The Château "Infinity"

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production year

1983

Premiere

1 November 1984

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zámek „Nekonečno“

Czech title

Zámek „Nekonečno“

English title

The Château "Infinity"

Summary

At the outset of his acting career Pavel Kříž was not exactly particular about film genres. Shortly after starring in the first of a series of “poet” comedies, Jak svět přichází o básníky (How the World Loses Poets, 1982), the then 21-year old actor took on the lead role in a psychological drama directed by Antonín Kopřiva, Zámek “Nekonečno” (The Château “Infinity”, 1983). The character depicted by Kříž, technical school student Pavel Brychta, arrives at a youth correctional facility located within a chateau in Konečno (“finitude”, a finite state or quality). He is an atypical, but not hopeless case for the institution. Pavel comes from a well-off family and his antisocial behaviour on the verge of criminality was some kind of response to his difficult relationship with his authoritative father. However, it takes quite some effort for Pavel to find his place in this environment of bullying, and also diverse methods from the tutors… Other attendees at the facility are played by David Matásek, Sagvan Tofi and Karel Roden, while Petr Kostka appears as Pavel's father.

Synopsis

Two newcomers arrive at the youth reformatory institute in the château "Infinity". Jirka Koblížek grew up in a children's home while student Pavel Brychta is from a wealthy family. Pavel, frustrated by the ignorance of his too busy parents, intentionally drove into a shopwindow with his father's car. The only person to whom he feels strong emotion is his schoolmate Radka. A rough inmate Hanzl and his gang earned a strong position by bullying in a closed department of the institute. The educator Hošek draws on their squealing and holds a protective hand over them. The educator Neján, on the contrary, discusses life with the boys and talks with them about their problems. The director Kodym wants to have order in the institute and does not care how the educators achieve it. His opponent, a psychotherapist called Veselý, condemns the exaggerated strictness and wants to give more trust to the inmates. The intelligent Pavel struggles to get used to the local routine and opposes the long-termers' methods. The institute, nicknamed Infinity, also has an open department whose inhabitants work in a factory, go to the town and receive passes to visit their families. Hanzl insidiously attacks Pavel and his friends. The guitar player Gejza cuts his hand on some by glass shards arrayed against the boys. During the morning jogging, someone trips up Pavel and the boy hurts his face. But the boys begin to successfully defend themselves. Pavel learns during his mother's visit that his father wants to intervene for him, but he is not interested. He only regrets that Radka does not reply to his letters, having no idea that the institute's management opens all letters and does not pass them on to the addressees. A boy with a disfigured hand, nicknamed Pacička (Little Paw), plans to escape. Pavel and Jirka, as well as Hanzl, join him, but the latter becomes afraid and changes his mind. Outside, Little Paw betrays Pavel that he had just used him because he would not physically have managed to escape alone. He wants to go to Vienna where he can undergo surgery on his disfiguredhand. During an ensuing quarrel, Paw hits Pavel's head with a stone and leaves him lying in a field. The inmate called Little Doughnut visits his brother Ondřej – who lost an eye after an attack by his father, a notorious alcoholic – in a children's home. The wounded Pavel spends a night with his beloved Radka. All the runaways are eventually caught and returned. Veselý manages to transfer Brychta and Little Doughnut to the open department. Jirka turns into an exemplary worker in the factory. He leaves the institution at the age of eighteen and promises his resigned mother to get a new life. Pavel, too, leaves the château, but he has a quarrel with his father already in the car. Radek's mother tells Pavel that she disagrees with him seeing her daughter. The unpopular town architect Brychta has let several old buildings, including the pub, where Radek's mother worked, be torn down because of a new hotel. Pavel will probably come together again with his father. It is also symbolized by the fact that he doesn't take notice of Koblížek, Ondřej and their mother, dragging a handcart with things to their new home in a tower block.

