double-act looked at a strongly idealised present through fairy tale creatures. Water sprites replace the staff at a school of wizardry but this time the narrative is based on the adversity that divides a “mixed” couple: a human young man and a “different” girl. Again the loss of magical powers plays a role. In order to remain in the human world, the young witch Saxana needed a draught of sage. The water sprite Jana must choose between two tried and tested options: sex or the ingestion or transfusion of (any non-sprite) blood. Despite the playful nature of this motif (which is also applied to West German youths meant to revive the moribund Czech water sprite population), it is typical of 1970s cinematography: “disenchantment” is after all also a curious form of normalisation.

Synopsis

In the Prague quarter Kampa the main Czech water sprite Wasserman lives with his wife Matylda and their spoiled daughter Polly. Three brothers called Vodička take care of their wealth by hard work - Bertík, the manager of boat livery, Karel, the life guard, and Alois, the diver with his daughter Jana. Matylda is not at all thankful, although the Vodičkas are her own brothers. The devoted Alois gets for his work at the Rescue Service a contract for a new flat. A young officer doctor of laws Mráček, who is supposed to put out the family and let the house pull down doesn't know that the wet residence suits the family tremendously. At a conference in Hamburg Wasserman receives a reprimand. Water sprites in Bohemia are dying out. They can loose their immortality and magic talents easily. It is enough to eat blood, to get a blood-transfusion, or to make love with a normal mortal. In this way the last Czech young water sprites and even the foreign suitors sent for Polly and Jana disappeared. Mráček insists on the vacation of the house and so the Vodičkas drown him. The unsuspecting Jana saves his life immediately by giving him the kiss of life. The couple starts to date together. Karel opposes his family and changes Matylda into a packet of flour and then gets rid of his immortality by a transfusion. Mráček's mother bakes a cherry soufflé from the found packet of flour. Jana saves the re-drowned Mráček again when she brings his soul in a mug to the mortuary. After various calamities the only water sprite is Wasserman and his Matylda risen in to giant size.

Note

Actor Jan Libíček started to shoot the part of Alois, after his sudden death Zdeněk Řehoř took this part over.

Film online

Photos

Jiří Vašků

důchodce

Jan Janků

úspěšný vodník

Rudolf Růžička (2)

cizí vodník

Jiří Suchánek

naháč

Pavel Kužela

skokan do vody

Antonín Filípek

skokan do vody

František Horek

plavec

Jaromír Laštovka

plavec

Karel Schumpeter

plavec

Eva Hnátková

tanečnice v baru

Kristina Márová

tanečnice v baru

Jitka Nováková (2)

tanečnice v baru

Miloslav Kučaba

hudebník v baru

Max Kulhavý

hudebník v baru

Jiří Stárek

hudebník v baru

Evžen Straka

hudebník v baru

Zdeněk Šimůnek

hudebník v baru

Dubbing

Lubor Tokoš

hlas taxikáře

Crew and creators

Director

Václav Vorlíček

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour

Assistant Director

Robert Vacík, Olga Hrčková

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Mathauserová, Věra Winkelhöferová

Unit Production Manager

Daniela Norová

Consultant

Jaroslav Sus

Cooperation

Olga Hrčková, Alena Červená, Gabriela Globočníková, Magda Hájková, Ruth Čálková, Bohumil Nový

Music

Music Composed by

Vítězslav Hádl, Vítězslav Hádl (Pár svých duší mít – píseň)

Music Performed by

FISYO, Orchestr Karla Vágnera

Music Conducted by

Štěpán Koníček (FISYO), Karel Vágner (Orchestr Karla Vágnera)

Songs

Znala panna pána, Pár svých duší mít

Songwriter

Vítězslav Hádl (Znala panna pána), Vítězslav Hádl (Pár svých duší mít)

Writer of Lyrics

Petr Markov (Znala panna pána), Petr Markov (Pár svých duší mít)

Singer

Václav Neckář (Znala panna pána), Helena Vondráčková (Znala panna pána), Valerie Čižmárová (Pár svých duší mít)

Production info

Original Title

Jak utopit dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách

English Title

How to Drown Dr Mráček or The End of Water Sprites in Bohemia

Working Title

Jak utopit dr. Mráčka

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1974

Premiere

14.03.1975

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

Vladimír Kalina

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Versions

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 14. mezinárodní festival vědeckofantastických filmů Terst

1976
Terst / Italy

Vítěz

Exhibition: 4. mezinárodní přehlídka humoristických filmů La Coruña

1976
La Coruña / Spain

Vítěz

Event: Mezinárodní technická filmová soutěž při kongresu Mezinárodní unie filmových kritků Moskva

1976
Moska / Russia

How to Drown Dr Mráček or The End of Water Sprites in Bohemia

Typology

Czech title

Runtime

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Language version

Director

Summary

Synopsis

Note

Film online

Photos

Cast

Jiří Vašků

Jan Janků

Rudolf Růžička (2)

Jiří Suchánek

Pavel Kužela

Antonín Filípek

František Horek

Jaromír Laštovka

Karel Schumpeter

Eva Hnátková

Kristina Márová

Jitka Nováková (2)

Miloslav Kučaba

Max Kulhavý

Jiří Stárek

Evžen Straka

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Screenstory

Screenplay

Shooting Script

Script Editor

Camera

Second Unit Photography

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

Consultant

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