Love from the Arcade

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production year

1984

Premiere

1 July 1985

Runtime

73 min

Category

film

Genre

crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Láska z pasáže

Czech title

Láska z pasáže

English title

Love from the Arcade

Working title

Láska z pasáže Luna

Summary

In the 1980s the metropolis of Prague provided inspiration for a number of mildly socially critical pictures. Alongside the edgier Bony a klid (Big Money, 1987) by director Vít Olmer, Jaroslav Soukup also took on the crime genre in 1984. Láska z pasáže (Love from the Arcade) is a classic tale of a young man on a downward spiral. The protagonist of the narrative – young window cleaner Pavel Kříž – dreams of easy money and from a small-time con artist is rapidly transformed into an accomplished tipster working for the thief Roby’s gang. This change brings the girl Jana into the teenager’s life but soon the loved-up protagonist finds himself vainly trying to protect her from his unscrupulous pals. The moralistic ending sees Pavel attempting to no avail to come to terms with the shadows of the past: a “deserved” tragic fate awaits him…Miroslav Vaic drew on dramatic material of his own as screenwriter. Vaic regularly collaborated with Soukup and had worked on the director’s debut short from the portmanteau film Boty plné vody (Shoes Full of Water, 1976). Within the framework of a genre story, Soukup succeeded in capturing the moral decrepitude that accompanied teenagers’ coming of age in the 1980s. Love from the Arcade is a film “about young people for young people” whose creation was supported by the socialist state. However, it is also a bitter testimony of life without a future. Pavel recognises that honest work will not deliver his expectations from life. That said, the loyalty of his dodgy pals is non-existent… The lead role was taken by Lukáš Vaculík, who Soukup had previously cast in his vocational school comedy Vítr v kapse (Wind in the Pocket, 1982). The blonde idol of his day appeared in that picture alongside Sagvan Tofi, as he did in other Soukup films Kamarád do deště (A Good Pal, 1988) and Kamarád do deště II – Příběh z Brooklynu (Good Pal II – Story from Brooklyn, 1992). Vaculík also performed in the director’s costume drama Divoká srdce (Famous Duels, 1989). Tatiana Kulíšková, who played Jana, was in Soukup’s Discopříběh (Discostory, 1987).

Synopsis

After his graduation exam Pavel Kříž leaves the cramped flat of his mother, where he lives with also his married sister and her family. He buys a flatlet, he works as a window cleaner, and he spends his free time with a bunch of the thief Roby. He makes his salary higher by false accounting of unperformed work, but mainly he gives tips to Roby about flats suitable for robbing. He gets certain percentage for these services too. One day he gets a colleague Jana Hálková. She soon sees through Pavel's activities. From one robbery he gets a share twenty thousand crowns. He pays up half of his debt to Kotapiš the younger, from whom he borrowed money for the flat and he makes a big party to which he also invites Jana. Roby bothers her and the girl runs away. Kotapiš's older brother rudely demands the rest of the debt and Pavel therefore dives in various bad actions. But nothing is going well. The robbery in a flat of a rich surgeon is stopped by a watchful neighbour, and the called in police catches two members of the bunch – Kotapiš, and Karel. The others suspect Pavel that he gave them in and they beat him up. But during a confrontation at the criminal department Pavel does not reveal anybody and his alibi are confirmed by Jana. That night they make love for the first time and Pavel gets afraid that the bunch could harm her. He does not succeed in protecting her, the bunch kidnaps her and they lock her up in a storehouse. The desperate Pavel sells his flatlet and pays up his debt. But the police break into the storehouse. On the escape Kotapiš crashes Pavel down by car. Jana finds him on the stairs, but she cannot help him anymore. The called in doctor states his death. The members of the bunch are arrested and the unhappy Jana leaves to her parents.

