There Is Something in the Air
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1980Production year
1980Premiere
8 May 1981Runtime
78 minDirector
Ludvík RážaCategory
filmGenre
comedy, sci-fiTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Něco je ve vzduchuCzech title
Něco je ve vzduchuEnglish title
There Is Something in the AirSummary
This 1980 sci-fi comedy, written and directed by Ludvík Ráža, revolves around a home-made time machine. The protagonists, Alice and Petr, follow the plans of Alice’s grandfather and build a force field accelerator that lands them in the year 1946. Alice gets to meet both her grandfather, Professor Jeník, and her future mother… The slightly unoriginal story is full of logical paradoxes. Professor Jeník travels to the future, meeting his descendants. The young time travelers are portrayed by Vladimír Dlouhý and Zlata Adamovská, who also plays her mother. Ivan Mistrík stars as the young grandfather.
Synopsis
The urn supposedly containing the remains of Alice's grandfather falls out of the window and breaks. To Alice's great surprise, the urn is empty and the girl learns that the grandfather didn't die but disappeared under mysterious circumstances on the 2nd September 1946 in the town of Telč. Her grandmother claims that a mysterious young man with dark glasses was implicated in her husband disappearance. Alice is determined to solve the mystery. Grandmother's story leads Alice to a shoemaker who hands her Professor Jeník's – her grandfather's – invention, called the Force-fields Accelerator. Alice tells her boyfriend Petr about the device and the young man creates a time machine following the professor's instructions. The young couple then travel back to 1946 and there they indeed meet Alice's grandfather, and his daughter Blanka, who will later be Alice's mother. Jeník is a teacher at a grammar school and a talented scientist, but he has no way of testing his theories. Petr reveals himself to the professor and shows him the time machine designed in accord with his theories. Alice persuades her grandfather to join them on their journey back to the present. The family is flabbergasted by grandfather's presence. He hasn't aged at all, and grandmother finds it particularly difficult to bear the fact that she looks so old next to him. She therefore tries to get him to return with her to meet their daughter back in 1946. The professor explains that this is probably impossible and leaves. He gets into the old pre-war Aero car – the time machine. From the window his granddaughter Alice calls after him to stay with them.
Photos
Cast
Vladimír Dlouhý
student Petr Budil
Zlata Adamovská
Alice/Blanka jako dívka
Ivan Mistrík
profesor Rudolf Jeník, Alicin dědeček
Zdena Hadrbolcová
Markéta Jeníková, Alicina babička
Luděk Munzar
profesor František Bartoníček, Alicin otec
Milena Dvorská
Blanka, žena profesora Bartoníčka
Marek Vašut
Fanda, profesor Bartoníček jako mladík
Vlastimil Brodský
obuvník Václav Jebavý
Milan Riehs
továrník Halaška
Josef Somr
obchodní agent Travel & Trafic Corporation
Laďka Kozderková
magistra
Robert Vrchota
restauratér Koubek
Libuše Geprtová
matka Fandy Bartoníčka
Jaroslav Satoranský
otec Fandy Bartoníčka
Zdeněk Kutil
ředitel školy
Věra Tichánková
vrátná ve Frutě
Petr Nárožný
sedlák Vincek
Nina Popelíková
selka
Michal Pešek
mladík fotograf
Sylva Sequensová
spolužačka
Renata Honzovičová
Květa
Marie Rosůlková
sousedka Niederlová
Jana Drbohlavová
sousedka Stránská
Luba Skořepová
sousedka Hovorková
Jitka Zelenohorská
technička Marcela
Dagmar Veškrnová
matka v roce 1840
Karel Augusta
otec v roce 1840
Dana Vávrová
dcera v roce 1840
Eva Cigánková
dcera v roce 1840
Vítězslav Bouchner
mladík
Tomáš Kuchta
mladík
Přemysl Přichystal
mladík
Petr Svárovský
mladík
Pavel Veselý
mladík
Arnošt Podařil
dvojče Koudela
Evžen Podařil
dvojče Koudela
Jan Cmíral
notář
Miroslav Kovařovič
rozhodčí
Stanislav Bruder
muž od tapet
Tomáš Vacek
student
Martin Velda
student
Jiří Ulrich
Košek
Milena Dvorská
hlas Blanky jako dívky
Luděk Munzar
hlas Fandy
Ljuba Krbová
hlas spolužačky
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Zdeněk Pazdírek
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Jiří Forst, Miloslav Dvořák, Lubomír Kafka, Josef Večerek
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Stunts
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Věra Winkelhöferová, Přemysl Pražský
Unit Production Manager
Dagmar Linhová
Cooperation
H. Hatleová (klapka), Jitka Bylinská (fotografka)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Songs
Kamarádi
Song Composer Miroslav Juchelka /instrumentace/
Singer sbor
Nikdy nic nikdo nemá
Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Když jsem šel od vás
Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Jaroslav Satoranský
Studentská hymna
Singer sbor
Production info
Original Title
Něco je ve vzduchu
Czech Title
Něco je ve vzduchu
English Title
There Is Something in the Air
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
comedy, sci-fi
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1980
Production Year
1980
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 15 October 1979
start of filming 3 March 1980
technical Screenplay approved 18 April 1980
end of filming 2 December 1980
projection approval 12 December 1980
Premiere
premiere 8 May 1981 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Drahoslava Makovičky, Drahoslav Makovička (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
78 min
Original length in metres
2 245 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 20. mezinárodní festival vědecko-fantastických filmů Terst
1982
Terst / Italy
Vítěz
Festival: 3. festival československé filmové veselohry Nové Město nad Metují
1981
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Petr Nárožný
Vítěz
Festival: 3. festival československé filmové veselohry Nové Město nad Metují
1981
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Ludvík Ráža
