The Day for My Love

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production year

1976

Premiere

3 June 1977

Runtime

88 min

Director

Juraj Herz

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Den pro mou lásku

Czech title

Den pro mou lásku

English title

The Day for My Love

Working title

Koupím ti krásný den

Summary

In the 1970s, even Juraj Herz had to adapt to the requirements for shooting “realist” contemporary films. After the comedy Holky z porcelánu (Girls from a Porcelain Factory, 1974) and the crime movie Holka na zabití (A Girl to Be Killed, 1975), he also made the psychological drama Den pro mou lásku (The Day for My Love, 1976). In 1978, before the similarly conceived, Křehké vztahy (Delicate Relationships, 1979), he had already revisited his penchant for strongly stylised stories thanks to the fairy tales Panna a netvor (The Virgin and the Monster) and Deváté srdce (The Ninth Heart). Day for My love is a low-key tale of a young married couple who lose their little daughter to a horrible disease. The mother – Marie Stašková – struggles with depression. She tries in vain with her husband Petr to conceive another child. Ultimately, however, everything ends happily… The first film screenplay by the successful TV writer Markéta Zinnerová enabled Herz to successfully distance himself from the realities of hard-line socialism that defined the “normalisation” era: he shot a delicate, purely intimate story that was made without the expressionism peculiar to his most famous projects up to that time, such as Spalovače mrtvol (The Cremator, 1968). This timeless film looks at how a death in the family can painfully affect one’s life. An old neighbour becomes a foil to the main heroine. After her husband’s death, she hopes to find a partner in woe in Marie. The active approach to life from the husband, and later from Marie herself, subsequently helps them overcome all their problems… This psychological drama has a slightly lyrical touch, aided by the camerawork of Jiří Macháně, taking account of the heroine’s profession as a photographer, and Marta Vančurová’s delicate acting performance. The director had a greater understanding of Marie and her situation than he did for the character of Petr, who is a rather lacklustre figure (the dancer Vlastimil Harapes who nonetheless made a success of the role of the avian beast in Panna a netvor [The Virgin and the Monster]). The role of the neighbour was played by Jiřina Šejbalová while Herz cast members of the Studio Ypsilon theatre group as wedding guests who perceive a marriage celebration as a kind of happening.

Synopsis

The young Stašek married couple - photographer Marie and civil engineering student Petr - live in a cosy attic flat with their four-year-old daughter Maruška. Petr sometimes goes out for a beer with other students and one night brings a couple of them - hungry and loud - back home with him in early morning hours, much to Marie's discontent. But the two young people have a strong and loving relationship and when Maruška suddenly falls ill they are very distressed. The talkative big-eyed girl is a favourite with the neighbours and the workers in the wreath-making workshop in the building's courtyard. The girl is taken to hospital with severe meningitis and the outcome is tragic - the child dies. Marie sinks into desperate sorrow. Grief-stricken Petr helps her remove from the flat everything that reminds them of Maruška - her many photographs on the walls, her toys and little clothes and her collection of antique watches... Marie is adamant on having another child but her disturbed mental state makes it difficult for her to get pregnant. Petr is finishing his studies and doesn't always have enough energy to keep comforting his wife. Their elderly neighbour Mrs Bernard has recently been widowed and wants to grieve together with Marie. The young woman is deeply affected, and decides to get back to work. Various clients come to her studio and Marie's memories are no longer so heart-rending. It is the beginning of the summer - Petr successfully completes his studies and the couple take a walking tour together. The moments spent in nature are healing for their sorrow. Marie is soon pregnant and eventually gives birth to a boy.

