The Social Lions

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1977—1978

Premiere

1 December 1978

Runtime

83 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Lvi salónů

Czech title

Lvi salónů

English title

The Social Lions

Summary

Screenwriter and director Jaromír Borek specialised in films for children and youth. However, Lvi salónů (The Social Lions, 1978) is a comedy about an eccentric builder from Ostrava, who encounters all the temptations of the big city while constructing a tenement building in Prague. The hero Fery strikes up a friendship with his naive colleague Pepík, with whom he shares a trailer on the building site. A cafe singer named Virginia begins to threaten Pepík’s carefree existence. The worldly-wise young woman is only interested in money and soon lures the infatuated young man into an unenviable situation. Fery helps his friend out of trouble… The lead roles were played by Josef Dvořák (Fery) and Jan Hartl (Pepík). The beautiful Virginia was portrayed by Jana Válková, while Dagmar Veškrnová played cinema usherette Helenka, the nice girl who also becomes involved in the men’s lives.

Synopsis

Hundreds of workers from various parts of the country work at a future Prague residence neighbourhood. The bricklayer Fery is known as a racy strange man that refuses to stay at a lodging house and stays in a caravan just at the construction site. At a football match an Ostravian Fery has a fight with an Slávie fan Pepík Perlík. Both of them have to pay a fine. Nevertheless, Fery is friendly and suggests Pepík making up as he realizes they know each other from work. They go together to a dance café and Pepík falls in love with a singer Viržinie. Fery arranges Pepík is taken into a work group of foreman Skácel where they are not very particular about long working hours but they can earn nice money. He also puts him up in his caravan. He reasons a rather naive Pepík his relationship with Viržinie interested only in money. Pepík wants his older friend meet a likeable cinema usherette Helenka. Fery's sceptical attitude to women is caused by his ex-girlfriend having taken his saved money for a car and then letting him down. Pepík is supposed to watch material at the construction site but instead of this he spends three nights with Viržinie. She milks five thousand crowns from him and then she disappears. The material is stolen, Fery gets it back, but the money is gone. Only Helenka brings a hope that there are also nice and decent women.

Cast

Josef Dvořák

zedník Fery Kaplan

Jan Hartl

zedník Pepík Perlík

Jana Válková

zpěvačka Viržinie

Dagmar Veškrnová

uvaděčka Helena

Zdeněk Sedláček

Přemek, Pepíkův spolubydlící

Július Vašek

mistr Skácel

Josef Hlinomaz

Lideček, majitel hausbótu

Václav Lohniský

zedník Adámek

Zdeněk Loveček

svářeč Bohouš

Vladimír Hrabánek

zedník Kryštofek

Věra Beranová

prodavačka ve foto kino

Jitka Horská

dívka z Alfy

Jana Rabová

dívka z Alfy

Jitka Švandová

dívka z Alfy

Milada Vnuková

dívka z Alfy

Jindřich Hinke

mladý příslušník VB

Miluše Šplechtová

dívka podobná Viržinii

Karel Koloušek

Jindřich Jura

Zdeněk Skalický

dlouhý vrchní

Antonín Pokorný

muž s knírkem

Jaroslav Pešice

příslušník VB

Jan Teplý

hospodský Bouček

Václav Matějíček

chlap

Jitka Nováková

Voice by Luba Skořepová
žena se psem

Milan Kindl

tlustokrký

Ladislav Ejem

hudebník v Monice

Václav Novák (hudebník)

hudebník v Monice

Jiří Sládek

rváč

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Kadlec

Assistant Director

Hana Hanušová

Screenstory

Karel Štorkán

Director of Photography

Jiří Stöhr

Second Unit Photography

Jiří Hošek

Camera Operator

Emil Hora

Production Designer

Přemek Longa

Assistent Production Designer

František Vokřál

Set Designer

Marcel Kříž, Jiří Matějka, Eva Slívová

Costume Designer

Blanka Hrubešová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Helena Lehovcová

Stunts

Jiří Sládek, Jaroslav Šanda

Production Manager

Gustav Rohan

Unit Production Manager

Petr Čapek, Dana Dudová

Unit Production Manager

Pavel Brunclík

Cooperation

Zina Kršková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf), Montované stavby Praha n. p.

Music

Music Composed by

Ivan Kašlík

Selected Music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Malá noční hudba)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Komety (Music Conducted by Jiří Kaleš)

Songs

Pojď, svět je přece krásný

Singer Jana Válková

Keď som sediel s kamarátmi

Singer Július Vašek

Production info

Original Title

Lvi salónů

Czech Title

Lvi salónů

English Title

The Social Lions

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1977—1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 12 May 1977
technical Screenplay approved 4 July 1977
start of filming 5 July 1977
end of filming 23 February 1978
projection approval 22 March 1978

Premiere

premiere 1 December 1978 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

83 min

Original length in metres

2 367 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