How the World Loses Poets

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production year

1981—1982

Premiere

12 November 1982

Runtime

90 min

Director

Dušan Klein

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jak svět přichází o básníky

Czech title

Jak svět přichází o básníky

English title

How the World Loses Poets

Summary

In 1982 director Dušan Klein and screenwriter Ladislav Pecháček launched a highly successful comedy series based on the latter’s novel Amateurs. After the success of Jak svět přichází o básníky (How the World Loses Poets) (1982) they returned to their idealistic hero Štěpán two years later with Jak básníci přicházejí o iluze (How Poets Lose Their Illusions). After another follow-up in the form of Jak básníkům chutná život (How the Poets Enjoy Life) (1987) the series was interrupted by the emigration of lead actor Pavel Kříž. However, following a change of political system the creators added two more parts to the original trilogy – Konec básníků v Čechách (The End of Poets in Bohemia) (1993) and Jak básníci neztrácejí naději (Poets Never Lose Hope) (2004). Thus arose a unique series of movies following one fictitious character over more than 20 years against the backdrop of changing political reality. The “Poets pentalogy” is also a record of the acting, physical and human transformation of Kříž – originally an amateur theatre actor, his life was transformed by Klein’s offer of a part in the first Poets picture. While Kříž focused on his dreamt-of field – medicine – during his Canadian exile, his filmography features dozens of others films and series. The eternally wide-eyed Šimon Šafránek, who the first part captures graduating from secondary school and enrolling in medicine and the last depicts as a hospital director, is a kind of shadow figure in his own peripatetic life… As well as a “poetic dolt” Klein’s and Pecháček’s hero is characterised by his relationships with his worry-worn mother (Míla Myslíková), friend Kendy (David Matásek) and attractive girlfriends, whose number grows with every film. Štěpán’s efforts to win over the alluring Borůvka (Miroslava Šafránková) devolve in part from an experimental, amateur production of Tyl’s Wood Nymph, which the hero and Kendy are working on. The TV even displays interest in the production. However, Štěpán is more interested in losing his virginity than in media fame.

Synopsis

The couturier Šafránková makes dresses for most of girls and women in the city. Her only son, 18 year old grammar school student Štěpán has thus a chance to evaluate their charm secretly through the keyhole. He loves platonically his former schoolmate Marcela called the Blueberry. After her dress try-out Štěpán always switches off the safety fuse and so he is "obliged" to walk the girl down on the dark staircase. Štěpán is talented for rhyming and he finds verses for any situation. His friend and schoolmate from the last year of the grammar school, Marek, called Kendy suggests to produce non-professionally an experimental version of Tyl's theatre play called The Wood Nymph aka The Journey to America. Štěpán writes in the rhymes, Kendy makes music to it all, and they can say good bye to their school and city in an unforgettable way. Štěpán refuses this idea until he realises he can cast the Blueberry in the main part of Terezka. The Blueberry was just not admitted to the conservatory. The butcher Červíček, an experienced amateur theatre takes up the direction. Štěpán has a serious rival in love. The publicity officer Nádeníček is older, more experienced, and he is well off. Štěpán and Kendy visit a wine company which could financially support their theatre play. Štěpán makes skilfully luxuriant amendments to the boring report prepared by Nádeníček. But the secretary Blueberry who has to retype the text is not exited. Both students work intensively and they hire actors continuously. Štěpán visits the Blueberry who has a cold. Near her bed he starts making love rhymes, and the girl records them secretly. Nearly the half of the city is rehearsing the theatre play. The director gave a role even to the unpleasant Nádeníček. Even a TV crew comes to shoot a section about the theatre performance. It was arranged by the editor of the local newspapers, who is father of the juicy schoolmate Hrdličková, who makes in vain advances to Štěpán. The TV director Pergl is quite embarrassed by the adaptation of the classical play, but Kendy and Štěpán explain promptly on the camera their personal conception. Štěpán is hopeful about his first making love. The Blueberry told him that her parents had left and she would be the whole night at home alone. Štěpán says to his mother that the rehearsals will be also at night and after a fresh bath he rings at the Blueberry's door. The girl lets him listen the recording of his own verses. After the successful night the young man recaps: "Poets use to have difficult beginnings and ends. However the meantime is joyful and fruitful. I am at the end. This is the way the world looses poets."

Note

After the success of this film the authors made four free follow ups: How Poets Lose Their Illusions (1984), How Life Smells Good to Poets (1987), The End of Poets in Bohemia... (1993) and How Poets Never Lose Hope (2004). The stories are continuously commented upon and supplemented by short animation sequences.

