Hurly-Burly on the E-4 Road

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1979

Production year

1979

Premiere

18 April 1980

Runtime

87 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Poprask na silnici E 4

Czech title

Poprask na silnici E 4

English title

Hurly-Burly on the E-4 Road

Summary

Although primarily a television director, Stanislav Strnad nonetheless made several feature films, including Můj brácha má prima bráchu (My Brother Has a Marvellous Brother, 1975) and its sequel Brácha za všechny peníze (What a Brother I Have, 1978). In 1979, Strnad directed the “normalisation” era comedy Poprask na silnici E4. The protagonists of this unusual road movie – tagged as one of the era's “building a better future” productions – are three employees of a brickworks in Čičenice, who decide to head out to Turnov to acquire a new locomotive. But their journey across Prague in search of an important invoice is unexpectedly delayed and complicated by certain events, including an inventory taking place in the Čičenice brickworks. Two popular actors of the day take the lead roles in this light-hearted tale: experienced engine driver Kudrna is played by Josef Bláha and the nimble Karel Kaplan is played by Jiří Štěpnička. Petr Svoboda (popular on Czech Television for his portrayal of fairytale princes) rounds out the trio as Šinták.

Synopsis

A small locomotive has come to the end of its working life at the Čičenice brickworks. The brickworks director sends his employees Kudrna, Kaplan and Šinták to Turnov for another. On their way the men are supposed to stop at a Prague hospital to get the director of the housing co-operative Dr Marek to sign an invoice for the supply of a wagon of bricks for internal construction, because the brickworks is expecting an audit. The brickworks employees load the locomotive in Turnov and set off on the return journey. In Prague Kudrna at first has no success looking for Marek and it is only with the help of his son he finds him and Marek confirms the invoice. Meanwhile Kaplan and Šinták are waiting in the truck in the carpark in front of the hospital. When Kudrna has been gone for a long time, Kaplan decides to sleep over at his aunt's place, but the aunt has just that evening left for a spa and so he stays in the flat by himself. He oversleeps, and then in his confusion runs out of the flat and slams the door behind him. While he is trying to get back inside, the tenants who don't know him call the police. Since he doesn't have his documents with him, it takes a long time for the police to agree to let him go. Kudrna and Šinták drive off without him. Meanwhile the auditors have arrived at the brickworks and discovered the absence of the invoice, but in the end Kudrna gets it there, and so everything turns out all right.

Cast

Josef Bláha

strojvůdce Bohouš Kudrna

Jiří Štěpnička

Karlík Kaplan

Petr Svoboda

Petr Šinták

Karel Vochoč

provozní vedoucí cihelny Vojta

Dagmar Veškrnová

zdravotní sestra Helenka

Míla Myslíková

vdova Jarunka, Petrova nevlastní matka

Antonie Hegerliková

sekretářka Anička

Sylva Sequensová

Miluška, Petrova sestra

Antonín Hardt

náměstek

Ferdinand Krůta

kontrolor Říha

Vladimír Krška

kontrolor Pražák

Jiří Vala

cihlář Takáč

Jan Kraus

cihlář Ferdinand zvaný Ferko, Takáčův syn

Jan Faltýnek

cihlář Géza, Takáčův syn

René Gabzdyl

cihlář Laco, Takáčův syn

Jan Kuželka

Pišta, Takáčův syn

Jaroslav Moučka

náčelník VB

Miroslav Homola

Voice by Dalimil Klapka
zahradník

Nataša Gollová

Hana Lišková, Karlíkova teta

Valentina Thielová

zdravotní sestra Blanka

Jiří Bruder

žárlivec Jelínek

Laďka Kozderková

Milada, Jelínkova žena

Stanislav Fišer

poručík VB

Tomáš Sedláček

praporčík VB

Mirko Musil

Voice by Ferdinand Krůta
správce hřiště

Zdeněk Šavrda

zřízenec na příjmu

Oldřich Velen

lesní technik

Jan Schánilec

MUDr. Marek, vedoucí bytového družstva

Petr Skarke

motohlídka VB

Petr Hanus

motohlídka VB

René Přibil

motohlídka VB

Karel Bělohradský

řidič autojeřábu

Vladimír Míka

student Bertík, Kudrnův syn

Pavel Robin

řidič popelářského vozu

Karel Charvát

technik v cihelně

Jarmila Derková

pokladní ČSAD

Eduard Dubský

starší pán

Karel Fořt

hlídač parkoviště

Jarmila Beránková

Markova sousedka

Josef Kubíček

příslušník VB na nádraží Pankrác

Ladislav Krečmer

pomocník VB

Ivo Niederle

trenér košíkové

Milan Neděla

pacient Mařan

Ema Skálová

hluchá sousedka Kosová

Miloš Skalka

konferenciér

Václav Štekl

malíř čar na silnici

Pavel Zedníček

Voice by Petr Skarke
řidič škodovky

Alena Kreuzmannová

Voice by Ludmila Roubíková
žena v autobuse

Jaroslava Tichá

žena v autobuse

Milan Mach

hostinský Valnoha

Lubomír Bryg

muž s činkou

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Helena Rohanová

Assistant Director

Tomáš Urban, N. Bongová

Continuity

Jana Goetzová

Screenstory

Viktor Dusil

Shooting Script

Stanislav Strnad

Dramaturg

Pavel Hajný

Director of Photography

Jan Novák

Second Unit Photography

Ivan Wurm

Camera Operator

Bohumír Schwarzer

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Assistent Production Designer

Michal Krška

Set Designer

Jaroslav Česal, Jan Hodný, Karel Kočí, Jiří Matějka

Costume Designer

Vojtěch Kolařík

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Miroslav Dousek, Dana Dudová

Unit Production Manager

Lucie Hertlová

Cooperation

Dana Průchová (klapka), Ivan Minář (fotograf), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Miloš Vacek

Selected Music

Giuseppe Verdi (Rigoletto /Ó, jak je měnivé/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Ó, jak je měnivé

Song Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Singer Josef Bláha

A já sám vždycky sám

Song Composer lidová píseň

Production info

Original Title

Poprask na silnici E 4

Czech Title

Poprask na silnici E 4

English Title

Hurly-Burly on the E-4 Road

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1979

Production Year

1979

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 26 February 1979
start of filming 21 March 1979
technical Screenplay approved 6 April 1979
end of filming 22 October 1979
projection approval 2 November 1979

Premiere

premiere 18 April 1980 /unsuitable for youths/

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

2 483 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