Cast

Lukáš Vaculík

čistič oken Pavel Kříž

Tatiana Kulíšková

studentka Jana Hálková

Vladimír Dlouhý

barman Roman

Marek Vašut

zloděj Roby

Miloš Vávra

Kotapiš starší

Ondřej Vetchý

zloděj Karel

Jiří Tomek

kapitán VB Čermák

Vítězslav Jandák

bankéř-skořápkář

Míla Myslíková

vedoucí provozovny Úklidu

Svatopluk Schuller

zloděj, Kotapišův mladší bratr

Zdeněk Dítě

vedoucí prodejny

Božena Franková

vrátná na koleji

Miroslav Babuský

zloděj Džusbery

Christine Catherine Sey

černoška Kwan

Radoslava Boháčová

studentka na koleji

Zdeněk David

student v posteli

Akram Staněk

student u telefonu

Regina Lodrová

Pavlova sestra

Ladislav Potměšil

Pavlův švagr

Zdeněk Ornest

MUDr. Koutný

Bořík Procházka

lékař z pohotovosti

Jan Schmidt

poručík VB Hodek

Čestmír Řanda ml.

mladík s bony

Lena Birková

úřednice

Ivo Helikar

svobodník

Jana Špaňurová

dívka na koleji

Zdeněk Deyl

pomocník bankéře

Karel Knechtl

pomocník bankéře

Jiřina Jelenská

vedoucí samoobsluhy

Boris Ingr

mladík

Pavel Grégr

nadstrážmistr VB

Oldřich Semerák

nadstrážmistr VB

Jiří Valšuba

saniťák

František Jákl

příslušník VB

Petr Jákl

příslušník VB

Jindřich Sejk

příslušník VB

Jan Kriesman

kriminalista

Zbyněk Krákora

kriminalista

Jiří Sládek

kriminalista

Ludvík Wolf

kriminalista

J. Kočí

kriminalista

Jiří Kraus

řidič náklaďáku/řidič VB

K. Šnajberk

taxikář

Miroslav Jíra

dubl za Miroslava Babuského

Zdeněk Krumpl

dubl za Marka Vašuta

Pavel Myslík

dubl za Lukáše Vaculíka

Vítek Pokorný

mladík v pasáži

Michaela Gebertová

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Ostrý

Assistant Director

Viktor Walter

Screenstory

Miroslav Vaic

Director of Photography

Richard Valenta

Camera Operator

Emil Hora, Petr Hojda

Production Designer

Ludvík Široký

Assistent Production Designer

Jaroslav Řeřicha

Set Designer

Jan Hodný, Bohumil Kadlec, Jan Klíma

Costume Designer

Věra Faberová

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Production Manager

Přemysl Pražský

Unit Production Manager

Bohdan Kysil, Martina Krýslová

Unit Production Manager

Pavel Bačkovský, Josef Štambach

Consultant

kpt. JUDr. Zdeněk Chodora

Cooperation

Kateřina Pavelková (klapka), Hana Brajerová (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf), Jan Hraběta

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Barták

Music Performed by

Kroky Františka Janečka

Songs

Největší z nálezů a ztrát

Song Composer Michal DavidFrantišek Janeček
Writer of Lyrics Boris Janíček
Singer Michal DavidKroky Františka Janečka

Atlantída

Song Composer Miro Žbirka
Writer of Lyrics Kamil Peteraj
Singer Miro Žbirka

Production info

Original Title

Láska z pasáže

Czech Title

Láska z pasáže

English Title

Love from the Arcade

Working Title

Láska z pasáže Luna

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production Year

1984

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 30 November 1983
start of filming 2 January 1984
technical Screenplay approved 20 January 1984
end of filming 4 September 1984
projection approval 27 September 1984
withdrawal from distribution 1 October 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 July 1985 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

73 min

Original length in metres

2 101 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

Event: 15. ročník čtenářské ankety týdeníku Květy, Československé televize a Ústřední půjčovny filmů

1986
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Lukáš Vaculík

Vítěz

Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha

1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Soukup

Vítěz

Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha

1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ludvík Široký

Vítěz

Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha

1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Richard Valenta