Director Jiří Menzel and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák worked together on Kdo hledá zlaté dno (Who Looks for Gold, 1974), Na samotě u lesa (A Cottage Near the Woods, 1976) and Život a neobyčejná dobrodružství vojáka Ivana Čonkina (The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, 1993). But the peak of their cooperation is undoubtedly this tragicomedy from 1985, which found itself among the finalists for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar – this Academy Award was ultimately won in 1997 by the Czech drama Kolja (Kolya, 1996), based on a screenplay by Zdeňek Svěrák and directed by his son Jan. Vesničko má středisková (My Sweet Little Village), one of the most popular Czechoslovak films of the 1980s, actually came about by chance: rural comedy Na samotě u lesa was accidentally paid for twice by the accountants at Prague's Barrandov Film Studios. Svěrák then consented to the solution of writing another multi-page story treatment within several days. Instead of the pre-agreed rejection of the draft script, director Jiří Menzel took an interest in the project. But it was a number of years before the film moved from script to screen. Indeed, during the mid-1980s, Svěrák and Menzel benefited from far stronger opportunities to comment upon the socialist reality in which they lived. The story of Vesničko má středisková is set in the village of Křečovice. The main protagonists are the cooperative truck driver Pávek and his protégé, the mentally retarded young man Otík Rákosník. Pávka is angered by the constant mistakes of the silent youngster, and decides to get rid of him after the next harvest. But he then discovers that the unhappy Otík has been offered a job in Prague by a corrupt politician seeking to benefit from the sale of the young man’s picturesque villa. This leads Pávek to realise that Otík belongs at home, in the village where everyone – in spite of his affliction – loves him. The filmmakers tell this “village idiot” story by way of an episodic structure, filled with distinctive characters. These include the quirky doctor Skružný (Rudolf Hrušínský), who relishes in the poeticism of the Czech countryside, and the irascible Turek (Petr Čepek), who is justifiably concerned about the extra-marital exploits of his beautiful wife Jana (Libuše Šafránková). While Pávka is superbly played by Marián Labuda, the role of Otík was given to Hungarian actor János Bán.
The little village of Křečovice wakes up to a new day. One of the first villagers going to work are the driver of the cooperative truck, Pavel Pávek, and his co-driver, the mentally retarded orphan Otík Rákosník. Otík lives alone in a cottage inherited from his parents and is cared for by his aunt Hrabětová. The young man admires Pávek endlessly and loves to work with him. The same, however, cannot be said about Pávek who gets upset by Otík's unwitting mistakes. One day, Otík falls asleep with his headphones on in a truck's tipping body and a crane operator buries him under a pile of sand. When reversing with the truck, Otík navigates Pávek so unfortunately that the choleric driver knocks over a post at the gate of a cottager called Rumlena. This is the last straw for Pávek - he is going to keep Otík only till the end of the harvest-time. Otík is utterly unhappy, because he should then begin with the driver Turek who is well-known for his rudeness. Turek is jealous of his young wife and is rather rough to her. But Mrs Turková stopped loving her husband long ago, secretly dating the livestock specialist Václav in Otík's house. The local physician is a lover of poetry and the charming South-Bohemian landscape, which often makes him feast his eyes so intensively that he drives off the road. He counsels his fellow-citizens in a very sober way and can even palm them off. The local cooperative management learns from a letter from the Prague enterprise Dřevoplech that the company wants to employ Otík in Prague. Everybody wonders who wants to get rid of the poor young man. Oto's aunt Hrabětová mainly suspects the philandering Václav. Otík leaves for Prague and lives in a flatlet, surrounded by a sea of prefab houses. Turek has a fight with Václav at a village funfair and Turková decides to finally divorce him. The doctor has a car accident, being run over by his own car. Otík is desperate in Prague. Pávek spots the Dřevoplech deputy Rumlena, the local cottage dweller, and the company's director, inspecting Rákosník's cottage, and he grasps everything. He immediately sets off to Prague and brings his co-driver back. It is early morning. The two men go to work together again and, as many times before, help the doctor who has just crashed his new car.
