Love at Second Sight

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production year

1981

Premiere

6 August 1982

Runtime

98 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Láska na druhý pohled

Czech title

Láska na druhý pohled

English title

Love at Second Sight

Summary

Venca is a bricklayer, yet he introduces himself as an undergraduate to Pavla, a pretty student at the construction faculty. The minor deception is discovered – but that doesn’t stop the young people from growing close. For the girl’s parents, however, Venca’s social status is, at first, unacceptable. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that the young man's parents, conventional types devoted to building the family villa, also don’t accept the young love... The director of this 1981 satire on the contemporary petit bourgeois, adorned with songs by Jiří Bažant and Jiří Malásek, is Ladislav Rychman. However, Láska na druhý pohled (Love at Second Sight) rather trails the testimony to a generation offered by his Starci na chmelu (Hop-Pickers, 1965). Ilona Svobodová and Jan Čenský debuted in the main roles, but the experienced director entrusted the parts of the parents to tried and tested acting old hands – Míla Myslíková, Josef Větrovec, Rudolf Jelínek and Marie Málková.

Synopsis

Pavla Pokorná is a student of the building construction faculty. - The bricklayer Venca Bidlas works at the construction site of a large house settlement. He is not looking forward to get home because he has to help his parents build a large family villa. One evening he and his friends try to get in vain in a university club. Venca plucks up courage and he addresses Pavla. He tells her he is a medical student Evžen. He falls in love with her and she likes the handsome young man as well. Venca wants to tell Pavla the truth, but before he decides to do it, the girl finds the truth herself during a practical training at the building construction. First she gets offended, but as she loves Venca, she makes it up with him again. But she wants that he plays a medical student in front of her parents. Venca does not like this pretending and he better tells the truth. Her parents, The Pokornýs throw him out. They do mind that he is only a bricklayer. Also his parents are fogies and they do not allow to Pavla to stay overnight when she comes to visit their son. Pavel wants to sleep in the park in a tent, but Pavla runs away to her uncle, who offers them a flatlet. Venca's parents set out to Pavla's parents, to stop their son's relationship. They all quarrel together, but in the end they reconcile. The Bidlases have a villa, but they don't have money to complete it. The Pokornýs have savings. The villa will be completed, the young couple will get married and everybody will move in. But the young couple does not want to live with their parents and they better move to the flat where the Pokornýs used to live before.

Cast

Ilona Svobodová

studentka Pavla Pokorná

Jan Čenský

zedník Venca Bidlas

Miroslav Vladyka

Ludvík Richter, Pavlin kolega

Josef Větrovec

Bidlas, Vencův otec

Míla Myslíková

Bidlasová, Vencova matka

Rudolf Jelínek

Karel Pokorný, Pavlin otec

Marie Málková

Pokorná, Pavlina matka

Zuzana Schulzová

Eva, Ludvíkova dívka

Václav Beránek

strýc Evžen Dvořáček

Václav Štekl

profesor lékařské fakulty

Ladislav Potměšil

asistent lékařské fakulty

Zuzana Burianová

blondýnka se skříní

Karel Chromík

asistent na ČVUT

Božena Lišková

zpěvačka

Roman Skamene

zedník Lojza

Vlastimil Zavřel

zedník Čenda

Jan Kraus

zedník Emil

Věra Kramešová

Piťhova žena

Bořík Procházka

stavbyvedoucí

Ferdinand Havlík

otec Richter

Jana Vaňková

matka Richterová

Hana Brejchová

úřednice na stavbě

Ladislav Trojan

zednický mistr

Jan Cmíral

profesor vysoké školy stavební

Marie-Luisa Váchová

servírka

Miro Grisa

student A

Hana Štolcpartová

studentka B

Roman Janoušek

student-předzpěvák

Magdalena Císlerová

studentka

Hana Čížková (2)

studentka

Michal Dymek

mladík u parku

Jiří Konečný (2)

student

Jiřina Kotoučová

studentka

Jiří Máša

student

Miloslav Šindler

mistr Bednář

Luboš Ocásek

Jarda

Karel Bělohradský

řidič nákladního auta

Jarmila Horská

brigádnice

Karel Hovorka ml.

podpraporčík VB

Jiří Kraus

motocyklista

Richard Maška

pořadatel

Jaroslava Janovová

žena

Jiří Augusta

hudebník

Ctibor Ješina

hudebník

Ivan Krušina

hudebník

Jan Machat

hudebník

Petr Malásek

hudebník

Michal Dlouhý

malý Piťha

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Ostrý

Screenstory

Jiří Just

Shooting Script

Ladislav Rychman

Dramaturg

Josef Bouček

Director of Photography

Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Jokl

Camera Operator

Stanislav Šťastný

Production Designer

Oldřich Bosák

Assistent Production Designer

František Císař

Set Designer

Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský, Radim Valak

Costume Designer

Marie Franková

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Dalibor Lipský

Sound Designer

Jiří Moudrý

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Petr Čapek, Ulrich Jiří ml.

Unit Production Manager

Irena Koucká, Jana Příkaská

Cooperation

Zuzana Plecerová (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Music Performed by

Studiová skupina Pavla Větrovce (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Láska na druhý pohled

Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří Bažant
Writer of Lyrics Michal Bukovič
Singer Božena Lišková

Počítej, žáku, počítej

Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří Bažant
Writer of Lyrics Jiří JustLadislav Rychman
Singer Posluchači herectví Pražské konzervatoře

Production info

Original Title

Láska na druhý pohled

Czech Title

Láska na druhý pohled

English Title

Love at Second Sight

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production Year

1981

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 8 January 1979
start of filming 5 February 1981
technical Screenplay approved 18 March 1981
end of filming 15 October 1981
projection approval 12 November 1981

Premiere

premiere 6 August 1982 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 459 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: 33. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´82

1982
63 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 33. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´82

1982
63 měst / Czechoslovakia
Ilona Svobodová