Džusový román (Juicy Novel, 1984) was the feature-film debut of 33-year-old director Fero Feničo. The film is among those that came into conflict with regime authorities. It tells the story of a young rubber factory worker; its raw, provocative truth-telling nature is reminiscent of the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave. Though filmed in 1984, it only premiered four years later in 1988. And only a year after that was its director able to realise his second feature-film Zvláštní bytosti (Strange Beings, 1990) – a parable about the fall from grace of a communist functionary. Unlike that latter stylised film, which was the director’s final dramatic feature, Juicy Novel demonstrates the traits of its author’s documentary roots. The protagonist of this tale is country girl Alena Horáková, who, along with friend Jituš, begins working in a rubber factory. Like her more audacious friend, the shy and timid Alena views marriage as the only way to escape the oppressive grind of the worker stereotype. But an encounter with good-looking egotistical sportsman Franta only brings about an unwanted pregnancy. Franta is married and a father-to-be, and so Alena opts for an abortion. Juicy Novel is something of a distant cousin to Miloš Forman’s Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde, 1965). But this story of the random encounters of a naive young girl, her travels to the big city, and ultimate disillusionment, also carries the extra component of an abortion. The film benefits from the cinematography of Jaroslav Brabec, who in 1984 also shot a very different story – the Zdeňek Troška costume romance drama Poklad hraběte Chamaré (The Treasure of Count Chamaré, 1984). Nineteen-year-old Alena Mihulová excels in the role of Alena; a year earlier the actress debuted in the Karel Kachyňa tragi-comedy Sestřičky (The Nurses, 1983). Jituš is portrayed by non-professional actress Laura Kurovská, and overdubbed by Zuzana Bydžovská. The film’s authenticity also benefits from Fenič’s decision to cast several other gifted, but lesser-known, actors in various roles.
The village girls Alena and Jitka run for the morning bus which will take them to a rubber factory. It is the first working day for Alena. But both girls are bored by the monotonous machine work. The provocative and tantalizing Jitka does not conceal that she wants to get married as soon as possible and get out of the job. The idea is not foreign to the petite and shy Alena, too. Jitka soon finds herself Vašek who has just returned from military service. At a bodybuilding contest in the town, Vašek introduces the two girls to the attractive sportsman Franta. Alena likes him at first sight. Jitka is getting married and Alena, too, is at her wedding. Franta also shows up. He drinks juice and looks for a girl. He finally asks Alena to go for an evening walk and has no scruples about making love to her on a potato dray, where she loses her gold necklace. Franta pays no further attention to Alena and gets completely drunk. In the morning, Alena takes him to the bus station on a wagon and convinces the bus driver to take him on board. After some time, Alena finds out that she is pregnant. She sets off to Franta's flat in the town. The door is opened by Franta's pregnant wife. Alena has an abortion and returns to work. Jitka is on her maternity leave and is replaced by a shy girl. Alena takes care of her, explains everything to her and then sits down at her own machine.
dělnice Alena Horáková
dělnice Jitka Sládková zvaná Jituš, Alenina kamarádka
kulturista Franta Hlošek
Vašek
kamarádka
kamarádka
referent Josef Moučka
Alenina matka
spolupracovnice
Honza
Janečková
zmalovaná kráska
dělnice Jandová
žena z domácnosti
řidič autobusu Matyska
trenér hodu koulí
rozhodčí na lehkoatletických závodech
mistr
venkovský mladík
člen hudební skupiny
člen hudební skupiny
člen hudební skupiny
člen hudební skupiny
žena z vesnice
Zuzana Hojdová, Michal Vostřez, Marta Křesinová
Olga Hrčková
Vladimír Ježek, Karel Plaňanský, Milan Šilha, Miloslav Dvořák
Nový Pavel (výroba), Iva Šetková
Adriena Váchová
Zdeněk Barták (Drsná planina /hudba k filmu/), Bedřich Smetana (Libuše), Richard Strauss (Tak pravil Zarathustra /Also sprach Zarathustra/), Alexandr Porfirjevič Borodin (Polovecké tance)
Miki Jelínek (Studiová skupina Mikiho Jelínka)
Paráda, Prostři pro dva stůl, Okno mé lásky, Vlak, co nikde nestaví, Bláznova ukolébavka, Hlupák váhá, Na kytaru kluci v parku hrají, Každý má céčka, Slepička kropenatá, Hej, panímámo, Okolo Hradce, Studentská halenka, Co jste, hasiči, Pohádka mládí, Lásko, bože, lásko, Na Pankráci, na malém vršíčku, Keď som išol cez horu /Ricom picom/, Na tý louce zelený, Malou opičku mám
Karel Zich (Paráda), Karel Svoboda (Prostři pro dva stůl), Petr Janda (Okno mé lásky), Petr Janda (Vlak, co nikde nestaví), Pavel Dydovič (Bláznova ukolébavka), Oldřich Říha (Hlupák váhá), Pavel Skalický (Na kytaru kluci v parku hrají), Zdeněk Barták (Každý má céčka), Karel Valdauf (Slepička kropenatá), Karel Vacek (Hej, panímámo), lidová píseň (Studentská halenka), lidová píseň (Co jste, hasiči), Karel Vacek (Pohádka mládí), lidová píseň (Lásko, bože, lásko), lidová píseň (Na Pankráci, na malém vršíčku), lidová píseň (Keď som išol cez horu /Ricom picom/), lidová píseň (Na tý louce zelený)
Michal Bukovič (Paráda), Zdeněk Borovec (Prostři pro dva stůl), Zdeněk Rytíř (Okno mé lásky), Miroslav Černý (Vlak, co nikde nestaví), František Řebíček (Bláznova ukolébavka), Ladislav Vostárek (Hlupák váhá), Václav Hons (Na kytaru kluci v parku hrají), Šárka Schmidtová (Každý má céčka), Karel Valdauf (Slepička kropenatá), Karel Vacek (Hej, panímámo), Karel Vacek (Pohádka mládí)
Karel Zich (Paráda), Karel Gott (Prostři pro dva stůl), Petr Janda (Okno mé lásky), sbor (Vlak, co nikde nestaví), sbor (Bláznova ukolébavka), sbor (Hlupák váhá), skupina Saturn (Na kytaru kluci v parku hrají), mužský hlas (Každý má céčka), sbor (Slepička kropenatá), sbor (Hej, panímámo), sbor (Okolo Hradce), sbor (Studentská halenka), sbor (Co jste, hasiči), sbor (Pohádka mládí), mužský hlas (Lásko, bože, lásko), sbor (Na Pankráci, na malém vršíčku), sbor (Keď som išol cez horu /Ricom picom/), dívčí sbor (Malou opičku mám)
Džusový román
Juice Novel
film
feature
narrative
Czechoslovakia
1984
1984
1 January 1988
long
75 min
Czech
Festival: 21. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1988
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
František Fenič
Event: 1. Fórum mladého filmu Bratislava
1986
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia