Left Wing

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production year

1983

Premiere

1 May 1984

Runtime

81 min

Category

film

Genre

children, drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Levé křídlo

Czech title

Levé křídlo

English title

Left Wing

Summary

Tales about child protagonists play an important role in the filmography of director Jiří Hanibal. This is certainly the case in Levé křídlo (The Left Wing), a drama that takes place at the close of the second world war. The heroes are adolescent children who hide a young Frenchman from the Nazis. Although Paul manages to escape from the German transports, he does not speak Czech. Of course, sports can also become a means of communication. A coincidence forces the escapee to play in a soccer match in which the Czechs symbolically clash with Wehrmacht soldiers. The film stars the then 18-year-old Filip Renč, a popular child actor in the 1970s. Other young actors include Pavel Kříž and Lucie Zedníčková.

Synopsis

April, 1945. Pupils of the third year of the lower secondary school play football at the playground near the wood. On the bench, her schoolmate Vendula is reading Tolstoy's War and Peace. The Mayor of the German army Duschke offers a football match between soldiers and pupils to the teacher, Mančál. Four friends - Míla, Rudla, Benold, and Randáček, along with a fifth boy - eight year old Vítek, after classes glimpse a boy who took Randáčeks snack and ran way. A German train stands at the railway station. Míla finds out that Germans are searching for a fugitive and he understands who the thief of the snack was. He finds him in a cabin at the courts, but can't speak with him. The boy is called Paul and he is French. Without telling his parents, Míla hides him in the attics of their house. He tells it just to his friends and Vendula, who speaks a little bit of French. The children bring clothes and food to Paul. But they have to change his hiding place all the time. Also Gusta, Vendula's suitor takes part in the hiding, but he is afraid and wants to give Paul up. He writes a letter to the teacher, Mančál, who recognizes the author by his grammar mistakes. Mančál is a member of the resistance group that decides to take Paul and the frightened Gusta to the woods. Mančál guides his pupils - among them also Paul - over the playground. There he is stopped by Duschke and he enforces a football match. Mančál puts Paul on the left wing. Paul shoots two goals. As the Germans are losing, Duschke stops the game and the soldiers are transferred. Then they succeed to bring Paul into safety.

Cast

Jan Vokurka

Randáček

Dana Vávrová

Zdena, Vendulina sestřenice

Viktor Vrabec

učitel Mančál

Josef Langmiler

německý major Duschke

Milena Dvorská

výpravčí Štěpánková, Vendulina teta

Jiří Zahajský

hajný Jirsák

Vilém Besser

posunovač Žahourek

Petr Kostka

MUDr. Šulc, Vítkův otec

Karel Augusta

opravář Červínek, Gustův otec

Eva Řepíková

kuchařka Malá, Mílova matka

Václav Kaňkovský

správce Schránil

Milan Klacek

důstojník SS

Jan Cmíral

hostinský Josef Zástěra

Jiří Dobeš

voják-fotbalista

Oldřich Menclík

voják-fotbalista

Miloš Štádler

voják-fotbalista

Robert Segmüller

voják-fotbalista

Jiří Troníček

voják-fotbalista

Bohuslav Trubač

voják-fotbalista

Josef Vojta

voják-fotbalista

Jan Bísek

voják

Jiří Hein

voják

Martin Mařan

voják

Ladislav Schwarz

voják

Bedřich Lomoz

voják

Pavel Hons

školák-fotbalista

Štěpán Kment

školák-fotbalista

Pavel Mrázek

školák-fotbalista

Robert Segmüller ml.

školák-fotbalista

Pavel Veselý (2)

školák-fotbalista

František Veselý (2)

školák-fotbalista

Tomáš Zahradník

školák-fotbalista

Jan Kočí

raněný voják

Vladimír Schulte

bezruký voják

František Soudil

bezruký voják

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Robert Vacík, Magda Vodičková

Based on

Hermína Franková (Vendula aneb Francouzština pro pokročilé – novela)

Screenplay

Milan Pavlík

Shooting Script

Jiří Hanibal

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Second Unit Photography

Václav Helliman

Camera Operator

Jiří Maxa

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

František Vokřál

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

Jiří Moudrý

Production Manager

Petr Čapek

Unit Production Manager

Evelyna Vrbová, Hana Jarošová

Unit Production Manager

Jan Kočí

Consultant

Zbyšek Svoboda, Květa Vídenová, Robert Segmüller

Cooperation

Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf), Zdeněk Vávra (fotograf)

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Levé křídlo

Czech Title

Levé křídlo

English Title

Left Wing

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children, drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production Year

1983

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 1 May 1984 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Stanislav Rudolf (vedoucí 4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

81 min

Original length in metres

2 323 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