Bison
Typology
featureCzech title
BizonRuntime
85Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1989Production year
1989Premiere
01.12.1990Language version
CzechDirector
Moris IssaScreenplay
Moris IssaScreenstory
Moris IssaSummary
A lonely young hero encounters a friendly being from outer space. It is a motif that reliably works – and not just in Hollywood films. Given the reality of Czech productions, of course, here the theme is realised on a far more modest scale than in American blockbusters. Moris Issa, a Syrian graduate of Prague film academy FAMU, and his former professor Elmar Klos, co-directed this children’s film from 1989. The plot sees an 11-year-old hero, Honzík, escape his gloomy reality into a world of playful imagination. He names the extraterrestrial Bizon (and, unlike the boy’s parents, the alien is fun to be around). This film for children is also captivating thanks to the performance of the lead actor, whilst the sure hand of Oscar-winning director and true doyen Klos, for whom Bizon (Bison) was the swan song of an acclaimed filmography, cannot be denied.
Synopsis
The eleven-year old Honza Havlík lives with his alcoholic father and a grandmother. The mum left them because she could not bear her husband's drinking. Honzík has just one friend, Jana. He meets a big nude man by the river and communicates with him through an "inner voice". Then he runs to him again in the ZOO in the bison's pen, again establishes contact with him and names him "Bison". In a park, Honza catches Bison's "transmission". Bison begs him to stay with him - he is from another star and cannot return before doing a good deed. The boy eventually finds him behind the bars of a mental asylum. The children help him escape. Honza reveals his meetings with an extra-terrestrial to his mother and the mum promises to hide Bison in a storehouse. Honza brings the man a small necklace in the shape of a little blue star. Bison does his best to do good deeds. He protects Honza's mother from the drunks, he moves furniture for the old lady Bureová when she gets her walls decorated; he takes her to the airport to let her say farewell to Jana who is leaving for the seaside with her parents. He even saves a guinea pig, forgotten in the flat of Doctor Helebrant who left for a vacation. After a series of good deeds, Bison can return home and Honza loses contact with him. But many things in his life changed. His parents reconciled and Mrs Bureová died, but before she died, she sent him a gift from Bison - a small globe. And now, he can also talk to Jana about what happened and whether it was normal.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Adam Parma
Honza Havlík
Klára Jandová
Jana, Honzova kamarádka
Ján Miltner
Bizon
Gabriela Osvaldová
Marie Havlíková, Honzova matka
Jaromír Meduna
František Havlík, Honzův otec
Eva Matalová
babička Honzy
Marcela Martínková
učitelka hudby Smetanová
Zlata Hajská
Matoušková, Janina babička
Anna Kreuzmannová
Burešová
Radim Vašinka
zahradník Bláha
Milan Charvát
vrátný Vávra
Ludvík Pozník
vedoucí Zeleniny
Vítězslav Bouchner
Marie Kautská
sousedka
Jana Pokorná (2)
Lucie Vojtěchová
Zdeněk Hruška ml.
Josef Kubíček
muž v námořnickém tričku
Dubbing
Jan Řeřicha
hlas Bizona
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Petr Hartl
Assistant Director
Renata Čihulková, Jarmila Čajová
Screenstory
Screenplay
Script Editor
Camera
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Ivan Břešťák, Jaroslav Česal, Evžen Petr, Petr Průša, Marek Šíma
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Hana Štefanová, Ladislava Kašáková
Unit Production Manager
Eduard Zanner, Šárka Pechanová
Cooperation
Elmar Klos (režijní spolupráce), Olga Rosenfelderová, Alice Šafránková, Erika Vojáčková, Ruth Kubalíková
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Songs
Tečka, čárka, Za malou chvíli, Hvězdy ve Splitu nad mořem /Daleko me moj Split/, Cikánský baron jsem já
Songwriter
Marek Eben (Tečka, čárka), Marek Eben (Za malou chvíli), Ivo Tijardović (Hvězdy ve Splitu nad mořem /Daleko me moj Split/), Johann Strauss (Cikánský baron jsem já)
Writer of Lyrics
Marek Eben (Tečka, čárka), Jiří Voldán (Hvězdy ve Splitu nad mořem /Daleko me moj Split/), Jiří Aplt (Cikánský baron jsem já)
Singer
Marek Eben (Tečka, čárka), Zlata Hajská (Hvězdy ve Splitu nad mořem /Daleko me moj Split/), Klára Jandová (Cikánský baron jsem já)
Production info
Original Title
Bizon
English Title
Bison
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1989
Premiere
01.12.1990
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Technical info
Format
Betacam, DVD
Versions
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu za filmovou tvorbu
1990
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Marek Eben
Vítěz
Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu za filmovou tvorbu
1990
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Moris Issa
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Kristián Suda
Vítěz
Exhibition: 22. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov
1990
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia