Three estranged brothers meet in a typical mountain village at the funeral of their mother: local bus driver Cyril, biophysical institute director Jan, and criminologist Vojta. Scientist Jan is experiencing marital problems due to his cold, rational approach. While in his family home, he harks back to a youthful past. But such attempts at nostalgia only serve to open up old wounds between the three family members, who struggle to let bygones be bygones. This psychological drama, directed by Václav Matějka, and inspired by a story from author Jiří Křenek, stars Radoslav Brzobohatý, Jerzy Trela and Pavol Višňovský as the three troubled siblings. Božidara Turzonovová and Magda Vášáryová play two of the wives, accompanying the brothers on this funereal odyssey.
The old granny Kysučanová died in the seclusion of the mountains in the midst of winter. Her son Cyril, who lived at her cottage with his wife Marie, sends a telegram to his older brother Janek, the director of a biophysical institute, and his younger brother Vojta who is in prison for fighting. Professor Janek Kysučan is a dispassionate scientist totally immersed in his work. He decides to set off to the mountains and has a quarrel with his young wife Slávka because of that. He cannot find a way to those closest to him. This is why his first wife Jarmila and their student son Honza left him. The imprisoned Vojta receives a pass to attend the funeral. Janek, contemplating at the mother's coffin, casts his mind back to his childhood in the period of the Nazi occupation and is looking forward to talking to his brothers in the evening. But Vojta prefers to go to a pub. The stonecutters from a quarry, who also work as occassional gravediggers, have a quarrel with Janek and subsequently refuse to dig his mother's grave. Janek is at his father's grave and recalls his death in a quarry accident. The mother's only wish was to be buried next to her husband. She bequeathed the cottage to Vojta which makes Cyril angry. Marie moreover reproaches him for the abortion which he forced her into years ago and which resulted in her infertility. Janek's Slávka arrives unexpectedly and tries to get close to Vojta, sensing that they are both losers in a way. Janek contemplates some old photographs and sends Slávka away. Vojta and Janek then dig the mother's grave themselves. Janek learns that his son Honza often used to visit the grandmother, and he blames himself for not letting him know about her death. Cyril comes to the cemetery, bringing his brothers food. The entire family gathers at the funeral. The gravediggers wait for Vojta at a railway station and everything ends up in aby fight. Janek returns to an empty flat finding out that the young Slávka has left him. Marie wants to adopt a child but Cyril strongly objects and even hits her. Janek's son comes to visit his father.
Jiří Křenek was awarded second prize for the film short story in the competition of the Czechoslovak Film and the Czech Literary Fund
ředitel biofyzikálního ústavu profesor Janek Kysučan
Voice by Karel Hlušička
řidič ČSAD Cyril, Jankův bratr
Marie, Cyrilova manželka
Slávka, Jankova druhá manželka
Voice by Ladislav Mrkvička
Vojta, Jankův a Cyrilův bratr
maminka Tereza Kysučanová za mlada
Jarmila, Jankova první manželka
kameník Oskar
kameník Perleťák
maminka Kysučanová ve stáří
Honza, Jankův syn
stařenka Boráková
Terka
hostinský Lojza
Jankův otec
docent Mařák, profesorův asistent
ředitel
předseda JZD
Janek patnáctiletý
Janek devítiletý
Janek šestiletý
cikánka-servírka
hospodská
vrátný
dělník
dělník
voják s knírkem
muž v placaté čepici
partyzán
spící studentka
důstojník v záloze
laborant
laborantka
pihovatý kluk
Cyril devítiletý
Cyril pětiletý
Tomáš
Tomášova žena
Fank
Prcek
kluk
dívka
Maťák
Vojta pětiletý
hostinský
brýlatý muž
student
třicátník
strážný
Honzova dívka
Aladár
žena v kuchyni
letec
servírka, dcera hostinského Lojzy
harmonikář
čtyřicetiletá žena
řidič
posádka haklu
posádka haklu
posádka haklu
posádka haklu
dělnice
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník-dechovka
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hlas lékaře
Jiří Křenek (Noc smaragdového měsíce – filmová povídka)
Karel Kracík, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šefrna
Jiří Šimunek, Ludvík Malý, Boris Masník
Pavel Bělohradský, Arnošt Böhm, Václav Burkert, Pavel Cajzl, Pavel Cechl, Petr Drozda, Roman Eppert, Hana Forejtová, Jiří Houlík, Josef Hrubý, František Jákl, Petr Jákl, Miroslav Jíra, Jiří Kalenský, Jaroslav Klenot, Jiří Klenot, Ladislav Kocourek, Vladimír Koutek, Zbyněk Krákora, Antonín Kramerius, Jiří Kraus, Jan Kriesman, Jiří Kuba, Josef Pechanec, Zdeněk Plavec, Oldřich Semerák, Jiří Sládek, Miroslav Smolík, František Stupka, Jana Svašková, Hana Šachtová, Jaroslav Šanda, Jaroslav Špáňa, Květoslav Štora, Jaroslav Tomsa, Stanislav Tůma, Karel Vávrovec, Jaroslav Vlk, Pavel Želízko
Martin Slavíček
Zdeněk Karpfel, člen korespondent ČSAV, genpor. Ing. Juraj Ľaľo
Martina Petrů (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)
Singer sbor
Noc smaragdového měsíce
Noc smaragdového měsíce
The Night of the Emerald Moon
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, psychological
Czechoslovakia
1984
1983—1984
literary Screenplay approved 31 August 1983
start of filming 21 November 1983
technical Screenplay approved 21 December 1983
end of filming 11 September 1984
projection approval 27 September 1984
withdrawal from distribution 1 January 1990
premiere 1 August 1985 /unsuitable for youths/
5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
feature film
83 min
2 377 meters
35mm
1:1,66, 1:2,35
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Václav Matějka
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Křenek
Event: Vyzývací soutěž Československého filmu a Českého literárního fondu na původní filmovou povídku
1982
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Křenek