Touches

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production year

1988

Premiere

1 July 1989

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dotyky

Czech title

Dotyky

English title

Touches

Summary

During the 1980s, director Vladimír Drha tried to film several stories which, in spite of the political restrictions of the day, sought to relay the real-life problems of young people (Dneska přišel nový kluk – A New Boy Started Today, 1981; Do zubů a do srdíčka – To the Face and to the Heart, 1985). Dotyky (Touches, 1988) tells the story of the gifted young man Ivan (Jiří Pomeje), who is making a movie for his FAMU film school entrance exams. He chooses a documentary about a barber instructor featuring childhood friend Eva (Nela Boudová), who is trying to find a model to help her in a hairstyling contest. Neither the filming, nor the hairstyling contest go according to plan, but events do bring Ivan and Eva closer. Drha and cinematographer Emil Sirotek decided to portray Ivan’s documentary filmmaking attempts via real location sound and authentic video imagery. Composer Petr Hapka and film director Zdeněk Troška both make small appearances. Vladimír Drha also features in a cameo role portraying the contest organiser.

Synopsis

Ivan wants to study at the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and his entrance exams' documentary is from an apprentice hairdresser's salon. The apprentice Eva, Ivan's friend from childhood, should be the documentary's heroine. The other apprentices more or less willingly answer various questions on camera. Eva is one of the least keen participants; she is even reluctant to recite a poem. The girls prepare for a haidressing contest and each of them must find a male model. Eva is promised to get her divorced father. Eva and her friend Pavla attend French lessons given by the student Ludvík. Both girls flirt with him and Pavla books him as a model for the contest. Eva lives with her mother, grandmother and brother and his wife and their child. The morning chaos in their house culminates with the father's call breaking his promise. Eva tries in vain to find a substitute model. She attends various clubs with Helena in the evenings, but she, unlike her friend, resists casual acquaintances. The apprentices face various problems - one steals a married lover from another, while another gets pregnant… Eva and Ivan end up in bed but the young guy comes to his senses and he realises he should better leave. It seems that Eva won't be able to compete, but Ivan eventually helps her out. Eva begins to recite the famous poem by the Czech poet Kainar, "The Young Boy's Head Shaved Clean", and then does the same to Ivan's head instead of creating an inventive hairdo. Ivan forgives her, for the two already know that they belong to each other.

Cast

Nela Boudová

kadeřnická učnice Eva

Jiří Pomeje

adept filmového umění Ivan

Pavlína Mourková

kadeřnická učnice Helena

Eva Tauchenová

vedoucí kadeřnictví paní Magda

Jana Šedová

uklízečka Kolíčková

Robert Vrchota

zákazník Turek

František Hanzlík

zákazník Lukášek

Vanda Hybnerová

kadeřnická učnice Pavla

Regina Zahradníková

kadeřnická učnice Lída

Jana Mrázová

kadeřnická učnice Monika

Martin Sobotka

kadeřnický učeň Petr

Andrea Havlenová

kadeřnická učnice Zuzana

Petra Slavíková

kadeřnická učnice Věra

Blanka Jirušková

zrzavá učnice Jana

Kateřina Permanová

kadeřnická učnice Katka

Petr Muric

lektor francouzštiny Ludvík

Ludmila Vostrčilová

Evina babička

Věra Křesadlová

zahradnice, Evina matka

Petr Hapka

knihovník Jirka, Evin otec

Pavel Krátký

ženatý milenec

Asen Almaši

Paľo

Sabina Laurinová

Klára, Ludvíkova dívka

Petr Meissel

Jaroslav

Jiřina Kůrková

Lukáškova žena

Eva Kulhánková

Zdena, otcova přítelkyně

Robert Smolík

vojáček Láďa

Radek Holub

vojáček Franta

Josef Vaidiš

Míla, Evin bratr

Stanislava Šťastná

Irena, Mílova žena

Lenka Jandová

Mařenka, Mílova dcera

Petra Kališová

Ivanka

Ivan Ernyei

otec holčičky

Emil Sirotek st.

porotce kadeřnické soutěže

Jiří Patočka

starý vousatý muzikant

Ladislav Hřebačka

dudák Jezule

František Janík

ředitel

Rudolf Kubík

mladík na plese

Marek Vlachovský

mladík na plese

Petra Pomejová

dívka na plese

Dušan Vodák

mladý fotograf

Vladimír Drha

pořadatel soutěže

Michal Vostřez

učitel ve třídě

Naďa Chrástová

rvoucí se žena

Eliška Nejedlá

Heleina teta

Zuzana Dražilová

rvoucí se žena

Angelika Šrámková

dívenka

Gizela Šmidlíková

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Michal Vostřez

Assistant Director

Kamil Busch

Screenstory

Anna Vovsová

Shooting Script

Vladimír Drha

Director of Photography

Emil Sirotek st.

Second Unit Photography

Jiří Ondráček

Camera Operator

Stanislav Šťastný

Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Assistent Production Designer

Tomáš Kuča

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Bohumil Kadlec, Rudolf Kinský, Dana Smržová

Costume Designer

Eva Janoušková

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Kravková, Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Lenka Jandová, Luboš Kozák, Václav Václavík

Unit Production Manager

Karel Vávra, Luboš Čížek, Gabriela Kerekešová

Cooperation

Vladimíra Lenertová (klapka), Robert Moudrý (fotograf)

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Vladimír Merta, skupina ETC

Songs

Stříhali dohola malého chlapečka

Song Composer Vladimír Mišík
Writer of Lyrics Josef Kainar
Singer Vladimír Mišík

Jen pro ten dnešní den

Song Composer Sláva Emanuel Nováček
Writer of Lyrics Josef Gruss
Singer Jiří Pomeje

Production info

Original Title

Dotyky

Czech Title

Dotyky

English Title

Touches

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production Year

1988

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 22 April 1987
technical Screenplay approved 22 January 1988
start of filming 29 March 1988
end of filming 13 June 1988
the first film copy approved 9 September 1988
projection approval 2 December 1988
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992

Premiere

premiere 1 July 1989 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

4. tvůrčí skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

95 min

Original length in metres

2 688 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