Cast

Pavel Kříž

chovanec Pavel Brychta

Josef Langmiler

ředitel Kodym

Jiří Ornest

psycholog PhDr. Zdeněk Veselý

Vítězslav Jandák

vychovatel Jan Neján

Zdeněk Hradilák

vychovatel Hošek

Jiří Němeček

Voice by Otakar Brousek
vychovatel Větrovec

Daniel Netušil

chovanec Jirka Koblížek

David Suchařípa

chovanec Gejza Horvát

David Matásek

chovanec Hanzl zvaný Ramenáč

Gustav Skála

chovanec Petr Hořánek zvaný Pacička

Ondřej Vetchý

chovanec Joneš

Lukáš Hraběta

chovanec Šálek

Karel Roden

chovanec Koblas

Sagvan Tofi

chovanec Navrátil

Petr Kostka

architekt Brychta, Pavlův otec

Carmen Mayerová

učitelka hudby Eva Brychtová, Pavlova matka

Zuzana Fišárková

hostinská Irena Jasná, Radčina matka

Oldřich Vlach

opilec Koblížek, Jirkův otec

Růžena Merunková

Koblížkova žena, Jirkova matka

Ondřej Mikšíček

Ondra Koblížek, Jirkův bratr

Jiří Sedláček

chovanec Sívec

Petr Růžička

dělník Čoňka

Radka Fidlerová

Voice by Jana Andresíková
poštovní úřednice

Luďa Marešová

ředitelka dětského domova

Vladimír Salač

mistr Kolečkář

Zdeňka Sajfertová

kuchařka Málková

Vladimír Zeman

Voice by Michal Pavlata
vychovatel Teo Havel

Leoš Rousek

chovanec Tibor Kudlička

Rafael Pražák

Pavlův spolužák Kulle

Miloš Štorkán

Roháč

Jiří Kaňák

Vohryzek

Petr Dymič

Ondro

Arnoštka Červená

babka na poště

Filip Novotný

Péťa

Růžena Smolíková

kuchařka Berta

Zdeněk Srstka

Voice by Jan Teplý
řidič kamionu

Václav Kolář (2)

dělník

Cmíral Jan ml.

dělník

Tomáš Juřička

kluk z otevřeného oddělení

David Burdych

kluk z otevřeného oddělení

Ivan Holub (2)

kluk z otevřeného oddělení

Jiří Flíček

pomocník VB, bývalý spolužák otce Koblížka

Renáta Doleželová

skladnice Pavlína

Bronislav Poloczek

žárlivý dělník Prouza

Miriam Brochová

dívka podobná Radce

Vladimír Pospíšil

kolega architekta Brychty

Diana Urbánková

dubl za Mahulenu Bočanovou

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Helena Rohanová

Assistant Director

Ivo Musil

Based on

Petr Novotný (Vezmu sekeru – novela)

Director of Photography

Antonín Holub

Second Unit Photography

Martin Benoni

Camera Operator

Roman Pavlíček

Production Designer

Ludvík Široký

Set Designer

Miloslav Dvořák, Vladimír Ježek, Milan Šilha

Costume Designer

Šárka Váchová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Assistant Film Editor

Jan Svoboda, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Stunts

Martin Černý, Jaromír Tvarůžek

Production Manager

Miroslav Smrček

Unit Production Manager

Eva Charvátová, Olga Zelenská

Unit Production Manager

Martin Slavíček

Consultant

Karel Čepička, Petr Novotný

Cooperation

Milada Karásková (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Miki Jelínek

Selected Music

Bedřich Smetana (Má vlast /Vltava/)

Songs

Hospodská romance

Song Composer Miroslav Kubeš

Svlékání krásy

Song Composer Miroslav Kubeš

Production info

Original Title

Zámek „Nekonečno“

Czech Title

Zámek „Nekonečno“

English Title

The Château "Infinity"

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production Year

1983

Premiere

premiere 1 November 1984 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

6. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina Tvůrčí mládí, Jan Vild (vedoucí 6. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny Tvůrčí mládí)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

95 min

Original length in metres

2 714 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: 19. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1984
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Kříž

Vítěz

Festival: 19. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1984
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Antonín Kopřiva