The Case of the Dead Man

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1974

Premiere

30 May 1975

Runtime

99 min

Director

Dušan Klein

Category

film

Genre

crime, spy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Případ mrtvého muže

Czech title

Případ mrtvého muže

English title

The Case of the Dead Man

Working title

Stará stopa

Summary

Director Dušan Klein made a sequence of popular crime dramas during the 1970s. However, Případ mrtvého muže (The Case of the Dead Man, 1974) stands apart from Jeden z nich je vrah (One of Them Is the Murderer, 1970), Zatykač na královnu (A Warrant Against the Queen, 1973) and Sázka na třináctku (A Bet on Thirteen, 1977) in that it was set during the 1950s and draws on the decade’s heightened Cold War themes. The film was also inspired by a real murder case which had not been solved. This spy-crime thriller centres on efforts by police to uncover the identity of a Western spy. Among the suspects is a deaf-mute man with amnesia, as doubts emerge that Karel Neumann is feigning his impairments... An actor of Slovak descent Július Vašek stars in this mostly unremarkable feature. The role of the investigator trying to uncover Neumann’s true identity was a familiar one for Jaroslav Moučka.

Synopsis

The year is 1955. An agent in a balloon trespasses the West frontier, immediately afterwards shoots dead the driver of a lorry awaiting him in the woods, and takes to flight. The body buried under the stones and the gondola balloons is soon found. The finger prints at the bottle belong to the waiter Voráč who fled last year to Austria. The investigators Major Sojka and Captain Erba are tipping of the persons, detained last time at the frontier, a deaf-and-dumb man. The man puts down at the slip of paper his name Karel Neumann and also the statement that he suffers loss of memory. The doctors after thorough examination do not eliminate deafness and amnesia. Neumann is released and takes up work in the sand-pit. There is successfully arrested Voráč but he has nothing to do with murder. Neumann becomes friends with nurse Vacková. An other trace leads to the town of Carlsbad. In the meantime a badly braked car almost runs over Neumann and the endured shock returns him speech and hearing. His photograph, printed due to the accent of his speech in Polish newspapers, brings to the police Mrs Sosnowská. Nevertheless, face to face to the old woman Neumann denies that he is her son missing since the war. He marries Vacková and assumes her surname. The barman at Carlsbad, cooperating with the police, invites the agent for a meeting. To the dining car in a train there comes Neumann and after grasping he is disclosed he jumps out of the train during journey and he shoots himself dead.

Film online

Cast

Július Vašek

agent-dělník Karel Neumann, později Karel Vacek, vlastním jménem Florek Sosnowski

Jaroslav Moučka

major VB Sojka

Václav Mareš

kapitán VB Erba

Libuše Švormová

zdravotní sestra Vacková, později Karlova žena

Karla Chadimová

agentka-artistka Sylva Neuwirthová

Josef Somr

agent-číšník Ladislav Voráč

Bohumil Šmída

agent-řidič Hanzi Carona, Sylvin asistent

Jaroslav Satoranský

kriminalista poručík VB Tesař

Miroslav Moravec

kriminalista poručík VB Konrád

Jan Schánilec

kriminalista podporučík VB Klimeš

Zita Kabátová

Polka Sosnowská, Florkova matka

Leon Niemczyk

polský kriminalista plukovník Tokarz

Jaroslav Cmíral

barman Kaiser

Miroslav Vladyka

Voice by Gustav Bubník
Jarek, syn Vackové

Zdena Burdová

dělnice Zdena

Karel Vochoč

dělník Máček

Vladimír Hrabánek

dělník Standa

Jan Kuželka

tlustý dělník

Tomáš Töpfer

Voice by Jan Faltýnek
dělník Fred

Viktor Maurer

dělník Kondr

Vladimír Leraus

profesor MUDr. Sládek, lékař v ústavu pro hluchoněmé

Miloš Willig

MUDr. Bauer

Milan Riehs

MUDr. Jahn

Pavel Jiras

řidič náklaďáku

Petr Skarke

poručík letectva

Miloš Zavřel

kriminalista z pohraničí

Václav Hladík

kriminalista z Karlových Varů

Věra Vlčková

Jaroslava, Voráčova žena, rozená Nývltová

Jiří Wohanka

montér Jiří, Voráčův bratr

Gustav Heverle

garážmistr

Zdeněk Hess

poručík Pohraniční stráže

Jarmila Šmídová

Voice by Luba Skořepová
úřednice na poště

Jiřina Bílá

Voice by Luba Skořepová
matrikářka

Magdalena Rychlíková

zdravotní sestra

Vladimír Gacík

Voice by Mirko Musil
řidič sedanu

Václav Hrůza

fotograf

Josef Koza

Voice by Mirko Musil
vlakvedoucí

Naděžda Bachnerová

servírka

Josef Starosta

tanečník

Judita Martínková

tanečnice

Stanislava Martínková

tanečnice

Daniela Vondráčková

tanečnice

Stanislav Novotný

kapelník

Václav Král

hudebník

Wolfgang Hauer

hudebník

Pavel Štemberk

hudebník

Jan Vacek

hudebník

Jiří Plachý

dubl za Júlia Vaška

Ludvík Wolf

dubl za Josefa Somra

Crew and creators

Director

Dušan Klein

Second Unit Director

Milan Muchna

Assistant Director

Jiří Prokeš

Screenplay

Jindřich Kühnel, Dušan Klein, Václav Šašek, Karel Cop (spolupráce na dialozích)

Shooting Script

Dušan Klein

Director of Photography

Jiří Stöhr

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Jokl

Production Designer

Karel Vacek

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Sedláček

Set Designer

Zdeněk Jeřábek (vedoucí výpravy), Rudolf Kinský, Pavel Šťastný

Costume Designer

Svatava Sophová

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Jana Koubová, Ladislav Beneš

Unit Production Manager

Miloslav Černohlávek

Consultant

František Blanař

Music

Music Composed by

Svatopluk Havelka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Lavička v jasmínu

Song Composer Miloslav Ducháč
Writer of Lyrics Miroslav Zikán
Singer Yvetta Simonová

Dva modré balónky

Song Composer Bedřich Nikodem
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Hořec
Singer Josef Zíma

Production info

Original Title

Případ mrtvého muže

Czech Title

Případ mrtvého muže

English Title

The Case of the Dead Man

Working Title

Stará stopa

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime, spy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1974

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 8 January 1974
start of filming 2 May 1974
technical Screenplay approved 21 June 1974
end of filming 3 December 1974
projection approval 20 December 1974

Premiere

festival premiere 21 February 1975 (13. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha /kino Světozor, Praha/)
premiere 8 May 1975 /suitable for youths/ (kino 64 U Hradeb, Praha)
premiere 30 May 1975 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

99 min

Original length in metres

2 781 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Polish

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech