Watch Out, the Doctor Is on His Round!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production year

1980—1981

Premiere

23 April 1982

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Pozor, vizita!

Czech title

Pozor, vizita!

English title

Watch Out, the Doctor Is on His Round!

Summary

During the early 1980s seasoned director Karel Kachyňa adapted two “medical” stories from the same literary source. The tragicomedies Pozor, vizita! (Watch Out, the Doctor Is on His Round!, 1981) and Sestřičky (The Nurses, 1983) were both inspired by Adolf Branald’s 1967 novel Vizita (Doctor’s Round). The main protagonist in the latter film, set in the 1950s, is an inexperienced nurse starting her career at a rural medical facility. In the former, set in the early 1960s, it is the wandering bachelor Prepsl, who is trying to find consolation for his forced stay in a hospital isolation ward. Even though Prepsl is carrying the typhoid virus, he views his time in the infectious diseases unit as an unjust internment and makes several attempts to escape. Gradually he begins to forge relationships with the hospital staff and other similarly affected patients. As he slowly comes to terms with his circumstances, he finds a new sense of life in the spirit of his fellow patients and the stories shared on the ward. The inadaptable recluse thus finds the support he needs to make his reconciliation with society. Through its central character the film’s narrative explores the theme of human freedom. Prepsl is naturally inclined to resist any limitations placed upon his liberties, until he loses them all. The film’s main protagonist, exquisitely portrayed by Rudolf Hrušínský, is an irrepressible optimist, whose character combines wisdom and the courage to withstand any hardship, even if it means swapping freedom for a secure existence under the continuous supervision of caretakers. In this respect Kachyňa’s film closely reflects the reality of its time when the post-1968 “normalisation” regime imposed a very similar “trade-off” on its citizens. Hrušínský, who delivers one of his best performances under Kachyňa’s skilled direction, is joined in the timeless film’s cast by Josef Somr in the part of disinfector Kafka and Libuše Švormová as nurse Růžena. Veronika Jeníková plays the part of young patient Manka confined to the same ward – the inhabitant of a children’s home she is akin to Prepsl in her “homelessness”.

Synopsis

The year 1960 witnessed an epidemic of intestinal typhus. Traces lead to the village of Albrechtice where the recent motorcycle races were visited in great numbers. The carrier is found. It is the poultry farmer and lonesome bachelor Prepsl who must immediately be quarantined in a hospital. When he was young, he loved to wander around the world and likes to talk about it to his friends in a pub. Now, he is isolated and the senior consultant Vojtěch presents him with the only solution: to remove his gall bladder. But Prepsl feels healthy and does not want to hear a word about the surgery. He finds a friend in the hospital – the disinfector Kafka, but he is otherwise bored. The senior consultant offers him the job of taking care of the hospital lawn. Prepsl agrees and runs away in no time. Kafka and the hospital attendants find him in a local pub and return him to the hospital. The hospital cleaning lady Katka is interested in the elderly Prepsl. But although the corpulent widow brings him strudel and is close to him in age, Prepsl prefers the patient Manka – a premature and impertinent children's home inmate. The convivial man enthusiastically welcomes a new roommate. The old and widowed Bartůněk is moreover very emotional about his four adult children. They visit him, but the main reason is to extract money from him under various false pretences, and none of them wants to take care of their father at home. Julinka even pretends to be pregnant. During Christmas, a celebration breaks out in Prepsl's room, attended by Katka, Manka, Kafka as well as the nurse Růžena. It comes to dancing and the mischievous Manka even performs a strip show. In spring, Manka has her gall bladder removed and then lures Prepsl to run away with her so that she does not have to return to the children's home. The oddly incogruous couple spends a night in a barn. Prepsl tells Manka about his only love whom she recalls. In the morning, Prepsl is alone – the girl has disappeared, and moreover stolen all his money. The carrier returns to the hospital. He feels old and the hospital is his only home after all. He eventually agrees to have the surgery but his son Josef forbids him to undergo it; it is clear that somebody would really have to take the father home. Bartůněk is resigned to everything; he is apathetic and he even refuses to talk to his relatives on their regular Sunday visit. He tells them inconsiderately from a balcony what he thinks about them. As soon as he finds out that the only one who never took anything from him is his youngest daughter Mánička, he and Kafka secretly set off to meet her. The young woman had no idea about her father's situation. She approves the surgery and promises to take her father in, even though she has the smallest flat of them all. The satisfied Prepsl begins flirting with Katka. He is, however, soon stricken by his nomadic inclination and runs away again.

Note

The film was shot simultaneously with television film Counting Sheep (1981, Počítání oveček) by Karel Kachyňa.

Film online

Cast

Rudolf Hrušínský

bacilonosič Alois Prepsl

Veronika Jeníková

pacientka Manka

Libuše Švormová

zdravotní sestra Růžena

Blažena Holišová

uklízečka Katka

Ľudovít Greššo

Voice by Ota Sklenčka
pacient Josef Bartůněk

Bořivoj Navrátil

primář Karel Vojtěch

Josef Somr

dezinfektor Kafka

Miroslav Moravec

družstevník Josef, Bartůňkův nejstarší syn

Lenka Pichlíková

učitelka Mánička, Bartůňkova nejmladší dcera

Petr Svárovský

Jirka, manžel Máničky

Jiřina Jelenská

Julinka, Bartůňkova dcera

Jiří Petkov

Ivánek, syn Julinky

Jan Polívka

výčepní, manžel Julinky

Blanka Lormanová

Anynka, Bartůňkova dcera

Bronislav Poloczek

traťmistr, manžel Anynky

Zdeněk Ornest

vedoucí epidemiolog

František Suchomel

koňák Holas, Prepslův kamarád

Magdaléna Holendrová

zdravotní sestra

Yvetta Kornová

zdravotní sestra

Radka Fidlerová

zdravotní sestra

Barbora Štěpánová

zdravotní sestra

Gabriela Wilhelmová

zdravotní sestra

Eduard Pavlíček

předseda komise

Jiří Knot

technik/brýlatec

Svatopluk Matyáš

vedoucí pracovník KNV

Vlastimil Bedrna

výčepní Standa

Zdeněk Sedláček

sanitář Zrzavec

Luděk Nešleha

epidemiolog

Jiří Kodeš

sekundář

Michael Hofbauer

Salc, syn Prepslových bytných

MUDr. Robert Bláha

člen komise

Oldřich Velen

zástupce obce

Bohuslav Ličman

Voice by Mirko Musil
vrátný

Viktor Maurer

reportér

Jaroslav Tomsa

ajznboňák

Zdeněk Srstka

ajznboňák

Miloslav Homola

pracovník

Jan Cimický

lékař při vizitě

Vlastimila Vlková

květinářka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Zeno Dostál

Assistant Director

Stanislava Hutková

Based on

Adolf Branald (Vizita – román)

Shooting Script

Karel Kachyňa

Director of Photography

Jan Čuřík

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Nečesal

Camera Operator

David Remunda

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Boris Halmi

Costume Designer

Helena Dubová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Assistant Sound Designer

Adolf Werner

Production Manager

Václav Rouha

Unit Production Manager

Václav Dobeš, Zdeňka Černá, Václav Petr

Unit Production Manager

Jana Hauserová

Consultant

MUDr. Libuše Dobiášová, CSc.

Cooperation

Nataša Culíková (klapka), Pavel Čáslavský (vrchní osvětlovač), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Luboš Fišer

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Choreographer

Karel Bednář

Songs

Já miluji jen vás

Song Composer John Gollwell
Writer of Lyrics John Gollwell
Singer sbor

Zpěvy betlémské

Song Composer lidová píseňJan Seidel /úprava/
Singer sbor

Ty jsi hezkej

Song Composer Adolf Schächter
Writer of Lyrics Jindřich Mlejnek
Singer Veronika Jeníková

Co to máš, má milá

Singer Rudolf Hrušínský

Silnice šedivá

Song Composer Josef Dobeš
Writer of Lyrics Saša Razov
Singer Rudolf Hrušínský

Vinohradská porodnice, ta je pěkně stavěná

Singer Rudolf Hrušínský

Půjdem spolu do Betléma

Singer dětský sbor

Co se stalo

Song Composer lidová píseňJ. Krček /úprava/

Vánoční koleda

Song Composer Luboš Fišer

Vy mládenci, kteří jste jako já

Production info

Original Title

Pozor, vizita!

Czech Title

Pozor, vizita!

English Title

Watch Out, the Doctor Is on His Round!

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1981

Production Year

1980—1981

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 25 February 1980
start of filming 12 December 1980
technical Screenplay approved 15 January 1981
end of filming 27 July 1981
projection approval 12 August 1981

Premiere

premiere 23 April 1982 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 404 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

Event: 12. ročník čtenářské ankety týdeníku Květy ve spolupráci s Československou televizí a Ústřední půjčovnou filmů

1983
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Rudolf Hrušínský st.

Vítěz

Festival: 20. festival českých a slovenských filmů Ústí nad Labem

1982
Ústí nad Labem / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 9. festival zdravotnických filmů Podbořany

1982
Podbořany / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 33. filmový festival pracujících – zima ´82

1982
119 měst / Czechoslovakia
Rudolf Hrušínský st.