Spinning Top
Category
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featurenon-theatrical distributionstudent filmshortOriginal title
VlčekCzech title
VlčekEnglish title
Spinning TopSynopsis
It is 1916, and the First World War. An escaping wounded Russian soldier, Míťa, begs a Russian peasant for refuge. The man and his wife treat him but the healing is lengthy. The peasant thus sends his wife and children off to an aunt to keep them safe. He then does all the work by himself and tends to the wounded man, better hiding his rifle in a dog-kennel. The farm is, however, soon occupied by a small unit of German soldiers. Although they do not find Míťa during a cursory inspection, one of the soldiers unfortunately plays with the dog and finds the hidden weapon. The officers immediately agree on the peasant’s death. Their subsequent search of the house does not result in finding the Russian soldier, only a toy called a whirligig lying in the attic. The peasant recollects how his children used to play with it. The wooden spindle is spun by a string which is wound around its axis and then swiftly unrolled. One of the officers is interested in how long the whirligig can spin and all the soldiers and the officers begin to bet. They promise to spare the peasant's life if the toy spins for more than four minutes. The man spins the whirligig and the men gradually fall away as the time they bet on is over. But the officer who faces loss suddenly and intentionally stops the toy. The desperate peasant pounces on him. Míťa secretly crawls from the farm where the dead body of his saviour is lying on the dung hill.
Photos
Cast
Zdeněk Dušek
sedlák
Jana Březinová
sedlákova manželka
Luboš Veselý
voják Míťa Černych
David Matásek
německý voják-tlumočník
Karel Heřmánek
Voice by Michal Pavlata
německý důstojník
Ilja Prachař
německý důstojník
Jan Teplý
Voice by Oto Ševčík
německý důstojník
Tereza Chudobová
sedlákova dcerka
Rudolf Štědrý
sedlákův synek
Jan Hradílek
jezdecký oddíl SSM Chýně
Crew and creators
Director
Based on
Alexandr Grin (Vlček – povídka)
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Film Editor
Production Manager
Pedagogical management
Alois Fišárek (střih), Jan Kališ (kamera), Jaroslav Balík (režie), Hana Bezrouková
Cooperation
Jana Školoutová (klapka), Jiří Hanych, Jana Mašíková, Todor Todorov
Production info
Original Title
Vlček
Czech Title
Vlček
English Title
Spinning Top
Category
film
Typology
featurenon-theatrical distributionstudent film
Genre
drama
Student film
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1986
Production Year
1986
Production
Technical info
Duration typology
short film
Duration in minutes
27 min
Original length in metres
760 meters
Distribution carrier
35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Exhibition: 4. přehlídka filmařského mládí v rámci soutěže Studentské a umělecké a odborné činnosti Praha
1986
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Exhibition: 4. přehlídka filmařského mládí v rámci soutěže Studentské a umělecké a odborné činnosti Praha
1986
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaromír Kačer
