Zdeněk Troška shot two films in 1983: school comedy Bota jménem Melichar (Melichar the Boot) and village comedy Slunce, seno, jahody (Sun, Hay and Strawberries). The latter picture paved the way for the most popular titles in the filmography of the young debuting filmmaker: sequels Slunce, seno a pár facek (Sun, Hay and Slaps, 1989) and Slunce, seno, erotika (Sun, Hay and Erotic, 1991), and the Kameňák (Bad Joke, 2003-2005) and Babovřesky (Old Hag’s Yells, 2013-2015) trilogies. The first part of the Sun, Hay… series, set in the South Bohemian village of Hoštice, presents the fictional, idyllic world of a Czech village created by Troška and screenwriter Petr Markov. An agricultural college student, Šimon Plánička, arrives at the local JZD farming cooperative to put to the test his theory that a cow’s milk yield is linked to the animal’s cultural environment. While he succeeds in his experiment with the vicar Otík’s cow, the bovines in the cooperative fail to respond to the music played to them. Meanwhile, suspicions arise that Šimon is the son of the regional agricultural administration’s chairman. Blažena Škopková, daughter of the research student’s landlady, is tasked with finding out, but her efforts only trigger jealousy in her boyfriend Venca… Troška’s Hoštice is a village of oddball characters that fit in well with the tradition of popular comedies enhanced by the “carefree” period of the summer holidays. Energetic mother Škopková, Otík who has elevated spying on neighbours to a divine mission, prim but musical school director Ms. Hubičková, the infantile grandmother spending all her days in a bed on wheels outside the house, and tireless informer Keliška – they are just some of the characters whose jovial words long ago made it into public banter. In this first part of the series centred on the village of Hoštice, Troška proves himself a truly spontaneous narrator of humorous tales, with a talent for creating a genuinely poetic atmosphere, something which experienced cameraman Josef Hanuš helps to evoke. These qualities unfortunately began to wane in the sequels, unlike the director’s ability to assemble and harmonise actors and non-actors who often went on to complete further collaborations with the director in later pictures. Examples of this are experienced actress Helena Růžičková and Pavel Kikinčuk, who debuted in the role of Šimon and became an integral part of the later Old Hag’s Yells series.
A student of the agricultural college, imon Plánička, arrives at a South-Bohemian village for a summer temporary job. He has to jump out of the railcar while it is still moving - the train is delayed and if it stopped, the delay would increase. imon has an experiment how to increase the cows' milk yield prepared for the local agricultural coooperative: to beautify the cowsheds and play music to the cows while milking. The cooperative's chairman does not want to hear anything about the experiment. For the moment, he accomodates the young man with the kopkas family, commanded by the vigorous Mrs kopková. imon does not want to give up his experiment and finally gets a cow which belongs to the village priest. The cow indeed produces substantially more milk than before the experiment. The cooperative's management hesitates and moreover the news spreads that imon is son of the regional cooperative administration's director. The kopkas' daughter Blaena is entrusted to find the truth during a village hop. Blaena's boyfriend Venca does not like the plan and begins to be jealous. In the middle of the hop, the villagers notice an enormous full moon and Mrs schoolmaster immediately sings an opera aria about the moon. The cooperative's management allows imon to repeat his experiment in the cowsheds. The kopkas family has trouble with their immobile grandmother who sometimes indulges in malicious pranks which make her relatives' lives a misery. The cooperative cows, however, do not want to yield more milk even when listening to music. Blaena is pregnant and Venca is suspicious that the future child is imon's. But Blaena proves to him that she was faithful to him. A delegation from the regional administration arrives at the village, including the father Plánička who had no idea about his son's activities. He wants to talk to him but the reconciled lovers Blaena and Venca help imon run away. This time, he must jump onto the moving train.
