Helter-Skelter
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1989Production year
1988—1989Premiere
1 December 1989Runtime
73 minDirector
Otakar KosekCategory
filmGenre
detective, children, crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
ToboganCzech title
ToboganEnglish title
Helter-SkelterSummary
Though Otakar Kosek mostly directed television films, he also enriched his filmography with a handful of feature-film outings. The children’s film Lukáš (1982) is perhaps Kosek’s best known film, for which he received an honorary mention from UNICEF, and a gold medal at the West Berlin International Children’s Film Festival. In addition to this, Kosek also made the family film Už se nebojím (I’m Not Afraid Any More, 1984), and children’s film Tobogan (Helter-Skelter, 1989). Its December 1989 premiere meant that Tobogan was mostly overlooked amidst the flurry of the Velvet Revolution. Juraj Fándli served as the cinematographer, having collaborated with Kosek on his previous feature-film outing Sedmé nebe (Great Summer, 1987). Tobogan is set around a housing estate where a group of boys spend their summer holidays. Mostly freed from parental oversight, the nosy youngsters come across a group of burglars robbing local apartments.
Synopsis
The elegant Mr mídek is the terror of all the boys living in a tower block on a housing estate - he keeps reproving them all the time. During the summer holidays, the boys organise an observation post on the roof. Flat robberies begin to proliferate on the housing estate. The boys decide to search out the thief. They suspect the unlikeable mídek the most. They determine to break into his flat and find the stolen things there. The only problem is how to get inside. Filip queries a locksmith as well as his father but with no success. mídek himself eventually gives Milo the keys, asking him to empty his letter box during his absence. Searching through mídek's flat, the boys run into the real thieves - two young men dressed in jeans. The men tie up Vaek and Filip and run away. The rest of the boys try to catch the thieves' car on bicycles but fail. They are fortunately helped by Mr mídek who catches up with the thieves in his car. The boys cancel their roof observation post and get into a quarrel. But they soon realize that everything is just a game, and they concordantly slide down the staircase helter-skelter.
Photos
Cast
Jiří Jaroš
Vašek Dostál
Antonín Hejtmánek
Jirka Trojan, Vaškův kamarád
Miroslav Křižan
Honza, Vaškův mladší bratr
David Pospíšil
Miloš Svátek
Marcel Rech
Filip Valenta
Stanislav Šárský
Jan Šmídek zvaný Vejtaha
Božena Böhmová
Holinová
Maroš Kramár
Dostál, otec Vaška a Honzy
Marcela Peňázová
Milada Dostálová, matka Vaška a Honzova matka
Alena Procházková
Svátková, Milošova matka
Mojmír Maděrič
muž odjíždějící na dovolenou
Vlasta Mecnarowská
příjemná paní
Hynek Kubasta
zámečník Král
Karel Semerád
skladník
Zdeněk Dvořák
Trojan, Jirkův otec
Marcela Hudecová
Trojanová, Jirkova matka
Ivan Řehák
Valenta, Filipův otec
Marcela Večeřová
Valentová, Filipova matka
Vladimír Hrabal
zloděj
Karel Hoffmann
zavalitý muž
Jaroslava Tihelková
manželka zavalitého muže
Jiří Vychopeň
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
František Hlaváček
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Vladislav Adam, Petr Dostál, Josef Šťovíček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Radomír Koutek, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)
Assistant Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Věra Kopecká, Alena Pekařová
Unit Production Manager
Dalimil Zedníček
Cooperation
Jana Vaculíková (klapka), Z. Hejtmánková (fotografka), P. Kosková (fotografka), Zdeněk Novotný (3), J. Hrubý, L. Masár, J. Machová, R. Šimko, Bronislav Sukup
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)
Production info
Original Title
Tobogan
Czech Title
Tobogan
English Title
Helter-Skelter
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
detective, children, crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1988—1989
Production specifications
start of filming 1 August 1988
end of filming 10 January 1989
the first film copy approved 15 February 1989
projection approval 16 March 1989
Premiere
premiere 1 December 1989 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
73 min
Original length in metres
2 082 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 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
