Clucking Hens and the King

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1973—1974

Premiere

14 June 1974

Runtime

81 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kvočny a Král

Czech title

Kvočny a Král

English title

Clucking Hens and the King

Summary

Mirroring the story found in Miloš Forman’s Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde, 1965), this 1974 film from Jaromír Borek is based on a novel by Karel Štorkán. Young workwoman Jana lives in a small town, which, thanks to its large textile plant, has a major demographic skew towards women. Instead of Forman’s bitter-sweet take on a socially awkward situation, Kvočny a Král (Clucking Hens and the King) offers a cautionary tale about how a delinquent, criminally inclined young man is guided towards a righteous path by a young woman’s love. While the role of Jana went to experienced young actress Milena Steinmasslová, the role of Jirka, the reformed former head of criminal gang “Král”, is played by Erik Tabery. This grandson of actor-writer-director Zdeňek Štěpánek, and father of journalist Erik Tabery, Jr., returned to the silver screen as a film actor only one more time, in Tchán (Father-in-Law, 1979). The part of Jan’s brother Pindi, who gives in to the allure of the gang, is played by Vladimír Dlouhý.

Synopsis

Police find a girl with a bleeding face in a small town park at night. First the girl, a textile factory worker Jana, refuses to talk, and then she decides to tell the truth. After her father's death she, by herself, takes care of her younger brother called Pinďa. She does not like the influence that a gang of older boys from the factory exercise over her brother. The gang leader Jirka, called Král (King), is admire by local girls whose number exceeds boys in the town because there are many textile factories where only girls are working. They easily yield to him and then he easily gets rid of them. Jana is a hard nut for him. She refuses his purposeful courtesy and thus she unintentionally gets his attention. Král inspires the gang on how to get money by stealing textile from the factory warehouse. While the others wait, Jirka starts to date Jana and he turns better under her influence. Once he had not finished a high school in a near town as he was unjustly blamed of stealing. Now he wants to misuse Jana and get the keys through Jana to the warehouse. He confesses Jana, but she is shocked and rejects his apology. The gang decides to steal even without Král and Jana trying to warn Pinďa is attacked by one of the boys. The thieves including Jana's brother were taken up. In front of the police station Jirka is waiting for Jana.

Cast

Milena Steinmasslová

textilní dělnice Jana Doubravová

Erik Tabery

Jiří Dvořáček zvaný Král, vůdce party

Vladimír Dlouhý

Janin bratr Pinďa

Miloš Ryčl

Charly

Jaroslav Pešice

Voice by Josef Abrhám
tovární mistr Jaroslav Pacovský

Alice Hašová

Magda

Dalibora Horáčková

Mamina

Eva Lichnovská

Naďa

Oldřich Velen

praporčík VB

Michal Pavlata

nadstrážmistr VB

Viktor Maurer

mistr Periskop

Mirko Musil

nádražák

Eva Bartošová

Zuzana

Milena Borovičková

Ofina

Lejla Bernášková

Rezina

Eva Harantová

Baronka

Ivana Havlíková

Špejle

Věra Havránková

Hlavatka

Eva Karletzová

Pihatka

Helena Kořínková

Midina

Hana Sládková

Puflík

Jaroslava Šimonová

Ilona

Jiřina Uhrová

Jeňa

František Kraus

děda s rýčem

Tomáš Krčma

skokan do vody

Jaroslav Smola

obtloustlý příslušník VB

Jiří Ondráček

dubl – plochodrážní jezdec

Pavel Strnad

dubl – plochodrážní jezdec

Alexandr Pogorelský

dubl – plochodrážní jezdec

zaměstnanci podniku Benar Benešov nad Ploučnicí

zaměstnanci podniku Velveta Varnsdorf

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Ondřej Friedl, Jiří Mikeťuk

Assistant Director

Zdeněk Touš

Continuity

Eva Truchlá

Screenstory

Karel Štorkán

Based on

Karel Štorkán (Kvočny a Král – povídka)

Director of Photography

Emil Sirotek

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Karel Hurský

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Set Designer

Jan Hodný, Jaroslav Chytrý, Karel Kočí

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Frimlová

Sound Designer

Milan R. Novotný

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Václav Havlík, Jan Vild

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Smola

Cooperation

Daniela Pilařová (klapka), Vladimír Souček (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Angelo Michajlov

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Writer of Lyrics

Eduard Krečmar

Songs

Kolem páté

Song Composer Aleš Sigmund
Writer of Lyrics Aleš Sigmund
Singer Martha ElefteriaduTena Elefteriadu

Production info

Original Title

Kvočny a Král

Czech Title

Kvočny a Král

English Title

Clucking Hens and the King

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1973—1974

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 29 May 1973
start of filming 25 June 1973
technical Screenplay approved 9 August 1973
end of filming 4 February 1974
projection approval 7 February 1974

Premiere

premiere 6 June 1974 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
premiere 14 June 1974 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

81 min

Original length in metres

2 275 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

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

Festival: 12. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1974
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 11. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1973
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Karel Štorkán