Murderous Doubts

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1978

Premiere

29 June 1979

Runtime

80 min

Director

Ivo Toman

Category

film

Genre

drama, crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vražedné pochybnosti

Czech title

Vražedné pochybnosti

English title

Murderous Doubts

Working title

Doznáním případ nekončí

Summary

Most films directed by Ivo Toman were politically engaged, but in 1978 the filmmaker also added a crime drama to his filmography. Miroslav Macháček excels in the role of a mentally ill man on the lam, Milan Pešek, who has run away from his brother who’d been looking after him. He lands a job in the Na vyhlídce Hotel but is soon suspected of having murdered a schoolgirl. Pešek confesses to the killing, but his brother proves to the police that his sibling is incapable of any violence. The search for a quiet refuge is far from over for Pešek, however… Ilja Racek and Slávka Budínová play the quarrelling married couple who run the remote hotel in this psychological tale. The part of the police investigator, Captain Koloušek, went to Josef Vinklář, who in the TV series Hříšní lidé města pražského (The Sinful People of Prague, 1968) had long portrayed Inspector Bouše.

Synopsis

Milan Pešek, a shy middle-aged man, is trying to escape the care of his brother Josef. He jumps on the first departing bus, gets off at the terminus and walks towards the Belle View Hotel. The hotel is closed though and the unpleasant hotel manager called Mach refuses to let Pešek in. It is raining heavily and Pešek is returning back to town. On the way, he is sprayed all over by a car driven by Mrs Machová. She takes Pešek to the hotel to dry. Pešek immediately sees that the marriage of his hosts is not happy. The woman asks Pešek to stay. He happily accepts and starts helping Mrs Machová at the hotel. Shortly after, a ten-year-old Jana is found stabbed near the hotel. The next day, parents await their children at the bus stop. Only Jarka stays on her own, because she mistook her mum from a distance with a post woman. In the forest, the girl meets Pešek and the girl's cry sounds through the forest. The dead body of the girl is found by Machová. Pešek is arrested and he pleads guilty of the murder. Josef explains to the investigators that his brother is mentally ill, but would never hurt anyone. The detective carries out a crime reconstruction and Pešek is unable to show how he killed the girl or what he had used as the instrument of crime. After the reconstruction, the investigators order a meal at the Belle View Hotel. Machová sees her husband burning gloves. She approaches the investigators and writes on their bill that she suspects her husband Mach of the murders. The detectives do not read her note immediately. They return to the hotel just in time to save Machová's life, because her husband wanted to kill her too. Pešek is released and sets off for another journey.

Film online

Cast

Ilja Racek

vedoucí hotelu Mach

Slávka Budínová

Machova žena

Josef Vinklář

kriminalista kapitán Koloušek

Karel Dellapina

Josef Pešek, Milanův bratr

Václav Neužil

prokurátor JUDr. Hatala

Adolf Filip

hajný Houžva

Miroslav Chochola

kriminalista Remeš

Karel Hábl

nadstrážmistr VB ze Sadkova

Jan Kuželka

prodavač v drogerii

Pavel Rubeš

obhájce

Robert Vrchota

vrátný na VB

Dana Vávrová

Jana Bitová

Karel Augusta

zahradník

Karel Bělohradský

řidič autobusu

Lena Birková

sekretářka u Kolouška

Ladislav Brothánek

Voice by Robert Vrchota
výčepní v Sadkově

Tereza Tomanová

Jarka

Ladislav Kazda

řidič stojícího autobusu

J. Kosařová

host

Marcela Loučímová

host

M. Mikolandová

host

B. Šimůnková

host

Anna Štrosová

světlovlasá cestující

Vladimír Linka

cestující

Vilemína Nejedlová-Skokanová

cestující

Josef Střecha

cestující

H. Matějková

žena na kole

P. Dutý

příslušník VB

Dubbing

Mirko Musil

hlas cestujícího

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Toman

Second Unit Director

Lubomír Břinčil

Assistant Director

Josef Loučím, Magdalena Davidová

Screenstory

Miloš Makovec

Shooting Script

Ivo Toman

Dramaturg

Karel Cop

Director of Photography

Josef Pávek

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Michal Hvozdák

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

Roman Hladík

Set Designer

Rudolf Beneš, Josef Calta, Petr Matouš

Costume Designer

Jan Bulka

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Jan Milič

Unit Production Manager

Jan Kočí

Consultant

plk. Jan Kovář, František Kraus, JUDr. Čeněk Klapal

Cooperation

Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf), Petr Sitár

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Vražedné pochybnosti

Czech Title

Vražedné pochybnosti

English Title

Murderous Doubts

Working Title

Doznáním případ nekončí

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 30 March 1978
start of filming 12 May 1978
technical Screenplay approved 7 June 1978
end of filming 14 November 1978
projection approval 29 November 1978

Premiere

premiere 29 June 1979 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Drahoslava Makovičky, Drahoslav Makovička (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

80 min

Original length in metres

2 390 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