The Man with an Eagle and a Chicken

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1977—1978

Premiere

22 December 1978

Runtime

80 min

Director

Ivo Novák

Category

film

Genre

narrative

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Muž s orlem a slepicí

Czech title

Muž s orlem a slepicí

English title

The Man with an Eagle and a Chicken

Summary

Twenty-three year-old Martin has an eagle tattooed on his chest, but his colleagues in a land improvement work party tell him they see it as a chicken. The insecure young man is certainly not the brave lad he’d like to be seen as: he’s abandoned his wife Božena with a small son and feels jealousy towards her, even though he himself lives with the salesgirl Manča. The immature Martin’s guide on the road to adulthood turns out to be the criminal Kvíčala, who comes to bolster the work group after his release from prison... This adaptation of the Slepá kolej (Blind Track) short stories by writer Miroslav Rafaj is the work of director Ivo Novák. The main role in this 1978 motion picture is played by Svatopluk Skopal. The part of Manča is taken by Jana Brejchová and Naďa Konvalinková stars as the protagonist’s wife. The colourful work gang features Radoslav Brzobohatý, Josef Bláha and Jiří Lábus.

Synopsis

Twenty-three-years-old Martin Holík works in soil drainage gang and shares lodgings in a trailer with the other workers. From time to time he stays over with the attractive thirty-year-old Manča, the local shop assistant. Just as the tattoo on his chest reminds the others more of a chicken than of an eagle, so Martin himself is more of an immature boy than the grown-up man that he would like to be seen as. His insecurity has been the cause of his unfounded jealousy and distrust of his wife Božena, and he has run away from their home village leaving her behind with their young son. Manča tries to blackmail him intoto a divorce by claiming she is pregnant. The confused Martin returns to his trailer. Forty-year-old Kvíčala, fresh out of prison, has joined the group. His arrival is celebrated with a feast. Kvíčala doesn't suspect that the goat he has caught and roasted belongs to Manča. His apology is not accepted very politely but to Martin's annoyance the two grow close and Martin even gets into a fight with Kvíčala only to suffer defeat. Božena arrives with Martin's father to visit him. Hnátek, who has given her a lift, is the very man that Martin is so jealous of. The visit ends in a fight, a slap, and Božena's escape. Martin regrets his behaviour and decides to return home. Kvíčala drives him to the station and the barrier of resentment between them drops on the way. Kvíčala admits that he once lost his temper so badly that he killed his wife's lover. Later, hidden in a tree, Martin looks in at the window of his home to check if Božena doesn't have a man there. Has he returned home as a grown-up man or a boy with an inferiority complex?

Cast

Svatopluk Skopal

traktorista Martin Holík

Jana Brejchová

prodavačka Marie Uliková zvaná Manča

Radoslav Brzobohatý

traktorista František Kvíčala

Naďa Konvalinková

Božena, Martinova žena

Jan Kraus

Čenda Hnátek

Josef Bláha

parťák meliorační čety Paták

Roman Skamene

člen meliorační čety Lojzík

Jiří Lábus

člen meliorační čety Jéňa

Miroslav Homola

člen meliorační čety Kolaja

Lenka Kořínková

dojička Růžena

Jitka Zelenohorská

dojička Jiřina

Adolf Filip

Holík, Martinův otec

Marcela Martínková

Holíková, Martinova matka

Karel Augusta

skladník

Josef Beyvl

Dvořák

Robert Vrchota

předseda JZD

Raoul Schránil

hostinský

Jožka Stoklasa

Voice by Miroslav Moravec
vousatý muž v hospodě

Vladimír Navrátil

muž v hospodě

Vladimír Linka

muž v hospodě

František Kubíček

muž v hospodě

Rudolf Kalina

muž v hospodě

Jaroslav Fišer

muž v hospodě

Josef Calta

muž v hospodě

Miriam Kantorková

žena v hospodě

Jiřina Bílá

zákaznice v obchodě

Václav Kotva

Vařečka

Karel Hovorka

pracovník JZD

Dubbing

Tomáš Holý

hlas malého Míry

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Novák

Second Unit Director

Milan Vácha

Assistant Director

Jiří Potsch, Jaroslava Fišerová

Screenstory

Miroslav Rafaj

Based on

Miroslav Rafaj (Slepá kolej – sbírka povídek)

Shooting Script

Ivo Novák

Director of Photography

Josef Pávek

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Michal Hvozdák

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

Jiří Trojan

Set Designer

Rudolf Beneš, Josef Calta, Petr Matouš

Costume Designer

Svatava Sophová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Jan Milič

Unit Production Manager

Jan Kočí

Consultant

Vladimír Petřík, Ludvík Uher

Cooperation

Stanislava Kadlecová (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka), Meliorační družstvo Praha-západ

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Konec, platím útratu

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Jiří Schelingerdětský sbor

Pepi, ta koza nedojí

Singer mužský sbor

Já mám pár tónů

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Hana Zagorová

O ševci /Jeden kos, to byl kos/

Singer Svatopluk Skopal

Production info

Original Title

Muž s orlem a slepicí

Czech Title

Muž s orlem a slepicí

English Title

The Man with an Eagle and a Chicken

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

narrative

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1977—1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 8 August 1977
start of filming 14 September 1977
technical Screenplay approved 3 October 1977
end of filming 29 June 1978
projection approval 29 June 1978

Premiere

premiere 22 December 1978 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

80 min

Original length in metres

2 282 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