The Song about a Tree and a Rose

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1978

Premiere

27 April 1979

Runtime

87 min

Category

film

Genre

social

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Píseň o stromu a růži

Czech title

Píseň o stromu a růži

English title

The Song about a Tree and a Rose

Summary

Close ties between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union are reflected in this ideologically coloured romantic drama that follows a Soviet engineer on his trip to Prague to assist local colleagues in the construction of metro tunnels. The top-tier expert, Vladimir Kuznetsov, had last been in the city 30 years earlier as a Red Army soldier – a liberator. Though seriously wounded, he had also had a passionate wartime love affair with a Czech teacher named Věra. The likeable Russian is accompanied on his walks though the city (and down memory lane) by Lenka, a Metrostav secretary… In the lead role of this 1978 film directed by Ladislav Rychman was the popular Soviet actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov, known for the film Májové hvězdy (May Stars, 1959), the mini-series Vojna a mír (War and Peace, 1965–7) and the TV series Sedmnáct zastavení jara (Seventeen Moments of Spring, 1976). Jelena Šebestová plays Lenka and Jaroslava Schallerová performs the role of Věra.

Synopsis

Soviet engineer Kuzněcov is coming to Prague as an expert on work with the tunnelling shield in construction of the metro. He is returning after more than thirty years. In May 1945 as a young soldier in the Red Army he was seriously injured in the liberation of Prague and while recovering experienced a great love with a young teacher called Věra. His lodgings and leisure programme are to be arranged for him by Lenka, a young and vivacious secretary from the Metrostav concern. She isn't very keen on the assignment, because she had been looking forward to a very promising date in the evening. Her friend Tom is a tunneller for the metro and a member of a music band, and he had invited her to its premiere concert. Lenka takes her guest with her to the club, but Tom refuses to listen to her explanations and is jealous of the "old man". The girl soon comes to like the clever and sympathetic engineer and goes with him to visit the hospital where he convalesced all those years ago. She also finds his old friend Kovář, whose life was saved by Kuzněcov in a fight at Klárov in Prague. Problems arise in the drilling of a tunnel under the River Vltava. The tunnelling shield gets stuck in the difficult terrain and an auxiliary tunnel has to be drilled. Tom takes a risk when he himself finally manages to remove the blockage. Kuzněcov praises his work, everything is now explained, and the two men now have great respect for each other. Lenka is unsuccessfully looking for Věra. The house where she lived is demolished because of the metro. A week goes by and Kuzněcov is about to go home. On Petřín Hill Lenka declares her feelings for him. He tactfully refuses her with a proverb - Do not pin a rose to an old tree.

Cast

Vjačeslav Tichonov

inženýr Vladimir Kuzněcov

Jelena Šebestová

sekretářka Jelena zvaná Lenka a Vanilka

Václav Mareš

inženýr Fanta

Ivan Richter

razič Tom

Jan Kuželka

razič Jarda

Jaroslava Schallerová

učitelka Věra Havlová

Petr Hanus

Kuzněcov jako mladý voják

Josef Mixa

Kovář

Zora Jiráková

Kovářova žena

Věra Tichánková

Majka Bártová, zdravotní sestra v důchodu

Pavel Rubeš

recepční

Jiřina Krejčíková

zdravotní sestra Zuzana

Karel Chromík

výtahář Málek

Ladislav Trojan

vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu

Bohumil Křížek

vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu

Josef Klatovský

vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu

L. Hodina

Tomův pomocník

Jiří Sova

Tomův pomocník

Jiří Wohanka

Tomův pomocník

Jaroslava Janovová

nevěsta, dcera Kovářových

Pavel Jiras

reportér

P. Hodan

reportér

V. A. Kosareckij

sovětský technik

G. J. Ozarianskij

sovětský technik

Pavel Lehotský

novinář

Milan Pěkný

novinář

Jan Okrouhlík

novinář

J. Sýbek

novinář

Petr Svárovský

mechanik štítu

Miloslav Šindler

mechanik štítu/nabíječ

L. Fischer

hudebník

Jaroslav Konečný (hudebník)

hudebník

J. Litoš

hudebník

J. Šťastný

hudebník

P. Váchal

hudebník

Jindra Janoušková

mladá žena

Svatava Hubeňáková

starší žena

N. Alpjejeva

barikádnice

J. Jančíková

barikádnice

Helena Pokorná

barikádnice

E. Plšková

Blanka

I. J. Starodubcev

sovětský poradce

Karel Engel

ozbrojený civilista

Jiří Fajt

ozbrojený civilista

Ladislav Lahoda

ozbrojený civilista

Pavel Vaněk

ozbrojený civilista

M. Coufalová

dívka

O. Štuková-Králová

dívka

Jaroslav Klenot

sovětský samopalník

Jiří Klenot

sovětský samopalník

Jiří Kalenský

sovětský samopalník

Jaroslav Tomsa

sovětský samopalník

Stanislav Benda

příslušník SS

Zdeněk Srstka

příslušník SS

Jiří Srstka

příslušník SS

J. Vacek

příslušník SS

Ludvík Wolf

velitel SS

Karel Vítek

řidič tanku

Karel Vítek ml.

velitel děla

Jiří Kraus

kulometčík SS

Roman Marek

mladý řidič tanku

Jaroslav Vlk

barikádník

Jiří Vach

dubl za Vjačeslava Tichonova

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Josef Ryzec

Assistant Director

Jiří Ostrý

Shooting Script

Ladislav Rychman

Director of Photography

Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Jokl

Camera Operator

Václav Zajíček

Production Designer

Oldřich Bosák

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Set Designer

Vladimír Ježek, Jiří Pavlásek, Ladislav Winkelhöfer

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Jiří Lenoch

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Tomáš Baloun, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Zajdl

Consultant

Ing. Karel Matzner, Ing. Ladislav Kroft

Cooperation

Irena Neubertová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Metrostav n. p.

Music

Music Performed by

Jiří Malásek, FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Music Advisor

Ladislav Rychman

Songs

Večery pod Moskvou

Song Composer Vasilij Solovjev-Sedoj

Poljuško pole

Song Composer lidová ruská píseň

Production info

Original Title

Píseň o stromu a růži

Czech Title

Píseň o stromu a růži

English Title

The Song about a Tree and a Rose

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

social

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 31 October 1977
start of filming 10 February 1978
technical Screenplay approved 14 March 1978
end of filming 13 October 1978
projection approval 18 October 1978
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989

Premiere

premiere 26 April 1979 /suitable for youths/ (kino Jalta, Praha)
premiere 27 April 1979 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

87 min

Original length in metres

2 425 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Russian

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové

1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Bažant

Vítěz

Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové

1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Malásek