Film online

Cast

Pavel Kříž

student Štěpán Šafránek

David Matásek

student Marek zvaný Kendy

Miroslava Šafránková

sekretářka Marcela Borůvková, zvaná Borůvka

Míla Myslíková

švadlena Šafránková, Štěpánova matka

Josef Somr

profesor chemie Libor Ječmen

Miroslava Hozová

Ječmenova manželka

Oldřich Navrátil

propagační referent Emil Nádeníček

Lenka Kořínková

servírka Vránová

František Filipovský

důchodce Valerián Adolf

Jiří Císler

řezník Čermáček, ochotnický režisér

Adolf Filip

Karel Marek, Kendyho otec

Zdeňka Rosolová

Kendyho matka

Luděk Kopřiva

choreograf Hugo Snowden

František Ringo Čech

lázeňský Bouchal

Zdena Hadrbolcová

profesorka Šindlerová

Jiří Kodet

televizní režisér Pergl

Barbora Štěpánová

Bedřiška Hrdličková, Štěpánova spolužačka

Jiřina Jirásková

ředitelka školy

Jaromír Kučera

sexuolog profesor Vodička

Jiří Hálek

redaktor Hrdlička, Bedřiščin otec

Jiří Knot

referent ONV

Jaroslava Kretschmerová

Vnoučková, Nádeníčkova milenka

Lubomír Kostelka

údržbář Šindel

Karel Augusta

houslař Kamil Borůvka, otec Marcely

Dana Balounová

matka Borůvky

Zdeněk Srstka

Voice by Mirko Musil
výčepní Karlík

Luboš Ocásek

Hanousek

Martin Otava

Stibůrek

Alena Pátková

Eva

Roman Siegel

Bouzek

Emil Sirotek

kameraman

Mirko Musil

profesor branné výchovy

Laco Déczi

člen kapely

Vladimír Hnát

člen kapely

Tomáš Pšenička

člen kapely

Marek Šimůnek

člen kapely

Dalibor Dvořák

Ládík Ječmen

Petr Fassati

Rous

Daniela Popelková

studentka-víla

Jana Bláhová

studentka

Karel Helan

student

Daniela Kučerová

studentka

Martin Loebl

student

Zbyněk Loebl

student

Eva Pokorná (2)

studentka

Karolina Šaríková

studentka

Barbora Švejdová

studentka

Ivana Volfová

studentka

Šárka Volfová

studentka

Ingeborg Malá

studentka

Jana Güttnerová

dubl za Miroslavu Šafránkovou

Crew and creators

Director

Dušan Klein

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Zdeněk Fiala, Petr Slabý

Based on

Ladislav Pecháček (Amatéři – novela)

Screenplay

Dušan Klein

Shooting Script

Dušan Klein

Director of Photography

Emil Sirotek

Second Unit Photography

Martin Benoni

Camera Operator

Milan Kopecký

Production Designer

Vladimír Labský

Assistent Production Designer

František Dvořák

Art Director

Stanislav Holý

Set Designer

Ivo Černý, Miloš Osvald, Jiří Rulík, Ladislav Rada

Costume Designer

Jana Zbořilová

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková, Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB, Jiří Rumler, Ludvík Malý

Titles Designed by

Stanislav Holý, Zdena Bártová (animace)

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Jana Koubová, Jarmila Tomišková

Unit Production Manager

L. Pech

Cooperation

Vítězslava Marčíková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf), Studio Bratři v triku (animovaná část)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Marat

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), skupina Maximum Petra Hanniga

Choreographer

Gustav Voborník

Songs

Pojď, pojď, už se nevracej

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer Vítězslav Vávra

Zapějte mi, tenore

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer Naďa Urbánková

Modrá kukadla /Zdická polka/

Song Composer Josef Poncár
Writer of Lyrics Václav Zeman
Singer Oldřich Navrátil

V Americe je blaze

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer František Ringo Čech

Ach, synku, synku

Singer Slávka ŠpankováJosef Somr

Já jsem sirotek v Praze rozený

Singer František Filipovský

Bez jistot, bez střechy nad hlavou

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer Oldřich Navrátil

Pojď se mnou, zavedu tě do ráje

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer Lenka Kořínková

Nemáme žádnou šanci

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Poštulka
Singer Lenka Kořínkovásbor

Production info

Original Title

Jak svět přichází o básníky

Czech Title

Jak svět přichází o básníky

English Title

How the World Loses Poets

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production Year

1981—1982

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 May 1981
start of filming 20 July 1981
technical Screenplay approved 29 July 1981
end of filming 23 February 1982
projection approval 19 March 1982

Premiere

premiere 12 November 1982 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

90 min

Original length in metres

2 488 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