Film online

Cast

Marta Vančurová

fotografka Marie Stašková

Vlastimil Harapes

Voice by František Němec
student Petr, Mariin manžel

Sylva Kamenická

Maruška, dcera Staškových

Jiřina Šejbalová

vdova Bernardová

Dana Medřická

Petrova matka

Lubomír Černík

vedoucí květinářství Kabát

Eva Svobodová

pomocnice v nemocnici

Emma Černá

lékařka v dětské nemocnici

MUDr. Milada Černá

lékařka v porodnici

Jaroslav Heyduk

Richard Bernard

Libuše Salabová

gynekoložka

Zdeněk Srstka

zedník v hospodě

MUDr. Jiří Zoubek

lékař pohotovosti

Milena Kaplická

zdravotní sestra

Magdalena Pakostová

zdravotní sestra

Gabriela Wilhelmová

zdravotní sestra

Marta Richterová

matka dítěte v ateliéru

Jindra Kvardová

uklízečka

Šárka Jerieová

studentka

Renata Schindlerová

studentka

Jitka Zimová

dívka

Jan Fišar

student

Jarka Čapková

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Daniela Smyczková

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Věra Barešová

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Vanda Čehovská

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Anna Schugerová

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Eva Stuchlíková

zákaznice, členka skupiny Schovanky

Hana Čermáková

dívka

Ljuba Konvalinková

dívka

Zdeňka Mašková

dívka

Marika Uzonidu

dívka

Dagmar Vlčková

dívka

Jan Bernard

svatebčan

Marie Durnová

svatebčanka

Václav Helšus

svatebčan

Dagmar Khainová

svatebčanka

Jan Kolář (2)

svatebčan

Jiří Lábus

svatebčan

Julius Neumann

svatebčan

Karel Novák

svatebčan

Petr Adler

svatebčan

Jan Schmid

svatebčan

Zuzana Schmidová

svatebčanka

Jana Synková

svatebčanka

Jitka Nováková

svatebčanka

Josef Laufer

zpěvák, zákazník v ateliéru

Karel Smyczek

zákazník v ateliéru

Olga Fleischerová

baletka v ateliéru

Karel Rybář

žonglér v ateliéru

Daniela Horníčková

plachá zákaznice v ateliéru

Alena Hrůzová

poloakt

Jitka Nováková (2)

zaměstnankyně květinářství

Crew and creators

Director

Juraj Herz

Second Unit Director

Zeno Dostál

Assistant Director

Milena Kropáčková, Kateřina Lukášová

Continuity

Irena Klausová

Shooting Script

Juraj Herz

Director of Photography

Jiří Macháně

Second Unit Photography

Viktor Růžička

Camera Operator

Vojtěch Kuthan

Production Designer

Vladimír Labský

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Bárta, Michael Poledník

Art Director

Daniela Horníčková

Set Designer

Josef Pavlík, Zdenka Neškrdová, Miloš Sršeň

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

František Černý

Titles Designed by

Květuše Kovářová

Production Manager

Karel Kochman

Unit Production Manager

Věra Lukášová, Petra Havlínová

Unit Production Manager

Pavel Mangl

Consultant

doc. MUDr. Zdeňka Kuncová, CSc.

Cooperation

Eliška Moulisová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Petr Hapka

Production info

Original Title

Den pro mou lásku

Czech Title

Den pro mou lásku

English Title

The Day for My Love

Working Title

Koupím ti krásný den

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production Year

1976

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1991

Premiere

premiere 3 June 1977 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 450 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. filmový festival mladých Špindlerův Mlýn

1977
Špindlerův Mlýn / Czechoslovakia
Juraj Herz

Vítěz

Festival: 15. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1977
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Juraj Herz

Vítěz

Event: Soutěž k Mezinárodnímu roku ženy

1977
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Markéta Zinnerová

Vítěz

Festival: 15. filmový festival mladých Špindlerův Mlýn

1977
Špindlerův Mlýn / Czechoslovakia
Marta Vančurová

Vítěz

Festival: 27. mezinárodní filmový festival Berlinale Berlín

1977
Západní Berlín / Federal Republic of Germany

Vítěz

Festival: 15. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1977
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 15. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1977
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Markéta Zinnerová

Vítěz

Festival: 15. filmový festival mladých Špindlerův Mlýn

1977
Špindlerův Mlýn / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Macháně