The Gold Fish

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1977

Premiere

7 April 1978

Runtime

87 min

Director

Otakar Fuka

Category

film

Genre

detective, crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zlaté rybky

Czech title

Zlaté rybky

English title

The Gold Fish

Summary

Eva Prošková’s literary works inspired just one film that made it to the silver screen, namely this 1977 picture from Otakar Fuka. Numerous other works by the author were adapted for television productions, and the writer herself contributed to the script of the 1977 TV crime story Přízrak (Phantom) directed by Dušan Klein. Prošková’s story Prostý případ statistiky (A Simple Case of Statistics) included in the compilation Tajemství obří číše (The Secret of a Giant Goblet, 1973) describes the search for the murderer of Ms Nejtková. In the investigation as presented by Zlaté rybky (The Gold Fish), captain Hora (Radovan Lukavský) runs into trouble with the victim’s husband. He claims to be the culprit and to have wounded himself with a shotgun afterwards. And there is another mystery: the tender-heartedness shown by the murderer towards the fish in the tank… On the one hand, the motion picture displays good filmmaking craftsmanship, but on the other it does not avoid a somewhat over-prejudiced stance against abusers of medical drugs. On the acting side, Oldřich Vízner excelled in the part of a young drug addict suspected of involvement in the crime.

Synopsis

Ms Cajthaml heard shooting in the house and called the police. In the neighbouring apartment the police found dead bodies of the owners. Eva Nejtková was already dead, her husband was injured by a shotgun. There are several suspicious matters in the investigation. The murderer pierced Eva's head with a fire-hook, breaking a huge aquarium. Then he picked the fish and put it into a smaller aquarium. Why did he do so? Captain Hora and his team collect information about the Nejteks' and their acquaintances. The first significant trace is provided by a person who is investigated by the police because of drug trading. He confesses to provide drugs for Eva Nejtková, who distributed them to drug addicts. The investigation is, however, complicated by deranged Nejtek, who declares to have killed Eva. The inquiry is directed to several areas, as long as a former drug addict Hanták appears on the scene. Hora met him a few years ago when Hanták was unjustly arrested together with a group of drug pill users, who robbed a pharmacy. Upon being released from prison, he began to take drugs, too, but his attending doctor Kučera asserted he had got over the addiction. Hora has him under control and visits him several times. Depressed Hanták eventually confesses to the murder of Eva Nejtková. He hit her because she refused to give him drugs. But he felt sorry for the fish and rescued it.

Film online

Cast

Radovan Lukavský

kriminalista kapitán Hora

Oldřich Vízner

narkoman Jaroslav Hanták

Adolf Filip

Zdeněk Nejtek

Jana Andresíková

Eva, Nejtkova žena

Jan Kanyza

nadporučík Beránek

Jiří Krampol

podporučík Krátký

Ivan Vyskočil

taxikář Mandel

Karol Tyrlik

Voice by Petr Oliva
poručík Novák

Ladislav Potměšil

podporučík David

Ota Sklenčka

psychiatr docent Kučera

Jiří Kodet

průvodčí Karásek

Marie Motlová

sousedka Cajthamlová

Jana Robenková

uvaděčka Svozilová, Hantákova bytná

Jan Kotva

řidič VB

Milan Riehs

policejní lékař MUDr. Rezek

Karel Augusta

překupník Vaněček

Danuše Klichová

sekretářka Alice

Vítězslav Jirsák

strážmistr Franěk

Karolina Slunéčková

účetní Šlechtová, Nejtkova milenka

Ilona Jirotková

Voice by Andrea Čunderlíková
sekretářka Jiřina

Roman Hemala

Voice by Lubomír Kostelka
číšník Hovorka

Isabella Tylínková

Mázlová, Mandelova milenka

Jana Riháková

dívka narkomanka

Zdeněk Mlčoch

příslušník VB

Jiří Vondráček

vlasatý mladík

Julius Neumann

brýlatý mladík

Lena Birková

přítelkyně Nejtkové

Zdena Burdová

přítelkyně Nejtkové

Jitka Zelenohorská

uniformované sekretářka VB

Pavel Robin

tetovaný narkoman

Jan Kuželka

prodavač ve stavebninách

Vít Pešina

podpraporčík VB

Karel Fridrich

soused v teplákové bundě

Vladimír Huber

recepční

Milan Pěkný

holohlavý muž

Jan Mayer (2)

hudebník

Oldřich Čech

hudebník

Juraj Tatran

hudebník

Jiří Bálek

fotograf VB

Jiří Nebeský

příslušník VB v civilu

Ladislav Pálek

technik VB

Hana Bartáková

stará prostituka na VB

Crew and creators

Director

Otakar Fuka

Second Unit Director

Miroslav Kubišta

Assistant Director

Jiří Býček

Based on

Hana Prošková (Prostý případ statistiky – novela)

Shooting Script

Otakar Fuka

Dramaturg

Miroslav Vaic

Director of Photography

Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Jokl

Camera Operator

Václav Zajíček

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Boris Halmi

Set Designer

Vladimír Foukal, Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský

Costume Designer

Jan Kropáček

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Assistant Film Editor

Miloslava Kostková

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Jana Koubová, Ladislav Beneš

Unit Production Manager

Miroslav Šnábl

Consultant

MUDr. Jaromír Rubeš, Jindřich Kühnel

Cooperation

Irena Gregorová (klapka), Josef Vítek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Šust

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Zlaté rybky

Czech Title

Zlaté rybky

English Title

The Gold Fish

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective, crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 20 December 1976
start of filming 1 February 1977
end of filming 13 September 1977
projection approval 27 September 1977

Premiere

preview 2 March 1978 (kino Světozor, Praha)
premiere 7 April 1978 /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

87 min

Original length in metres

2 497 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