The Torment of Imagery

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1988—1989

Premiere

1 March 1990

Runtime

118 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological, erotic, love story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Muka obraznosti

Czech title

Muka obraznosti

English title

The Torment of Imagery

Summary

Vladimír Páral’s 1980 novel inspired Vladimír Drha’s movie The Torment of Imagery that premièred after the November 1989 Velvet Revolution. The film tells the story of freshly graduated chemistry engineer Marek Paar. His ideas clash with hard reality when he takes his first job, at a textile factory in Liberec. Marek discovers he doesn’t know how to do anything and he doesn’t even need to. A parallel with the ambitious Julian Sorel from Stendhal’s historical psychological novel The Red and The Black, means our protagonist must converge with his boss Zina, who represents his Mrs de Rênal, and the naive Janička, who is his Mathilde de la Mole (the marquis’s bored daughter in the novel). Drha entrusted the main role to Jiří Pomeje. The part of Zita was taken by Dáša Bláhová, who, after returning from her emigration to Australia, agreed to film some daring, erotic scenes. A peculiar comment on Drha’s somewhat high-handed flick is Tomáš Vorel’s musical comedy Kouř (Smoke, 1991).

Synopsis

It is 1959, and Engineer Marek Paar, who has just graduated, begins his first job in the Liberec textile factory Primatex. He is first sent for training to the Study and Research Department, headed by the attractive Zina. The well-read Marek often puts himself in the shoes of Julian Sorell, the famous figure from Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black. He likes Zina at first sight and woos her, projecting her as Madam de Rénal. Zina is the lover of the married deputy director Arnošt. Marek gradually becomes familiar with the factory's operation and finds himself totally incompetent - but no one wants anything from him anyway. His former university colleague Oskar introduces him to his girlfriend Janička. One day, Marek kisses Zina and Arnošt transfers him to a subsidiary factory for that. Marek is bored to death there, and starts drinking. However, he manages to get back to Liberec after some time. As soon as Zina realizes that Arnošt will never get divorced, she breaks up with him and accepts Marek's courting. The two become lovers at a colloquium in the town of České Budějovice. Their happiness is, however, affected by the suicide of their colleague, Bukvaj, who learned that the waterproof but flexible fabric he invented had already been produced abroad for some time. Zina is not enough for Marek, and he thus seduces the very young Janička, alternately making love to both of them. Zina's devoted assistant Vilma photographs Marek and Janička in flagranti. The deceived Zina arranges his dismissal and returns to Arnošt. Janička also breaks up with Marek. The man later succeeds as a writer of novels about people working in chemistry and textile factories.

Note

The Torment of Imagery was the second Czech film provided with the Dolby Stereo system.

Film online

Cast

Jiří Pomeje

Ing. Marek Paar

Dasha Blahova

Ing. Zina Zachová

Jiří Bartoška

dr. Arnošt Tittelbach, Zinin milenec

Pavel Pípal

Bohdan Bukvaj, Zinin bývalý milenec

Luděk Randár

provozní chemik Zdeněk Trmal

Nela Boudová

laborantka Zdeňka, Trmalova žena

Taťjana Medvecká

asistentka Vilma

Josef Bek

ředitel Primatexu Tomáš Salivar

Petr Čepek

Artl, slepý krajský inspektor

Jiřina Jirásková

Artlova žena

Monika Žáková

knihovnice Stázi

Bronislav Poloczek

Mirek Ryvola

Petr Meissel

vodohospodář Oskar, Markův bývalý spolužák

Andrea Bogušovská

maturantka Janička, Oskarova dívka

Jana Andresíková

Irma, dáma z ministerstva

Jana Šulcová

Dita Tittelbachová, Arnoštova žena

Lenka Jandová

Ditunka, Arnoštova dcera

Vladimír Krška

Ignác Strejcovský, ředitel závodu v Hurtově

Jiří Samek

Kaška, ředitel závodu v Hrušovanech

Oldřich Vízner

ekonomický náměstek Just

Petr Hanus

Ing. Hruška

Vojtěch Ron

Volráb, hostinský v Hrušově

Eva Tauchenová

Volrábova žena

Klára Pollertová

telefonistka Dáša

Josef Vajnar

Kolínský

Igor Smržík

muž u inspekce

Miriam Chytilová

telefonistka

Ondřej Útrata

chlapeček v lodičce

Josef Bulík

kapitán VB

Markéta Valentová

Anežka

Vladimír Drha

host v restauraci

Martina Adamcová

mladá žena v Hrušovanech

Jiří Patočka

účastník konference

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Michal Vostřez

Assistant Director

Jan Menšík

Based on

Vladimír Páral (Muka obraznosti – román)

Screenplay

Václav Šašek

Dramaturg

Dušan Kukal

Director of Photography

Emil Sirotek

Second Unit Photography

Martin Duba

Camera Operator

Stanislav Šťastný

Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Dana Smržová, Jaroslav Vích

Costume Designer

Eva Janoušková

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Kravková

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Jan Vincourek, Lenka Jandová

Unit Production Manager

Pavel Bačkovský, Luboš Čížek, Dušan Vodák

Cooperation

Vladimíra Lenertová (klapka), Ivan Minář (fotograf), Zbyněk Otáhal, M. Fuchsová, J. Šimek

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Svoboda

Music Performed by

Karel Svoboda

Songs

Muka obraznosti

Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Krečmar
Singer Karel Gott

Kupředu, zpátky ni krok

Song Composer Jan Seidel
Writer of Lyrics Bedřich Bobek
Singer sbor

Kdybych tě neměl rád

Song Composer Evžen Illín
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Rudolf Cortés

Lavička v jasmínu

Song Composer Miloslav Ducháč
Writer of Lyrics Miroslav Zikán
Singer Věra Racková-Štuchalová

U nás jaro nekončí

Song Composer Ludvík Podéšť
Writer of Lyrics Vlastimil Pantůček
Singer Milan Směták

Příběh naší lásky

Song Composer Pavel Bayerle
Writer of Lyrics Bohuslav Nádvorník
Singer Yvetta SimonováRichard Adam

Pokouším se zapomenout

Song Composer Alfons Jindra
Writer of Lyrics Vilda Dubský
Singer Rudolf Cortés

Setkání /Když se dva potkají/

Song Composer Jan Seidel
Writer of Lyrics Bedřich Bobek
Singer Nela BoudováLuděk Randár

Až budeš má

Song Composer Miloslav Ducháč
Writer of Lyrics Vlastimil Hála
Singer Rudolf CortésAllanovy sestry

O Cangaceiro

Song Composer Alfredo Nascimento
Writer of Lyrics Slavomír Šindelka
Singer Karel Dudasbor

Rudé šátky na slunci hoří

Song Composer Svatopluk Havelka
Writer of Lyrics Josef Brukner
Singer dětský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Muka obraznosti

Czech Title

Muka obraznosti

English Title

The Torment of Imagery

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological, erotic, love story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1988—1989

Production specifications

start of filming 29 August 1988
end of filming 13 January 1989
the first film copy approved 25 August 1989
projection approval 15 September 1989

Premiere

premiere 1 March 1990 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

118 min

Original length in metres

3 368 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Dolby Stereo

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech