The Last Ball at the Pool
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1974Production year
1974Premiere
14 February 1975Runtime
82 minDirector
Ivo NovákCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárněCzech title
Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárněEnglish title
The Last Ball at the PoolSummary
Karel Štorkán adapted his novel into a screenplay for this war drama, directed in 1974 by Ivo Novák. The story follows the fate of students in the WWII year of 1944 who decide to ignore a ban on organising the annual ball of the teaching institute they attend in a small town. The arranged event at the local swimming pool ends up putting the life of the young protagonists in danger. Local resistance fighters are battling a merciless SS troop unit. Student Lenka does not manage to attend the ball when she is compelled to hide a wounded partisan at her home… The motion picture’s dramatic narration bowed to the contemporary stringencies imposed by Prague’s Barrandov film studios during the “normalisation” period. The film amounts to a simple assignment, but it is greatly boosted by the cast. The dominant roles are taken by Andrea Čunderlíková (brave student Lenka) and Josef Somr (the heroine’s unsuspecting father).
Synopsis
It is the year 1944. Despite the ban imposed by the German occupiers, students at a teacher training institute in a small town decide to hold a secret ball in the clubhouse of the swimming pool. Lenka is one of the students preparing for the ball, even though before his departure on a business trip her father has strictly forbidden her to get involved in any such thing. The initiator of the ball is Lenka's friend, the doctor's son Slávek Olejník. While the students are making preparations for the ball, members of a resistance group meet in the boiler room of the Sokol PE organization. They decide to send Vašek Potužník to warn a gamekeeper that he is in danger of betrayal, but before Vašek manages to get away, the town is surrounded by SS units that have been catching partisans in the surrounding woods. Only three manage to escape, and the others are shot against the wall of the Sokol building. Lenka is hesitating about whether to go to the ball. Her uncertainty ends when a wounded partisan appears in her family's yard. For his sake she goes to the ball in order to get medicines from Slávek. Slávek, however, will not help her, and nor will any of the others to whom Lenka appeals for aid. In the end her schoolmate Božka promises that she will take the partisan to a safe place for the night, but then Lenka's father arrives back unexpectedly early with the German factory director. On her return from the school Lenka finds him just in front of their house inviting the director in. The girl tries to prevent the visit. Hearing German, the hidden partisan tries to escape. In the exchange of fire that follows Lenka's father is killed, and the German director then shoots the partisan. Božka leads Lenka away to a hay barn on a hill, where the partisans are already waiting. Lenka offers to help them.
Photos
Cast
Andrea Čunderlíková
Voice by Jana Šulcová
studentka učitelského ústavu Lenka Doubravová
Josef Somr
technik Karel Doubrava, Lenčin otec
Bronislav Križan
partyzán Sergej
Kateřina Macháčková
studentka Božka
Jaromír Hanzlík
Vašek Potužník, Lenčin kamarád
Marie Drahokoupilová
profesorka Karmazínová
Vladimír Menšík
profesor tělocviku Čepelák
Petr Svojtka
student Slávek Olejník
Ilja Prachař
MUDr. Jaromír Olejník, Slávkův otec
Radovan Lukavský
německý ředitel továrny Ing. Bauman
Jaroslav Moučka
hajný Antonín Picka
David Filcík
člen odbojové skupiny Láďa Motl
Václav Kotva
profesor Josef Moutelík
Vladimír Stach
ředitel učitelského ústavu
Josef Langmiler
odbojář Sochor
Stanislav Litera
správce sokolovny
Vladimír Krška
profesor Zítek
Jindřich Narenta
profesor němčiny
Jaroslava Tvrzníková
partyzánka
Josef Váša
partyzán
Ivan Richter
partyzán
František Němec
major SS Knotke
Věra Budilová
Potužníková, Vaškova matka
Jiřina Třebická
milostpaní Uždilová
Vladislav Beneš
student Adámek
Jana Boušková
studentka s kudrnatými vlasy
Otakar Brousek ml.
student Vejvoda
Lucie Domesová
studentka s tmavými vlasy
Roman Skamene
student Plíva
Václav Vydra
student Hadraba
Lydie Havláková
studentka Jaryna
Jan Kraus
student Bednář
Dagmar Patrasová
studentka Eva
František Skřípek
student Zvěřina
Jana Válková
studentka s plavým copem
Jana Kulendová
studentka Jana
Lenka Kořínková
studentka se světlými vlasy
Petr Hanus
student Homolka
Josef Brozman
Pícha
Václav Bahník
Rosťa
Emilie Ryvolová
Rýdlová
Jan Pohan
velitel hlídky SS
Jan Kuželka
prodavač v domácích potřebách
Ludvík Pozník
scharführer SS
Václav Hladík
popravený partyzán
Zdeněk Mlčoch
popravený partyzán
Vítězslav Jirsák
unterscharführer SS
Hana Houbová
sousedka Richterová
Jaroslav Cmíral
Richter
Tomáš Haškovec
Novák
Jiří Pleskot
major SS
Karel Hábl
důstojník SS
Vladimír Štros
profesor Řeřicha
Libuše Procházková
studentka
Hana Vernerová
studentka
Taťána Radechovská
studentka
Zdeňka Rosolová
sousedka
Růžena Dvorská
sousedka
Inka Čekanová
sousedka
Miloš Šuster
soused
Vlastimil Bedrna
soused
Miroslav Kubišta
muž v okně
Dubbing
Oldřich Velen
hlas z obecního rozhlasu
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Jiří Prokeš
Continuity
Screenstory
Based on
Karel Štorkán (Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárně – novela)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský, Pavel Šťastný
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jana Koubová, Ladislav Beneš
Unit Production Manager
Hanuš Bečvár
Consultant
Cooperation
Marcela Žížalová (klapka), Vladimír Souček (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Songs
Svítá
Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jan WerichJiří Voskovec
Singer sbor
Modravé dálky
Song Composer Jiří Srnka
Don Juan waltz
Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Production info
Original Title
Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárně
Czech Title
Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárně
English Title
The Last Ball at the Pool
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1974
Production Year
1974
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 2 January 1974
start of filming 9 January 1974
technical Screenplay approved 22 February 1974
end of filming 9 August 1974
projection approval 21 August 1974
Premiere
gala premiere 23 January 1975 (kino Světozor, Praha)
festival premiere 24 January 1975 (26. filmový festival pracujících – zima ´75)
premiere 13 February 1975 /suitable for youths/ (kino Jalta, Praha)
premiere 14 February 1975 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
82 min
Original length in metres
2 339 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 13. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1975
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Andrea Čunderlíková
Vítěz
Event: Literární soutěž k 25. výročí Února
1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ivo Novák
Vítěz
Event: Literární soutěž k 25. výročí Února
1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Karel Štorkán
