A Man on the Phone

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1985

Production year

1985

Premiere

1 May 1986

Runtime

83 min

Category

film

Genre

crime, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Muž na drátě

Czech title

Muž na drátě

English title

A Man on the Phone

Summary

Martin Bezouška’s screenwriting debut was provided by this 1985 crime thriller directed by the experienced Július Matula and starring Jiří Bartoška in the leading role. In this genre-construed morality play, the popular actor plays the prototype of an ordinary man – welder Evžen Macík, who, in a moment of greed, gets mixed up with a dangerous criminal. Evžen decides to conceal from the police a suitcase containing half a million crowns stolen from a savings bank. When the robber starts to threaten him, however, he goes to the law. Even after the villain is rendered harmless, Evžen still lacks peace of mind. The threats don’t stop – and the question is, who is actually trying to convince Macík to tell the truth... Captain VB Richter, the adversary of the slightly guilty hero in this story of a betrayed robber, is played by František Němec.

Synopsis

Evžen Macík witnesses the escape of a man who had just robbed a savings bank. The robber, however, slips on a staircase and drops the suitcase with the stolen money. The suitcase lands in front of Evžen who readily throws it into his car and leaves before the arrival of the police. He finds out at home that the suitcase contains half a million crowns. The temptation is too strong and Evžen decides to keep the money. He divides it, hiding one part in a medicine chest in his bathroom and depositing the second part in a left-luggage office at a railway station. But the robber is not going to accept the loss of the loot and calls Evžen. When Evžen does not react, the robber begins laying various plots and threatening Evžen. He searches through his flat when Evžen is out and takes the money from the bathroom. Evžen also finds out that he is constantly following him. One day, the robber threatens to kill Evžen's lover Marie. The alarmed Macík calls the police. In a wild pursuit and shooting on a roof, the robber falls down to the street and dies. But there is moreover someone else who threatens Evžen on the phone and also sends him a tape mentioning Macík's four-year old daughter. Evžen rides to the cottage to meet his wife and daughter, but the cottage is empty. This makes Evžen finally confess to second lieutenant Bajgar who had suspected him for several days anyway. The unknown voice orders Macík to deposit the money in a toilet in a well-known wine bar. It turns out after a long wait that the anonymous person is Evžen's friend, Jarda, who realized what Evžen had got involved in and wanted to save him from the consequences of his thoughtless decision. He did not know that Evžen had already confessed to the detectives. So, the police take Jarda in for interrogation.

Film online

Cast

Jiří Bartoška

svářeč Evžen Macík

Helga Matulová

servírka Marie Brousková zvaná Marča

Josef Velda

lupič Jan Horský

František Němec

kapitán VB Richter

Stanislava Bartošová

Eva, Evženova manželka

Jana Drbohlavová

šatnářka Pavla

Vladimír Černý

Voice by Zdeněk Dušek
podporučík VB Bajgar

Jiří Wohanka

podporučík VB Klas

Boris Rösner

mistr učňů Jarda

Vladimír Salač

soused Pícha

David Suchařípa

učeň Borek

Lukáš Hraběta

učeň Jirka

Milan Ležák

notorik Pepan, Pavlin přítel

Petra Cibulková

recepční

Eva Řepíková

žena v nádražní úschovně

František Jákl

kriminalista

Krystyna Wanatowiczová

dcerka Macíkových

Marek Pavlovský

učeň

Hana Ludvíková

Eva Weissová

úřednice

P. Šebek

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Václav Křístek, Zuzana Hojdová

Screenstory

Martin Bezouška

Dramaturg

Karel Cop

Director of Photography

Ivan Šlapeta

Second Unit Photography

Jan Kváča

Camera Operator

Jiří Maxa, Jan Kváča

Production Designer

Ludvík Široký

Assistent Production Designer

Jaroslav Řeřicha

Set Designer

Radovan Cirhan, Karel Kracík, Milan Šefrna, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šebo

Costume Designer

Šárka Hejnová

Film Editor

Dalibor Lipský

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka

Production Manager

Jan Syrový

Unit Production Manager

Helena Landovská, Věra Lukášová, Lev Veltrubský

Consultant

Ivan Bohata

Cooperation

Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Miroslav Jirsa (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Dežo Ursiny

Music Performed by

skupina Provisorium (Music Conducted by Dežo Ursiny)

Songs

Bez názvu

Song Composer Dežo Ursiny
Singer skupina ProvisoriumMiro Žbirka

Production info

Original Title

Muž na drátě

Czech Title

Muž na drátě

English Title

A Man on the Phone

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1985

Production Year

1985

Premiere

premiere 1 May 1986 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

83 min

Original length in metres

2 352 meters

Distribution carrier

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