Actress Stella Zázvorková was originally cast to play the part of Hrabětová.
závozník Ota Rákosník
řidič Karel Pávek
MUDr. Skružný
mechanik Drápalík
Honzík Kalina
řidič Josef Turek
sekretářka Jana, Turkova žena
zootechnik Ing. Václav Kašpar
předseda JZD Vojtěch Kalina
rostlinář Jaromír Kunc
Růžena, Pávkova žena
Jarda, syn Pávkových
Majka, dcera Pávkových
drůbežářka Ludmila Hrabětová, Otov
učitelka Věra Kousalová
malíř Evžen Ryba
hostinský Bedřich Rambousek
náměstek v Dřevoplechu Robert Ruml
Rumlenova žena
ředitel Dřevoplechu
pilot Štefan
zdravotní sestra Půlpánová
hrobník Fanda Odvárka
okrskář nadstrážmistr Tlamicha
bábi Pávková
Kalinova žena
družstevník Duda
kuchařka Fialková
kuchařka Mařenka
kombajnér Žežulka
závozník Šesták
školník Pavlíček
družstevnice Bohunka
sekretářka v Dřevoplechu
bagrista Ferda
děda František Ticháček
Ticháčkova žena
Hrušková, pokladní kina
ředitelka školy
hlasatelka
kuchařka
řidič nákladního auta
muž v šedé uniformě
televizní redaktor
dcera Josefa a Jany Turkových
dubl za Jánose Bána
dubl za Mariána Labudu
dubl za Rudolfa Hrušínského st.
hlas z televize
hlas z televize
Bedřich Čermák, Rudolf Beneš, Jaroslav Lehman, Stanislav Rovný
Ludmila Ondráčková, Iva Bártová, Dana Chaloupková, Jana Soudná
Ludvík Malý
Emil Sirotek ml., Gabriela Kerekešová
Jana Jiříčková (klapka), Michaela Kopřivová (klapka), Jiří Kučera (fotograf)
Josef Suk (Serenáda Es dur pro smyčce a orchestr)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Hudba Palety vlasti, skupina Keach
Song Composer Jan Nepomuk ŠkroupFrantišek Javorský
Writer of Lyrics Václav Jaromír PicekJosef Švihla
Singer Rudolf Hrušínský
Song Composer Josef Leopold Zvonař
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer ženský sbor
Song Composer lidová píseň
Song Composer Dalibor Basler
Writer of Lyrics Václav Babula
Singer mužský sbor
Song Composer Dalibor Basler
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Aplt
Singer mužský sbor
Song Composer Miroslav ImrichFrantišek Ringo Čech
Writer of Lyrics František Ringo Čech
Singer skupina Keach
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer ženský sbor
Song Composer Alois Jelen
Writer of Lyrics Karel Maria Drahotín Villani
Singer ženský sbor
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer sbor
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Boris Janíček
Singer Michal David
Song Composer Karel Valdauf
Song Composer Josef Poncár
Song Composer Václav Bláha
Vesničko má středisková
Vesničko má středisková
My Sweet Little Village
film
featuretheatrical distribution
comedy
Czechoslovakia
1985
1985
literary Screenplay approved 19 December 1984
technical Screenplay approved 19 February 1985
start of filming 21 March 1985
end of filming 20 November 1985
projection approval 27 December 1985
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995
premiere 1 August 1986 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 18 May 2023 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1986), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2023)
5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
feature film
103 min
2 802 meters
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech, Slovak
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Anketa Týdeníku Televize, TV Plus a České televize – Hrdina filmového úsměvu tisíciletí (nejoblíbenější postava české filmové veselohry)
2000
Praha / Czech Republic
Rudolf Hrušínský st.
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival São Paulo
1988
São Paulo / Brazil
Festival: 10. festival české a slovenské filmové veselohry Nové Město nad Metují
1988
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Event: 16. ročník čtenářské ankety týdeníku Květy ve spolupráci s Československou televizí a Ústřední půjčovnou filmů
1987
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Rudolf Hrušínský st.
Festival: 12. mezinárodní festival filmových komedií Chamrouse
1987
Chamrousse / France
Event: 59. ročník Ceny americké Akademie filmových věd a umění Oscar 1986
1987
Hollywood, Los Angeles / United States of America
Jiří Menzel
Festival: 12. mezinárodní festival filmových komedií Chamrouse
1987
Chamrousse / France
Festival: 28. mezinárodní filmový festival Prades
1987
Prades / Spain
Festival: Mezinárodní filmový festival Paříž
1987
Paříž / France
János Bán
Festival: 7. mezinárodní festival zemědělských filmů Aurillac
1986
Aurillac / France
Festival: 10. mezinárodní filmový festival Montréal
1986
Montréal / Canada
Festival: 10. mezinárodní filmový festival Montréal
1986
Montréal / Canada
Festival: 37. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´86
1986
75 měst / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Menzel
Event: Československá nominace na Cenu americké Akademie filmových věd a umění Oscar 1986
1986
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 31. mezinárodní filmový festival Valladolid
1986
Valladolid / Spain
Festival: 8. festival české a slovenské filmové veselohry Nové Město nad Metují
1986
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Menzel