The Strong Win
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1990Production year
1990Premiere
16 January 1991Runtime
90 minDirector
Petr ŠíchaCategory
filmGenre
crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Silnější než jáCzech title
Silnější než jáEnglish title
The Strong WinSummary
Real events that took place in 1986 provided the material for director Petr Šícha’s feature-film debut four years later. In Silnější než já (The Strong Win, 1990), Prague crime investigators Šárka and Kraft (Karel Roden and Jiří Ornest) hunt in vain for a serial killer targeting young women. Young tutor Táňa, who has just started working at a boarding school for apprentices, experiences two attacks by an unknown assailant. The circle of suspects is thus narrowed down to the apprentices, who due to the soft approach of the school director are inclined to criminal behaviour. One of the trainees is the emotionally disturbed Richard, who is traumatised by haunting experiences he suffered during his childhood. Classmates intend to lynch him, but the investigators intervene as they seek to bring him to justice. The 19-year-old Karel Zíma made his debut in the role of the assailant. Director Šícha would much later underline his abilities in producing commercially successful films by shooting Bastardi (The Bastards, 2010), Školní výlet (School Trip, 2012) and Obchodníci (The Peddlers, 2013).
Synopsis
A young girl was found murdered in the Prague park of Vyšehrad. An unknown murderer stabs yet another victim in a house corridor. The detectives Šárka and Kraft investigate the murders, but without success. There is an apprentices' boarding house in the town, headed by director Vojta in a rather peculiar way. The apprentices often leave school for their moonlighting jobs and then share the earnings with their foreman. Headed by the brutal youngster Zupák, they terrorize the newcoming "yardbirds". Carrying out repairs in people's apartments, they make lists of their valuables and then sell them to the leader of a gang of robbers. A young educator Táňa begins in the boarding house. She soon experiences two attacks by the unknown brute. These cases are, however, only boy's escapades to the director, who refuses to report them to the police. The apprentice Profa meets a prostitute by the name of Kristýna in a bar. Yet another young girl was attacked in the park and her condition is critical. The police suspect the sexual deviant Šumák of the crimes. Táňa thereupon reports her own assaults and the investigators accuse the apprentice Smrtka of it. A man in a pub catches the murderer's appearance and the assaulted woman recognizes the apprentice Richard in him. Richard tries to murder Kristýna but the prostitute survives. The cellar of the boarding house once again witnesses a hunt for Richard, this time also participated in by people from the neighbourhood. The killer is caught and must be saved by the police from being lynched. In the police car, Richard recalls his dreadful childhood experiences.
Note
The film was based on a real event.
Photos
Cast
Karel Zima
učeň Richard Čížek
Jakub Wehrenberg
učeň Profa
Sylvia Wysocká
Voice by Helena Friedrichová
prostitutka Kristýna
Karel Roden
kriminalista Šárka
Jiří Ornest
kriminalista Kraft
Jan Přeučil
ředitel dr. Vojta
Ernesto Čekan
učeň Zupák
Silvia Petöová
vychovatelka Táňa
Tomáš Krejčíř
učeň Smrtka
Aleš Spurný
učeň Emil
Pavel Šimák
učeň Elton
Nina Jiránková
vychovatelka Vošahlíková
Jiří Wohanka
nenápadný kriminalista
Karel Augusta
vychovatel Šimeček
Milan Sandhaus
stařík-svědek
Bohuslav Ličman
soused opravující výtah
Filip Švarc
nový učeň
Tamara Kotrbová
přepadená dívka Radka
Yvetta Kornová
opilá matka
Václav Kotva
rozčilený muž na ulici
Jan Vlasák
lékař
Jan Schánilec
vykradač Špacír
Edward Tomas
podezřelý muž zvaný Šumák
Jana Vaňková
přepadená žena
Taťana Puttová
arogantní žena
Igor Smržík
Radčin otec
Blanka Lormanová
Radčina matka
Vladimír Kudla
vousatý cestující
Jan Kuželka
tlustý cestující
Luděk Nešleha
Vojtův kamarád
Ladislav Goral
cikán cestující ve vlaku
Martina Adamcová
žena vypovídající na VB
Jana Robenková
svědkyně Suchá
Milan Riehs
divadelní herec
Tomáš Jančařík
Eva Osladilová
Ondřej Ernyei
Renata Dvořáková
Naděžda Mihelková
Svatava Smoláková
Roman Pohanka
Daniel Straka
Lucie Hrušková
Jana Mrázová
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Kamil Busch
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Radek Baláž, Richard Staněk, Milan Šveňha
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Rudolf Mos, Karel Lupoměský
Unit Production Manager
Božena Novotná, Vojtěch Kis, Martina Hanzlíková
Consultant
Cooperation
Jitka Stehlíková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf), Jiří Pičman, Zdeněk Koudela, Miroslava Součková (2), Jaroslav Křenek
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Singer
Music Supervisor
Vít Popp
Production info
Original Title
Silnější než já
Czech Title
Silnější než já
English Title
The Strong Win
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1990
Production Year
1990
Premiere
premiere 16 January 1991 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
6. tvůrčí skupina, Jan Vild (vedoucí 6. tvůrčí skupiny), Milana Melcerová (vedoucí produkce 6. tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
90 min
Distribution carrier
35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
