My Friend d’Artagnan
Typology
featureCzech title
Můj přítel d’ArtagnanRuntime
86Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1989Production year
1989Premiere
01.02.1991Language version
CzechDirector
Radovan UrbanSummary
Radovan Urban’s children’s film was made in 1989 but it was nearly drowned out by other film productions of the day when it was finally released in the “free distribution” years that followed the end of communism. The hero of the picture – eventually released in February 1991 – is 13-year-old Milda Malý. He reminisces about the recently completed shooting of a film in which he played the principal part, a sensitive boy who mixes reality with an imaginary world inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers. Milda’s self-identification with d’Artagnan is in marked contrast with reality – a holiday camp where he finds himself an outsider and a local gang of children’s target of ridicule. Similarly to the Dumas hero, the protagonist in the completed film – but, by contrast, not the boy who has performed him – finally enjoys justice and recognition. An interesting aspect of the production is that it was actually a retro movie set in the year of 1964. Standing out among the cast are Jiří Lábus, Oldřich Navrátil and Oldřich Vlach.
Synopsis
The thirteen-year-old boy Milda Malý starred in a children's movie. The actors and staff eat and drink to celebrate the end of filming. Only Milda cannot forget about the days he spent with the filmmakers in the Jizerské Mountains. He played the role of a sensitive boy who identifies with d'Artagnan in his dreams, and also the dwellers of a cottage colony appear as figures from the Dumas novel in his fantasies. Milda's friend Veruna, who he secretly loves, is usually Mrs Bonacieux but sometimes the evil Mylady - because Veruna ostentatiously expresses her favour to another boy from time to time. She and the boys moreover mock Milda for being unable to jump across huge stones in the river and always falling into the water. People of various natures meet in the colony and the children often imitate both their merits and demerits. A rich man named Sochor constantly polishes his cottage and forces his son Ála to help him dig garage foundations. Milda's parents do not worry that their own cottage is about to collapse. The dad makes and collects object trouvé and writes short stories. The good-hearted Milda decides to help Ála. The colony unites when the gamekeeper Říha's daughter gets lost. She is eventually found by Milda and Ála early in the morning. Milda finally succeeds in jumping over the brook. In his fantasy, he experiences a duel with Rochefort-Ála, and the two rivals reconcile. Milda leaves the wrap-up party, all sad and disgusted.
Note
The film contains a passage from the Lithuanian three-part TV series directed by Georgi Jungvald-Chilkovich in 1978, D´Artagnan and Three Musketeers (D´Artanjanasir trys muškietininkai).
Photos
Cast
Jozef Kroner
Toníček Křepelka
Aleš Sýkora
Milda Malý alias D'Artagnan /Žabák/
Oldřich Navrátil
stavař Viktor Malý, Mildův otec
Marie Logojdová
Mildova matka
David Kemr
Ála Sochor alias Rochefort
Jiří Lábus
chalupář Sochor alias kardinál Richelieu
Sylvia Turbová
Sochorova žena, Álova matka
Klára Poborská
holčička Xeňa
Jiří Wohanka
hajný Říha, otec Xeni
Dana Horčicová
listonoška Říhová, matka Xeni
Jaroslav Koutník
Tomáš Valchář alias Athos
Lukáš Sluka
Martin Valchář alias Aramis
Vítězslav Jandák
skladatel Valchář alias král Ludvík
Milena Kleinerová
matka Valchářová alias Anna Rakouská
Linda Rybová
Veruna alias paní Bonacieux a Mylady
Věra Vlková
zpěvačka Jelenová, Verunina teta
Oldřich Vlach
režisér Jiří Hvězda alias Felton
Jana Synková
kulturní referentka Hana Císařová
Karel Engel
hostinský Pávek
Václav Babka
příslušník VB Holina
Jiří Krytinář
trpaslík
Pavel Buchvaldek
Vašek Kraus
Čestmír Řanda ml.
podporučík VB Honza Kraus
Stanislav Litera
železničář Franc
Barbora Lukešová
žena v plavkách
Jiří Patočka
host u Valcháře
Jaroslav Kučera
filmař
Milan Pávek
filmař
Radovan Urban
filmař
Alexander Lukeš
filmař
Lena Birková
žena na nádraží
Miroslav Pavlis
Čárlí alias Porthos
Adam Karlecz
brýlatý kluk
Jiří Petr
Václav Svoboda (4)
Kateřina Dušková
Eva Hrubá (2)
Daniel Rück
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Jan Záhumenský, Josef Sandr
Screenstory
Screenplay
Script Editor
Camera
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jaroslav Kučera, Jan Peterka
Unit Production Manager
Petr Čermák, Antonín Říha
Cooperation
Alena Kravková, Terezie Čampulková, Tomáš Červenka
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta /Proč bychom se netěšili/), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Antonín Dvořák
Music Performed by
Martin Kratochvíl, Kubínovo kvarteto
Songs
Schody do nebe, Plují lodi do Triany, Píseň o majoru Gagarinovi, Je nebezpečné dotýkat se hvězd, Niagára, Zhluboka dýchat, O nás dvou, Pramínek vlasů, Rozkvetlý den, Okolo Frýdku cestička, Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/, Tereza, Červená řeka /Red River Valley/, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Ta naše hospoda je pěkně stavěná, Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/
Songwriter
Karel Kopecký (Schody do nebe), Jan Frank Fischer (Plují lodi do Triany), Gustav Brom (Píseň o majoru Gagarinovi), Jiří Šlitr (Je nebezpečné dotýkat se hvězd), Eduard Ingriš (Niagára), Jaroslav Ježek (Zhluboka dýchat), Pavel Bayerle (O nás dvou), Jiří Suchý (Pramínek vlasů), Radim Drejsl (Rozkvetlý den), lidová píseň (Okolo Frýdku cestička), tradicionál (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/), Kamil Hála (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/) (úprava), Jiří Šlitr (Tereza), tradicionál (Červená řeka /Red River Valley/), Harry Warren (Chattanooga Choo Choo), Václav Dobiáš (Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/)
Writer of Lyrics
Jindřich Faktor (Schody do nebe), Jan Frank Fischer (Plují lodi do Triany), Olga Fischerová (Plují lodi do Triany), Jaromír Hnilička (Píseň o majoru Gagarinovi), Jiří Suchý (Je nebezpečné dotýkat se hvězd), Eduard Ingriš (Niagára), Jiří Voskovec (Zhluboka dýchat), Jan Werich (Zhluboka dýchat), Vladimír Dvořák (O nás dvou), Jiří Suchý (Pramínek vlasů), Miroslav Zachata (Rozkvetlý den), Ivo Fischer (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/), Jiří Suchý (Tereza), Ivo Fischer (Červená řeka /Red River Valley/)
Singer
Karel Kopecký (Schody do nebe), ženský hlas (Plují lodi do Triany), Klára Poborská (Píseň o majoru Gagarinovi), sbor (Niagára), Marie Logojdová (Zhluboka dýchat), Yvetta Simonová (O nás dvou), Milan Chladil (O nás dvou), sbor (Pramínek vlasů), sbor (Rozkvetlý den), sbor (Okolo Frýdku cestička), sbor (Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/), Dana Horčicová (Tereza), Marie Logojdová (Červená řeka /Red River Valley/), Oldřich Navrátil (Ta naše hospoda je pěkně stavěná), Jiří Wohanka (Ta naše hospoda je pěkně stavěná)
Choreographer
Production info
Original Title
Můj přítel d’Artagnan
English Title
My Friend d’Artagnan
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1989
Premiere
01.02.1991
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Technical info
Format
Betacam
Versions
Czech