A Game of Patience

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1976—1977

Premiere

23 December 1977

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Pasiáns

Czech title

Pasiáns

English title

A Game of Patience

Summary

Within the diverse genres addressed by the 1970s works of director Vladimír Čech is this psychological drama about a meeting between two young people with different fates – Eva, a student, and Dušan, a habitual offender. This rather unhinged young man associates the family cottage, where the girl ensconces herself for a few days to study, with happy memories from long ago: as a child, he stayed there for a time with his grandparents, before ending up in an orphanage. Fortunately, the fate of Dušan, who started down the wrong path thanks to his alcoholic mother, will be influenced by Eva, a sympathetic girl, and the criminal detective Doležal, played by Radovan Lukavský. Pasiáns (A Game of Patience, 1977) is based on a script by Pavel Hajný. Vladimír Čech entrusted the major roles to two young but experienced actors: Jana Boušková (Eva) and Jan Hrušínský (Dušan).

Synopsis

Student Eva is dashing up a steep slope to try to catch a bus, but she twists her ankle and the bus doesn't wait. There won't be another bus until the next day, and so Eva returns to her parents' cottage where she has been studying by herself for several days. She finds the door open, and inside a young man, Dušan, who behaves as if he were at home. Eva is a little scared and so she pretends to be a chance passerby who can't go any further because of her injured ankle. The boy offers her a bed for the night. He also fetches some plum brandy, they drink toasts to each other, and Eva starts to play Patience. – The gamekeeper Král is disturbed after supper by the police, who are looking for the boy Dušan Kostucha. His photo even appears on the television. The portrait is seen by the detective Doležal, who remembers an old case. As a small child Dušan had been kidnapped. Doležal had found him and returned him to his mother. He still feels responsible for the boy and starts to investigate the case. With his former superior Karel he goes back into the past to discover the truth. Dušan's mother, an alcoholic, had not cared properly for the boy. After her death Dušan had lived with his grandfather and grandmother in the cottage that now belongs to Eva's parents. There he was happiest, but when his grandparents died, he had to go into a children's home. Once he visited his father, but the latter just threw him out. In revenge Dušan stole some money from him and this was the first crime for which he was sent to jail. The detectives know where they should look for Dušan. Dušan realizes that Eva belongs to the cottage and he runs away. On the way he is assaulted by drunks. The gamekeeper comes to his aid and finds that he is carrying a note saying there is an injured girl in the cottage. The detectives arrive. Dušan must serve the rest of his sentence, but when he comes back he will certainly be helped in his new life by people who already trust him.

Note

The film is based on a true story.

Cast

Jana Boušková

Eva Rychetská

Jan Hrušínský

Dušan Kostucha

Radovan Lukavský

kriminalista František Doležal

Vladimír Brabec

kriminalista Karel Matějíček

Slávka Budínová

Doležalova žena

Marie Brožová

babička, Doležalova matka

Nina Jiránková

ředitelka dětského domova Vavříková

Luděk Munzar

Karel Hošek, Dušanův otec

Hana Packertová

Hoškova žena

Oldřich Velen

hostinský Hruška

Gustav Bubník

Hruškův syn

Václav Sloup

rváč Jedlička

Jan Kuželka

rváč Burda

Jan Kraus

Stodůlka

Jiří Havel

Čížek

Leoš Jirsák

on sám, major Leoš Jirsák z Federální kriminální ústředny

Jiřina Bílá

zaměstnankyně dětského domova

Alena Janošková

Kostuchová, Dušanova matka

Karel Hábl

milenec Kostuchové

Marcela Martínková

Marie, Matějíčkova žena

Gustav Heverle

kriminalista

Vlastimil Zavřel

Karel, syn hajného

Radka Mayerová

snacha hajného

Jana Černíková

Doležalova dcera

Filip Hlušička

Petr, Doležalův syn

Šárka Majerová

Jitka, Matějíčkova dcera

Jiří Krampol

kriminalista

Miloš Varuška

kriminalista

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Věra Ticháčková

Screenstory

Pavel Hajný

Screenplay

Pavel Hajný

Shooting Script

Vladimír Čech

Director of Photography

Josef Pávek

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Michal Hvozdák

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

Michal Krška

Set Designer

Josef Calta, Jaroslav Chytrý, Rudolf Beneš

Costume Designer

Marie Wenigová

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Chvojková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Karel Škop

Unit Production Manager

Miloslav Černohlávek

Cooperation

Stanislava Kadlecová (klapka), Josef Janoušek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Luboš Fišer

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Pasiáns

Czech Title

Pasiáns

English Title

A Game of Patience

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1976—1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 1 October 1976
start of filming 8 December 1976
technical Screenplay approved 1 February 1977
end of filming 8 July 1977
projection approval 20 July 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 23 December 1977 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 400 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