Run or You Won’t Catch Him!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production year

1976

Premiere

22 April 1977

Runtime

77 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Běž, ať ti neuteče

Czech title

Běž, ať ti neuteče

English title

Run or You Won’t Catch Him!

Working title

Takový zvláštní případ

Summary

Director Stanislav Strnad’s film from 1976 is an exemplary tribute to the canons of “normalisation” cinematography. In this psychological drama he brought to life an unusual scenario by an unusual author – the Syndicate of the Czech Drama Artists (SČDU) secretary Arno Kraus. The story’s protagonist, Ivan Kabát, also has the proper credentials by the then contemporary requirements. He's a working-class director who, apart from handling workplace problems, successfully copes with trouble in his private life, namely his divorce. Marie Drahokoupilová plays the role of a self-centred, petit bourgeois woman with grace. Polish actress Grażyna Sahatqiu (nee Długołęcka), known for her work in Walerian Borowczyk’s erotic drama Dzieje grzechu (The Story of Sin, 1975), plays a supporting role in this well-cast film.

Synopsis

The police investigates the circumstances of death of Tereza Kabátová who was found in a crashed car. - František Kabát, director of Stavoprojekt, enjoys confidence of the workers, in addition, he comes from the workers family. He is also favoured by his secretary Eva Martincová. Voník, his deputy of economy, is an expert but in 1968 he got politically mixed up and thus he is not in the works fully trusted. Kabát's family base is not ideal. His engagement in work and his principles are a laughing stock for his wife Tereza and she transfers her aversion to husband to their son Ivan too. Also Eva gets in her family into trouble. Her husband, a famous actor, is not capable to confront the fact that in 1968 he did not conduct as an upright communist. Eva and their daughter Alena, aspiring at dramatic profession, try to help him. Alena realizes that despite different age she loves Kabát. Tereza becomes Voník's lover and plans to divorse František. Voník spreads in the works slander that Kabát is on terms of intimacy with Eva. Therefore Kabát decides to leave to the site out of the town. On way to the weekend-house Voník announces to Tereza that he was shifted from his function to the position of an accountant. In a violent quarrel their car crashes, Tereza dies and Voník runs away from the place of accident.-Investigation of Tereza's death is at the end, Voník awaits the trial. Depressed Kubát is parting but Alena is awaiting him patiently outside the building.

Note

The pretended antique play in the story was originally written for this film by Arno Kraus.

Cast

Zdeněk Hradilák

ředitel Stavoprojektu František Kabát

Marie Drahokoupilová

Tereza, Kabátova žena

Radoslav Brzobohatý

ekonomický náměstek Jiří Voník

Martin Růžek

herec Emil Martinec

Karolina Slunéčková

sekretářka Eva, Martincova žena

Ivan Luťanský

student práv Ivan, syn Kabátových

Grażyna Sahatqiu

Voice by Jaroslava Brousková
Alena, dcera Martincových

Miroslav Zounar

technický náměstek Ing. Mirek Jírů

Adolf Filip

vyšetřovatel, nadporučík VB

Karel Houska

herec Rejnek

Jiří Kostka

Voice by Arnošt Faltýnek
strážný František Toufar

Pavel Spálený

Voice by Lubor Tokoš
vrátný Lojza

Ota Sklenčka

divadelní režisér

František Husák

montér Lorenc

Jana Švandová

Jarka, Ivanova spolužačka

Zlata Adamovská

Jitka, Ivanova spolužačka

Jana Gýrová

Růžena, Voníkova žena

Miloš Willig

předseda stranické organizace Václav Houdek

Alena Hessová

sekretářka Pavla

Milan Jedlička

náčelník SNB

Mirko Musil

montér Bužina

Pavel Rubeš

Vrána

Petr Svojtka

mladý herec Garinthé

Zdeňka Tichá

herečka

Marie Wanková

Káťa

Anna Doušová

spolužačka

Marcela Jelínková

spolužačka

Jana Viščaková

spolužačka

Vlasta Žehrová

spolužačka

Alena Jarošková

spolužačka

Martin Kolár

spolužák

Jiří Prager

spolužák

Jaromír Štemberg

spolužák

Jiří Untermüller

spolužák

Martin Velda

spolužák

Karel Fořt

železničář

Miloslav Zapadlo

dubl za Radoslava Brzobohatého – auto-kaskadér

Dubbing

Lubor Tokoš

hlas vrchního ve vinárně

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Bohumil Kouba

Assistant Director

Bohumil Koška

Continuity

Jana Goetzová

Screenstory

Arno Kraus

Screenplay

Arno Kraus

Dramaturg

Pavel Torda

Director of Photography

Jan Novák

Camera Operator

Ivan Wurm, Bohumír Schwarzer

Production Designer

Oldřich Okáč

Assistent Production Designer

Roman Hladík

Set Designer

Karel Kočí, Jaroslav Česal, Richard Staněk

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Jiří Pavlík

Production Manager

Jan Balzer

Unit Production Manager

Zdeňka Černá, Oldřich Mach

Unit Production Manager

Marie Ryšlinková

Cooperation

Helena Matušková (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Jan Hrábek)

Production info

Original Title

Běž, ať ti neuteče

Czech Title

Běž, ať ti neuteče

English Title

Run or You Won’t Catch Him!

Working Title

Takový zvláštní případ

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production Year

1976

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 22 April 1977 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miroslava Hladkého, Miroslav Hladký (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

77 min

Original length in metres

2 175 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: 15. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1977
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 10. mezinárodní filmový festival Moskva

1977
Moskva / Union of Soviet Socialist Republics