Too Big a Chance

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production year

1984

Premiere

1 September 1985

Runtime

87 min

Director

Otakar Fuka

Category

film

Genre

drama, crime, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Příliš velká šance

Czech title

Příliš velká šance

English title

Too Big a Chance

Summary

Petr Schulhoff (1922–1986) wrote the script for this 1985 tale about a man unable to bear his own guilt, but due to failing health invited his colleague Otakar Fuka to take the director’s role. The main protagonist of the story, a promising young scientist, causes the death of a young boy. Since Dr. Petr Gabriel knows that drunk driving means an end to his dream of a senior position, he decides to lay the blame on two petty criminals. But experienced police investigator Major Válek suspects that something is up and sets a trap for the guilt-ridden scientist… Jan Kanyza starred as Dr. Gabriel in this psychological crime story with a moral twist. Radovan Lukavský played his determined adversary. The part of the charming hitchhiker with whom Dr. Gabriel has a brief romance was performed by Julie Jurištová, for whom 1985 was one of the most prolific in her acting career.

Synopsis

A young biologist, Doctor Petr Gabriel, gets the chance of a lifetime at the institute where he works. He is to replace an older, sick colleague in a leading position. He goes to his cottage. On the way, he pulls up for a young elegant hitchhiker, Olga Králová. The two soon wish to get closer together. Olga agrees to visit Petr's cottage. They drink wine and become lovers. In the evening, Petr drives Olga to get a bus to the town of Kladno. However, he runs over a little boy on the way back and the kid dies before he can even take him to hospital. Petr realizes that the tragedy will mean the end of both his hitherto life and scientific career because he was driving drunk. His first decision – to hide the boy's body in a cave – is the beginning of his moral decline. He tries to blame two thieves who had attacked him in the cottage for the boy's death. To divert attention from him, he must prepare various "evidence" against the aggressive young men and must keep on lying. But an investigator from the Prague criminal police does not let himself be fooled and his suspicion soon focuses on Petr. He lays a trap for the man with his colleagues and Petr Gabriel gets caught in it.

Film online

Cast

Jan Kanyza

biolog dr. Petr Gabriel

Julie Jurištová

recepční Olga Krásová

Radovan Lukavský

kriminalista major VB Válek

Stanislava Bartošová

sekretářka Marta, Petrova bývalá žena

Tomáš Juřička

tramp Láďa

Vlastimil Zavřel

tramp Ruda Hakl

Zdeněk Ornest

ředitel Tošek

Barbora Štěpánová

laborantka Veronika

Olga Blechová

laborantka Dana

Jiří Novotný

poručík VB

Vladimír Korec

kluk

Miloslav Homola

vrátný v nemocnici

Petr Burian

strážmistr VB

Pavel Myslík

dubl za Jana Kanyzu

Crew and creators

Director

Otakar Fuka

Second Unit Director

Bohumil Kouba

Assistant Director

Václav Křístek

Screenstory

Petr Schulhoff

Screenplay

Petr Schulhoff

Shooting Script

Otakar Fuka

Director of Photography

Andrej Barla

Second Unit Photography

Stanislav Kautský

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek

Production Designer

Zbyněk Hloch

Assistent Production Designer

Michael Poledník

Set Designer

Ivo Černý, Miloš Osvald, Jiří Rulík, Ladislav Rada

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Alena Chvojková

Sound Designer

Roman Hloch

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Irena Koucká, Luboš Vála

Cooperation

Irena Bočková (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Petr Hapka, FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)

Songs

bez názvu

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Zora Ulla Keslerová
Singer Petr Hapka

Production info

Original Title

Příliš velká šance

Czech Title

Příliš velká šance

English Title

Too Big a Chance

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, crime, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production Year

1984

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 30 November 1983
start of filming 6 February 1984
technical Screenplay approved 23 February 1984
end of filming 20 September 1984
projection approval 29 September 1984

Premiere

premiere 1 September 1985 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

87 min

Original length in metres

2 495 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: 7. mezinárodní filmový festival města Quito

1985
Quito / Ecuador