Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production year

1982

Premiere

1 October 1983

Runtime

82 min

Director

Ladislav Smoljak

Genre

absurd, comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jára Cimrman, ležící, spící

Czech title

Jára Cimrman, ležící, spící

English title

Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep

Working title

Jára Cimrman

Summary

Prague’s Jára Cimrman Theatre made an impact on the big screen in the 1980s via three films: the crime comedy Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný (Dissolved and Discharged) (1984); Nejistá sezóna (Uncertain Season) (1987), a tragicomedy about a theatre company; and the mock biopic Jára Cimrman ležící, spící (Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep) (1983). The unplanned “trilogy” presents a thoroughgoing testimony to the singular Czech phenomenon of the fictional ingenious Renaissance man Cimrman, his work and his creators. Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak’s brilliant comedy reveals the life story of an unjustly forgotten genius, uncovers his achievements and places the protagonist in historical situations. Though Jára da Cimrman (1969/1874, Vienna – 19??, Liptákov) may be a fictional character dreamt up in 1966, his creators provided him with a detailed biography, firmly set in the real Czech (cultural, scientific, political and skiing) context. Screenwriters Svěrák and Smoljak succeeded in transforming all of this organically into a narrative framed by a visit by a theatre scholar (Josef Abrhám) to the Liptákov Museum of Feathers. There an old guide (Valerie Kaplanová) introduces him to the story of Cimrman (Svěrák), divided into sections relating to the protagonist’s childhood, his inspiration of hopeless colleagues in various fields and his inventions, the credit for which he loses through chronic late arrivals at the patents’ office. Cimrman is also a friend of Czech celebrities and a patriot who has contributed to the Czech lands’ independence. The aging genius experiences bitter incomprehension before being overtaken in Liptákov by the end of the old times – the start of WWI... Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep remains a playful, subtle mystification that not only involves ironic nostalgia for bygone times but also joins in the debate about the Czech character, patriotic icons and national dignity.

Synopsis

“The greatest world writer, inventor, artist, physicist, skier, and philosopher in the last 100 years was the Czech giant Jára Cimrman. We can argue about it, we can disagree, but that is all we can do against it.” The words of the old bony guide in Liptákov Feather Museum attracted a theatre scholar searching for traces of the forgotten genius. In Jára's room there is an exposition of his remaining items. The guide is recalling various periods from his life. – Jára Cimrman, school years, Praha 18??. His parents kept back from Jára that he was a boy, in order he could wear clothes handed down from his older sister, Luisa. He saw first a naked woman – his teacher changing clothes, when he was fifteen. After he discovered that he is a man, he was expelled from the school for girls. Jára Cimrman Inspiring. He meets inventors, writers, constructors, composers. Through his ideas he leads them to top performances. – Jára Cimrman Coming Late. He is inventive, but usually arrives at the patent office too late. Bell, Lumière brothers, Edison, and Nobel came with their inventions to the patent office earlier. – Jára Cimrman Creative in Prague 1897. He is friend of famous Czech women and men. Prague has no sea, but Jára creates it at least for half an hour in the centre of Prague in the form of an imaginary picture. – Jára Cimrman Demolishing Konopiště Castle 1909. He becomes a private teacher of the children of the successor to the throne in order to use the archduke's double – the murderer, Nývlt. His rough pressure forces the Emperor Franz Josef I. to sign independence for the Czech nation. The Emperor Franz Josef I., sitting at his working desk turns out also to be a double and a skilled strangler – Nývlt's former co-prisoner Macháně. – Jára Cimrman, Pacov 1911. An itinerant theatre group has no success with showing Jára's plays. He has to escape from the unsatisfied viewers by the aid of a short scene, "Windstorm from the mountains." The imaginary strong wind "blows away" from the stage actors, props, and scenery. – Jára Cimrman, Liptákov 1914. He gets a teaching position in Liptákov after his sister, who died. But, when war breaks out, he leaves. There is a commemorative plaque at the place he was last seen. – In the evening, the tourists leave. Only the scholar stays. He is shocked, as he sees the female guide through the window. She puts on Jára's shirt, lies down in his bed and lights the rest of his commemorative cigar. This scene resembles the museum exhibit, Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep.

Note

In the chapter Jára Cimrman Inspiring, the Czech genius was also to meet the Russian rocket inventor Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who was played by the actor Ladislav Šimek. The scene was also filmed, for allegedly disparaging Russian science it had to be edit out. The song By Lion´s Power, by Falcon´s Soar – was not written by František Kmoch who is mentioned by mistake as author, Kmoch only adapted this song.

Film online

Photos

Ing. J. Zíka

Crew and creators

Director

Ladislav Smoljak

Second Unit Director

Jiří Ostrý

Assistant Director

Zuzana Hojdová, Jan Hraběta

Cooperation

Hana Suchá (klapka), René Michalička (vrchní osvětlovač), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf), J. Piskáček

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Skoumal

Selected Music

Johann Strauss ml. (Na krásném modrém Dunaji), Antonín Rejcha (Kvartet pro čtyři lesní rohy)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Hej, Slované

Song Composer lidová slovenská píseň
Writer of Lyrics Samo Tomášik
Singer Petr ČepekMartin Šotola

Svoji k svému

Song Composer Karel Bendl
Writer of Lyrics Bedřich Peška
Singer sbor

Lví silou, vzletem sokolím

Song Composer František Josef Pelz

Ktož jsú boží bojovníci

Production info

Original Title

Jára Cimrman, ležící, spící

Czech Title

Jára Cimrman, ležící, spící

English Title

Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep

Working Title

Jára Cimrman

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

absurd, comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production Year

1982

Production specifications

end of filming 11 October 1982
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 October 1983 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond audiovize

Studio

Barrandov

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

82 min

Original length in metres

2 353 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, English

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Revue

“It’s Me and It Isn’t” or Zdeněk Svěrák The Person

Zdeněk Svěrák, one of the most popular figures of Czech culture, is celebrating his 80<sup>th</sup> birthday on March 28...

Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Working title

Summary

Synopsis

Note

Film online

Photos

Cast

Nina Strnadová

František Hajský

Alice Štěchová

Zdeňka Rosolová

Ivan Lukeš

František Volf

Zdeněk Václavík

Zdeněk Mašek

Veronika Vrabcová

Marian Cingroš

Zdeněk Barášek

Zdeněk Bulín

Jiří Kaucký

Zuzana Hojdová

Josef Horák

Lubomír Krystlík

Zdeněk Pok

Jiří Schmiedt

Marie Srbová

Olga Světelská

Antonín Cingl

František Doksanský

Pavel Kutka

František Maximovič

Miroslav Nováček

Taras Petrenko

Karel Sommer

Václav Šebor

Viktor Šejna

Jan Šimek

Jaroslav Šimek

Stanislav Šimek (2)

Jaroslav Tyl

Oldřich Vitouš

Slavomil Vrzal

Karel Duchoslav

Ivan Havlíček

Jiří Honus

Vladimír Janoušek

František Klimeš

Tomáš Kopecký

Jindřich Mendl

Jaroslav Novák

Oldřich Panovský

Milan Půlkrábek

Miroslav Svoboda (2)

Milan Šmíd

Jaroslav Tlapák