Pursued and Suspect

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1978

Premiere

31 August 1979

Runtime

85 min

Category

film

Genre

detective, drama, crime, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Stíhán a podezřelý

Czech title

Stíhán a podezřelý

English title

Pursued and Suspect

Working title

Dva na houpačce

Summary

Trojan (Jiří Adamíra) is a suspect in the murder of his wife Eva (Regina Rázlová). Fleeing from the police, Trojan is unaware of his own innocence. Police detective Hart (Ilja Prachař) deduces that the engineer, who assisted in a project to relocate a cathedral in the mining town of Most, is hiding inside the remaining buildings earmarked for demolition… Cinematographer Jiří Tarantík captured actual footage of the destruction of the town’s Art Nouveau buildings. Consequently this 1978 motion picture, directed by Zbyněk Brynych, documents the demolition of the unique architecture in the old town of Most to make way for brown coal mining. The ruins of Old Most also served as a backdrop for the co-productions Vojáci svobody (Soldiers of Liberty, 1976), Kentauři (Centaurs, 1978) and Boj o Moskvu (The Battle of Moscow, 1985). This detective story without a murder is written by Karel Valtera, who also worked with director Brynych on Hněv (Wrath, 1977).

Synopsis

Upon returning from a late night party, Eva Trojanová has a quarrel with her husband. In anger, he grasps her neck and she collapses onto the bed. Thinking he has killed his wife, Trojan panics and flees. In the morning, Eva comes round, but after taking a few steps, she drops dead on the floor. Policemen arrive and the bruises on Eva's neck make them think that it was a violent death. Her husband is the first suspect. He, however, has disappeared, so the police start searching for him. Trojan checks into a hotel, but quickly leaves when he sees his face on a television in the bar. In his distress, he steals a car, food and cigarettes. He gets injured and, having a temperature, he heads north to the place where he and Eva met and where he was previously successful in his work. Meanwhile, Captain Hart, the head investigator, examines witnesses and finds out a lot of information about Eva, her friends as well as her serious heart and lung disorder. The autopsy report changes the direction of the investigation. It reveals that Eva died a natural death, so Trojan is innocent. They must find him quickly before he inadvertently does some foolhardy thing. Following Trojan's tracks to the places where he stole, Hart realizes that Trojan has headed for the coal-mining town of Most. Hart feels responsible for Trojan's life, so he persuades his superiors that they have to start looking for Trojan in Most. In the town, Hart finds himself in a difficult situation. Because of coal mining activities, entire blocks of buildings are to be demolished - just in the area where the injured Trojan is hiding, as the police have been told by local boys. Trojan is saved at the very last moment before the buildings blow up.

Film online

Cast

Jiří Adamíra

Ing. Karel Trojan

Regina Rázlová

Eva, Trojanova žena

Ilja Prachař

kapitán VB Hart

Jan Přeučil

kadeřník Alfred Masný zvaný Fredy

Vladimír Brabec

MUDr. Hein, Evin milenec

Helena Malehová

příslušnice VB Boženka Navrátilová

Jiří Lábus

příslušník VB

Antonín Hardt

pyrotechnik

Jiří Němeček

kapitán VB v Mostě

Václav Stýblo

správce motelu

Jiří Bruder

taxikář

Božena Böhmová

sousedka Kalendová

Milan Riehs

Václav, manžel Kalendové

Vlastimil Fišar

patolog profesor Krebs

Jana Švandová

barmanka Janička

Miroslav Zounar

náčelník VB

Jiří Kostka

děda Panoška

Jaroslav Radimecký

penzista Kalous

Michal Truxa

Jirka

Jiří Petkov

Ondra Novotný

Alena Karešová

Bětuška, nevlastní sestra Trojanové

Karel Linc

Bětuščin manžel

Taťana Puttová

nevlastní sestra Trojanové

Michal Wang

manžel nevlastní sestry

Jiřina Bílá

hostinská, Jirkova matka

Petr Svoboda

Ládínek, Fredyho přítel

Zdeněk Srstka

zákazník v hospodě

Václav Hladík

Darkův otec

Jan Cmíral

recepční hotelu

Henrietta Kohoutová

Jarmilka, recepční v kadeřnictví

Pavel Robin

taxikář

Jiří Bukvaj

kriminalista

Aleš Košnar

kriminalista

Jiří Havlík

hlasatel VB v Mostě

Petr Budín

řidič VB v Mostě

Ivo Hrdina

velitel požárníků

Jaromír Jestřáb

technik VB

Zbyněk Šmíd

technik VB

Jaroslav Tichý

technik VB

M. Stejskal

hlídka VB

Miloš Šustr

hlídka VB

Václav Suchomel

fotograf VB

Karel Sedláček

příslušník VB

Leoš Jirsák

on sám, major Leoš Jirsák z Federální kriminální ústředny

Marie Prokešová

dubl za Reginu Rázlovou

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

František Matoušek

Assistant Director

Zuzana Kopečková

Screenstory

Karel Valtera

Shooting Script

Zbyněk Brynych

Director of Photography

Jiří Tarantík

Second Unit Photography

Ivan Wurm

Camera Operator

Jan Hanzal

Production Designer

Oldřich Okáč

Assistent Production Designer

Václav Hlávka

Set Designer

Karel Kracík, Pavel Šoltys, Miloš Sršeň

Costume Designer

Svatava Sophová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Blažej Vráb

Unit Production Manager

Rudolf Mos, Jan Janda, Hana Štefanová

Unit Production Manager

Hana Štefanová

Consultant

plk. Josef Janůrek

Cooperation

Helena Kadlecová (klapka), Jiří Kučera (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Ladislav Štaidl

Selected Music

Johann Strauss ml. (Na krásném modrém Dunaji)

Music Performed by

Orchestr Ladislava Štaidla (Music Conducted by Ladislav Štaidl), FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)

Songs

Rikatado

Song Composer Bob Hurikán
Writer of Lyrics Bob Hurikán
Singer sbor

Kávu si osladím

Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott

Production info

Original Title

Stíhán a podezřelý

Czech Title

Stíhán a podezřelý

English Title

Pursued and Suspect

Working Title

Dva na houpačce

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective, drama, crime, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 7 May 1978
technical Screenplay approved 9 August 1978
start of filming 9 August 1978
end of filming 24 December 1978
projection approval 27 December 1978

Premiere

premiere 31 August 1979 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Karla Valtery, Karel Valtera (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

85 min

Original length in metres

2 366 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