The House in Poříčí Street

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production year

1976

Premiere

4 February 1977

Runtime

98 min

Director

Jiří Svoboda

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dům Na poříčí

Czech title

Dům Na poříčí

English title

The House in Poříčí Street

Summary

Karel Štorkán's novel Milión (Million) was inspired by a real event, namely the collapse of an unfinished house in Prague's Na poříčí street in October 1928. In 1976, director Jiří Svoboda shot a drama based on the book with the main character being that of young engineer Vondrák, who is accused of causing the tragedy. The young architect has sketched the project for a modern, steel and concrete building in a hurry and under pressure. The fate of the construction is shadowed by sharp practices when it comes to materials and the violation of safety regulations and norms. The collapse takes human lives and triggers a strike among Prague construction workers. The real culprits, however, escape punishment... Josef Šebek appears in the not very psychologically deep role of the hero, whereas the character of entrepreneur Vladimír Podrouška, who gives priority to women and amusements over the construction work, is excellently portrayed by the ironic Jiří Kodet.

Synopsis

Young engineer Vondrák is thrilled to be given his first independent assignment. The entrepreneur Podroušek entrusts him with the project for a modern reinforced concrete building. The deadline for completion is far too tight but Vondrák fears he would not be given another chance, and moreover his fiancée's father condition of approving his marriage depends on his employment. Vondrák pays no heed to his friend Cirkl's sensible reservations about the job. He works day and night and completes the plans in the six weeks demanded. The building work starts immediately. Podroušek's frivolous son Vladimír prefers the company of ladies and amusement to his duties supervising the builders. Worse still, he makes black-market deals with the building material and takes money for himself, while the building site manager Mužík ignores various breaches of safety regulations. Vondrák is shocked by the reckless disregard for the norms, his project and the technical procedures. But by the time he realises what has been happening, it is already too late to do anything. The weak beams break and the building collapses. There are dead and injured dead people in the wreckage. The pragmatic entrepreneur Podroušek is primarily concerned with saving his company and his son. The building workers from all over Prague are on strike, demanding better social conditions. Podroušek's blackmail forces Vondrák to accept full responsibility for the tragedy. At the court, backstage manoeuvring prevents the police inspector, the conscientious officer Uher, from telling the truth. The young Podroušek and Vondrák are let off with minimal sentences and in the end never spend a day in prison. The economic stress caused by the Great Depression has caused a far more terrible tragedy.

Note

The film was inspired by a real tragedy that happened in Prague in the 9th of October 1928 at the construstion site of an eight-storey building at the corner of Biskupská and Na Poříčí streets, which collapsed leaving forty-six people dead.

Photos

MUDr. Josef Jonáš

Voice by Antonín Hardt
chirurg v nemocnici

Gabriela Osvaldová

Lea, příslušnice zlaté mládeže

Jana Rabová

Helga, členka Vladimírovy party

Alice Hašová

Eva, příslušnice zlaté mládeže

Jiří Káš

Ota, příslušník zlaté mládeže

Jiří Pecháček

Hugo, člen Vladimírovy party

Milan Češka

Robert, člen Vladimírovy party

Miloslav Vajnar

polír Šimek

Júlia Jandíková

Věra, členka Vladimírovy party

Renée Nachtigallová

služebná

Čestmír Válek

strážník

Alena Augustová

žena u trosek

Jiří Stivín

hudebník –⁠ hráč na housle

Jaroslav Machač

hudebník –⁠ hráč ma trubku

Václav Harmáček

hudebník –⁠ hráč na violinofon

Zdeněk Hostek

hudebník –⁠ hráč na tenorsaxofon

Pavel Komzák

hudebník –⁠ hráč na altsaxofon

Milan Svoboda

hudebník –⁠ hráč na klavír

Ondřej Soukup

hudebník –⁠ hráč na kontrabas

Zdeněk Slezák

hudebník –⁠ hráč na kytaru

Zdeněk Šedivý

hudebník –⁠ hráč na trubku

Jan Žižka

hudebník –⁠ hráč na bicí

Jaroslava Benhartová

žena u nosítek

Dubbing

Viktor Maurer

hlas strážníka u trosek/hlas strážníka v nemocnici

Petr Pospíchal

hlas soudního zapisovatele

Crew and creators

Director

Jiří Svoboda

Second Unit Director

František Sádek

Assistant Director

Stanislav Ulver, Věra Justová

Based on

Karel Štorkán (Milion – novela)

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Vladimír Foukal, Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský, Pavel Šťastný

Costume Designer

Šárka Hejnová

Costumes

Bohumila Maršálková, Naděžda Hejnová

Make-Up Artist

Jiří Šimon, Marie Soudná, Ivana Bissingerová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Stunts

Josef Engel, Karel Engel, Zlatomil Fabinyi, Jiří Fajt, Josef Hrubý, Roman Hrudka, František Jákl, Miroslav Jíra, Jiří Kalenský, Jaroslav Klenot, Jiří Klenot, Petr Klír, Antonín Kramerius, Libuše Kosová, Ladislav Lahoda, Jaromír Lauer, Zdeněk Plavec, Vladimír Procházka, Jindřich Sejk, Oldřich Semerák, Zdeněk Srstka, Jaroslav Šanda, Jan Štěpánek, Jiří Vach, Jan Váňa, Karel Vítek

Production Manager

Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Milana Melcerová, Přemysl Pražský

Unit Production Manager

Viktor Schwarcz

Consultant

PhDr. Jan Galandauer, dr. Miroslav Lamač , arch. Antonín Zajíc

Cooperation

Dana Průchová (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Dům Na poříčí

Czech Title

Dům Na poříčí

English Title

The House in Poříčí Street

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production Year

1976

Premiere

premiere 4 February 1977 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Studio

Barrandov, Hostivař

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 740 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

The House in Poříčí Street

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Summary

Synopsis

Note

Photos

Cast

MUDr. Josef Jonáš

Alice Hašová

Jiří Káš

Jiří Pecháček

Milan Češka

Miloslav Vajnar

Júlia Jandíková

Renée Nachtigallová

Čestmír Válek

Alena Augustová

Jaroslav Machač

Václav Harmáček

Zdeněk Hostek

Pavel Komzák

Zdeněk Slezák

Zdeněk Šedivý

Jan Žižka

Jaroslava Benhartová

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Based on

Screenplay

Dramaturg

Director of Photography

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

Stunts

Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Consultant

Cooperation

Music

Music Composed by

Music Performed by

Production info

Original Title

Czech Title

English Title

Category