Free second and third parts were filmed by director Zdeněk Troška under the titles Sun, Hay and Slaps (1989) and Sun, Hay, Erotic (1991).
brigádník Šimon Plánička
instalatér Venca Konopník
Blažena Škopková, Vencova dívka
servírka Miluna
Mařenka Škopková, Blaženina matka
Vladimír Škopek, Mařenčin muž
babička Škopkových
Jirka, syn Škopkových
předseda JZD Pepa Rádl
živočichář Béďa
tajemník Mošna
sekretářka JZD Eva Pilátová zvaná Evík
farář Otík
farářova hospodyně Cecilka
průvodčí Helenka
děda Zvoníček
Rudík Sobotka
Sobotkova žena
řídící Václavka Hubičková
závozník Eda
hospodský Jaroušek
tlustý Josef
Rádlová, předsedova žena
ředitel zemědělské správy Plánička
Pláničkova žena
Mošnova žena
Vlasta Konopníková, Vencova matka
Konopník, Vlastin muž
Vencův kamarád
Vencův kamarád
Vencův kamarád
Matoušková
drbna Mařenka Kelišová zvaná Keliška
Vlček
sousedka
sousedka
sousedka
sousedka
sousedka
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
vesničané
Petr Slabý, Rudolf Jokl, Eva Truchlá
Karel Kracík, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šefrna
František Jákl (dubl za Kikinčuka), Jaroslav Tomsa
Rudolf Mos, Hana Štefanová
René Kořenář, Přemysl Čermák
Renata Čihulková, Růžena Hejsková, Jan Zázvorka ml., Helena Lehovcová, Alena Červená, Jednotné zemědělské družstvo Dobrá Voda Hoštice u Volyně
Antonín Dvořák (Rusalka /Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém/ – árie ), Bedřich Smetana (Tajemství /Sbor poutníků/), Petr Iljič Čajkovskij (Klavírní koncert b moll), Vilém Blodek (V studni /Mladá láska to je ráj/)
Orchestr Karla Vágnera
Karel Vágner (Orchestr Karla Vágnera)
V pohodě, Auťák na lásku, Trnky brnky – polka, U panského dvora, Pionýři, pionýři, malované děti (/parafráze na Huláni, huláni/), Tancuj, tancuj, vykrúcaj, Šla Nanynka do zelí, Pod našima okny teče vodička, Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém, Já jsem malý mysliveček, Mladá láska to je ráj, Ty křenovský luka, Dva docenti
lidová píseň (U panského dvora), Antonín Dvořák (Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém), Vilém Blodek (Mladá láska to je ráj), lidová píseň (Ty křenovský luka), Ivan Mládek (Dva docenti ), Karel Vágner (V pohodě), Karel Vágner (Auťák na lásku)
Jan Krůta (V pohodě), Pavel Žák (Auťák na lásku), František Jaroslav Vacek-Kamenický (U panského dvora), Jaroslav Kvapil (Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém), Karel Sabina (Mladá láska to je ráj), Ivan Mládek (Dva docenti )
Hana Zagorová (V pohodě), Petr Kotvald (V pohodě), Stanislav Hložek (V pohodě), Hana Zagorová (Auťák na lásku), Petr Kotvald (Auťák na lásku), Stanislav Hložek (Auťák na lásku), ženský sbor (Trnky brnky – polka), dětský sbor (Pionýři, pionýři, malované děti), ženský sbor (Tancuj, tancuj, vykrúcaj), Erna Červená (Šla Nanynka do zelí), sbor (Pod našima okny teče vodička), Jiřina Jirásková (Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém), sbor (Já jsem malý mysliveček), Jiřina Jirásková (Mladá láska to je ráj), sbor (Ty křenovský luka), Ivan Mládek (Dva docenti )
Slunce, seno, jahody
Sun, Hay and Strawberries
Ta naše vesnička česká /scénář/
film
feature
comedy, screwball comedy
Czechoslovakia
1983
1983
1 September 1984
long
83 min
Czech
Event: Anketa Týdeníku Televize, TV Plus a České televize – Hrdina filmového úsměvu tisíciletí (nejoblíbenější postava české filmové veselohry)
2000
Praha / Czech Republic
Helena Růžičková