Yes, My Dear Friends!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1989

Premiere

1 October 1989

Runtime

109 min

Director

Dušan Klein

Genre

comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vážení přátelé, ano

Czech title

Vážení přátelé, ano

English title

Yes, My Dear Friends!

Summary

Director Dušan Klein and author and screenwriter Ladislav Pecháček created films together outside the popular “Poets” series. They also cooperated in their respective roles in the making of Vážení přátelé, ano (Yes, My Dear Friends!, 1989), a well conceived satire that premiered in cinemas only one month ahead of the Velvet Revolution. The narrative successfully juxtaposes the pitiful condition of the main protagonist, beset by an incapacitating mid-life crisis, with that of the socialist regime of the late 1980s, teetering on the brink of collapse. The clerk Bohouš Fischer, superbly portrayed by Milan Lasica, is promoted to deputy director of a company manufacturing sanitary wares. Rather than devote himself to office work, where his indifference and systematic indolence have so far been well rewarded, he is instead drawn to “creative” work, building a tile stove. Bohouš’s personal life, which includes two rebellious daughters and a few vain attempts at adultery, is full of resolutions to implement change which are as half-hearted as the daily operations of Fortuna, the toilet-making company.

Synopsis

Bohouš Fischer, an official of the state enterprise Fortuna, which produces ceramic sanitary products, and father of two teenage twins Hanka and Kamila, is promoted to the position of deputy director. He is still in love with his wife Anděla, a bioscientist and amateur theatre actress. His parents are in a retirement home. The mother drinks because the father "sides" with the old fat Bečicová. Bohouš has objections both to his daughters' clothes and behaviour, but the girls do not take his remarks seriously. Visiting the family of his friend Berka, Bohouš and Pepík Berka get drunk in a cellar and Bohouš discovers a stove fitter's tile which Berka's father produced. He also finds moulds and tools. He is tired of his white-collar career and decides to build a tiled stove. The enterprise has a conference with deputy minister Římský at a château. Here, Římský gets to like the only surviving tiled stove. He wants it at home. The tantalizing assistant slides into Bohouš's room at night but no love making comes out of it. Římský, on the contrary, is having a good time with a cultural officer. Bohouš must solve his daughters' problems with Russian lessons at school and the teacher of Russian unscrupulously invites him to her flat. But she suffers from a bilious attack even before it comes to making love. Bohouš does not enjoy his work and the conditions in the enterprise, and thus starts realizing his dream: he builds a tiled stove in the château. Římský again likes it and wants it again, this time in his cottage. Bohouš promises to build him another one. But he will have no time for it because he is to be appointed the company's director. One of the benefits of his position is a director's Tatra 613 car and Bohouš gets in. The stove which he had built falls apart during a storm.

Film online

Voyo →

Vladimír Merta

hudebník

Z. Němec

hudebník

R. Petr

hudebník

J. Šrogl

hudebník

Crew and creators

Director

Dušan Klein

Second Unit Director

Josef Loučím

Assistant Director

Petr Hník, Irena Klausová

Based on

Ladislav Pecháček (Vážení přátelé, ano – román)

Unit Production Manager

Irena Ladýřová, Ivo Pitrák, Olga Zelenská

Unit Production Manager

Vlastimil Pokorný

Cooperation

Lenka Hlavičková, Eva Horázná, Růžena Hejsková, Borek Strádal, Václav Knapp

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Petr Hapka),

Songs

Nechte si to projít hlavou

Songwriter Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Petr Hapka

S cizí ženou v cizím pokoji

Songwriter Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Michael Kocáb

Kaťuša

Songwriter Matvej Isaakovič Blantěr

Benefice černých koní

Songwriter Petr Hapka

Vlasto, pojď se mnou za sto

Songwriter František PoupěJosef Svárovský
Writer of Lyrics František PoupěJosef Svárovský
Singer Milan LasicaJúlius Satinský

Akáty bílé, žaluji vám

Songwriter František Blahník
Writer of Lyrics František Blahník
Singer Milan LasicaJúlius Satinský

Černý muž /John Brown/

Songwriter lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer sbor

Ach, synku, synku

Songwriter lidová píseň

Vůně

Songwriter Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Hana Hegerová

Levandulová

Songwriter Petr Hapka

Na dobrú noc bozk ti dám

Songwriter Andrej Lieskovský
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Pospíšil (2)
Singer V. Vlach

Ako mám žiť bez teba

Songwriter Ján Siváček
Writer of Lyrics Katarína Hudecová
Singer V. Vlach

Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/

Songwriter Václav Dobiáš

Když jsem kytici vázala

Songwriter Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer Milan Lasica

Já ti ho tam našroubuju

Singer sbor

Holčičko má, než půjdeš spát

Singer Milan Lasica

Production info

Original Title

Vážení přátelé, ano

Czech Title

Vážení přátelé, ano

English Title

Yes, My Dear Friends!

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1989

Production specifications

start of filming 2 January 1989
end of filming 7 March 1989
the first film copy approved 11 May 1989
projection approval 9 June 1989

Premiere

premiere 1 October 1989

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

5. tvůrčí skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. tvůrčí skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

109 min

Original length in metres

3 121 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Versions

Czech

Yes, My Dear Friends!

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Summary

Synopsis

Film online

Photos

Cast

Marcela Ovčáčková

Michaela Ovčáčková

Sabina Hánová

Jan Okrouhlík

Helena Gabrielová

J. Černochová

D. Spěváková

Jiří Pičman

L. Bošinová

Andrea Sousedíková

Mojmír Václavek

P. Čech

Petra Koželuhová

Jan Toušek

V. Vlach

I. Kobr

J. Kvapil

T. Kurfürst

Z. Němec

R. Petr

J. Šrogl

Crew and creators

Director

Second Unit Director

Assistant Director

Based on

Screenplay

Script Editor

Director of Photography

Second Unit Photography

Camera Operator

Production Designer

Set Designer

Costume Designer

Costumes

Make-Up Artist

Film Editor

Sound Designer

Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Unit Production Manager

Cooperation

Music

Music Composed by

Music Performed by

Songs

Nechte si to projít hlavou

S cizí ženou v cizím pokoji

Kaťuša

Benefice černých koní

Vlasto, pojď se mnou za sto

Akáty bílé, žaluji vám

Černý muž /John Brown/

Ach, synku, synku

Vůně

Levandulová

Na dobrú noc bozk ti dám

Ako mám žiť bez teba

Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/

Když jsem kytici vázala

Já ti ho tam našroubuju

Holčičko má, než půjdeš spát