Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1974

Premiere

30 August 1974

Runtime

98 min

Director

Oldřich Lipský

Genre

comedy

Typology

featurelong

Original title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

Czech title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

English title

Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Working Title

Vysoká fáze

Summary

In August 1974 Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak established themselves as screenwriters with the timeless tragicomedy Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!). They later worked with directory Oldřich Lipský on the student comedy „Marečku, podejte mi pero!“ (“Mareček, Please Pass Me a Pen!”). With the help of the writing duo, from 1976 associated with the Jára Cimrman Theatre, Lipský, then 50, found a way to come to terms creditably with the realities of the normalisation period. The king of Czech cinema parody after the escapist Slaměný klobouk (Straw Hat) (1971), children’s comedy 6 medvědů s Cibulkou (Six Bears and Cibulka) (1972) and agrarian agitprop Tři chlapi na cestách (Three Men Travelling) (1973), he shot his very first distinctively “casual” comedy bereft of fantasy elements. The story of timid young tractor driver František Koudelka, who moves from the country to Prague, revolves around a normalisation-era fad – the “conditiogram”. The makers succeeded in going beyond the standards of the period and created an “existential” comedy about man being the master of his own destiny. The shy, indecisive František organises his life completely on the basis of computer-generated plans specifying “happy” and “crisis” days for all activities. While on bad days the goodhearted naïf becomes a passive victim of his usual ineptness and misfortune, on “good days” he impresses the girl of his dreams, the sales assistant Blanka (Marta Vančurová), triumphs over an arrogant barman and wins a judo bout and motor race. Jam-packed with ideas, the picture is a Czech comedic gem, thanks to numerous charming scenes, enduring dialogue and above all perfect casting. Luděk Sobota, then a 29-year-old theatre actor, particularly stands out in his first sizable film part. The titular computer technician Jáchym is played by Petr Brukner in a cameo that lasts mere seconds.

Synopsis

A sincere provincial young man, František Koudelka leaves to work in Prague. For the trip he buys a computer made horoscope with biorhythms charts, marked according to his date of birth, there are trappy, precarious, unsuccessful and even critical days and few successful days. The clumsy luckless person František has finally a guidance for his life. In Prague he takes up work in a car repair service and he stays with his widowed aunt Mrs Sýkorová who definitely prefers her beloved dog Gregor. The company psychologist warns František. The car mechanics get big bribes from customers and it happens often that this flow of money makes many of them crazy. In a snack-bar, at the toast department works Blanka, the girl of his dreams. Despite his shyness he starts dating her after all. Barman Karel from the snack-bar is not happy to see that and he insults his competitor in love. The young man joins a judo club. He plans a revenge on Karel on the twenty-seventh - the nearest successful day. He goes to cinema repeatedly and he trains the punches according to the sheriff from the film. On the twenty-seventh František wins unexpectedly a judo match and a car race. He is forced to open an exhibition dressed up in the judo kimono. Full of energy he calls attention of the company psychologist. He calls attendants from a psychiatrist clinic. But they catch somebody else. In the end they save František from the revengeful Karel. After years František and Blanka live with their children in the countryside. An apology from the company which used to send him for years wrong horoscopes with biorhythms comes too late. František is happy and everything goes well. Just the new car which the company sent as a compensation went down to the nearest pond.

Film online

Photos

Eva Fiedlerová

majitelka renaulta Nevyjelová

Tetsuchi Sassagawa

japonský malíř Uko Ješita

Oldřich Unger

předseda výstavního výboru

Jana Posseltová

sestra na psychiatrii

Ivan Martin

pán

Jana Drastíková

elegantní dáma

Dana Klossová

elegantní dáma

Olga Hrzánová

elegantní dáma

Petr Hájek

snaživý mechanik

Petr Brukner

manipulátor Jáchym

Alena Augustová

slečna pokladní v servisu

Josef Brozman

adept s pochroumanou rukou

Jiří Mašín

judista

Zdeněk Hrdlička

judista

Karel Vítek

rváč v restauraci

Jaroslav Klenot

rváč v restauraci

Václav Kejha

dubl za Petra Hájka

Václav Syřiště

dubl za Petra Nárožného

pes Andy

boxer Gregor

Crew and creators

Director

Oldřich Lipský

Second Unit Director

Aleš Dospiva

Assistant Director

Jiří Býček

Script Supervisor

Marie Hejzlarová

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Vokr

Set Designer

Ladislav Winkelhöfer, Antonín Chloupek, Vladimír Ježek, Krištof Žižka

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Costumes

Ludmila Ondráčková, Marie Veselá

Make-Up Artist

František Čížek, Vlasta Ulbertová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Frimlová, Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Přemysl Pražský, Milana Melcerová

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslava Semrádová

Cooperation

Kateřina Koňasová (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO

Music Conducted by

František Belfín (FISYO)

Songs

Nepátrej ve snáři

Songwriter

Zdeněk Liška (Nepátrej ve snáři)

Singer

mužský hlas (Nepátrej ve snáři)

Production info

Original Title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

English Title

Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Working Title

Vysoká fáze

Typology

feature

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1974

Premiere

30 August 1974

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1974), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2021)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Lenght

long

Runtime

98 min

Versions

Czech

Subtitles

without subtitles

Awards

Vítěz

Exhibition: 3. mezinárodní přehlídka humoristických filmů La Coruña

1975
La Caruña / Spain

Vítěz

Festival: 13. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Lipský

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Lipský

Vítěz

Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu za rok 1974

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Kučera

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Marta Vančurová

Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Working Title

Summary

Synopsis

Film online

Photos

Cast

Eva Fiedlerová

Tetsuchi Sassagawa

Oldřich Unger

Jana Posseltová

Ivan Martin

Jana Drastíková

Dana Klossová

Olga Hrzánová

Petr Hájek

Alena Augustová

Josef Brozman

Jiří Mašín

Zdeněk Hrdlička

Václav Kejha

pes Andy

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Script Supervisor

Screenstory

Screenplay

Shooting Script

Script Editor

Camera

Second Unit Photography

Camera Operator

Production Designer

Assistent Production Designer

Set Designer

Costume Designer

Costumes

Make-Up Artist

Film Editor

Assistant Film Editor

Sound Designer

Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Cooperation

Music

Music Composed by

Music Performed by

Music Conducted by

Songs

Songwriter

Singer

Production info

Original Title

English Title

Working Title

Category

Typology

Genre

Origin country

Copyright

Production Year

Premiere

Production

Copyright Holders