Our Czech Song II
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1990Production year
1990Premiere
5 December 1990Runtime
100 minDirector
Vít OlmerCategory
filmGenre
tragicomedyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Ta naše písnička česká IICzech title
Ta naše písnička česká IIEnglish title
Our Czech Song IISummary
Despite its title, this 1990 film from director Vít Olmer is entirely unrelated to the song showcase film Ta naše písnička česká (The Good Old Czech Tunes, 1967) from director Zdeňek Podskalský. The title song by Karel Hašler is only heard at the very end of this tragicomedy, which charts 20 years of the life of a violinist forced, instead of playing quality music, to only perform either what others request, or what will make him some money. After 1968, Jan Rošetský (Jan Hartl) ends up working in a boiler room, only occasionally able to return to his beloved violin. Rošetský’s life-long nemesis becomes Karel (Bronislav Poloczek), the manipulative head of a music agency. But the relaxation of the rigid (political) climate comes too late for the violinist. But for Olmer’s film these very events offered salvation – the filmmakers were in production for so long, that the 1989 Velvet Revolution enabled them to complete the project with a free hand.
Synopsis
The songs of Prague by Karel Hašler, so popular at the end of the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th centuries, do not grow old. There are still sung everywhere from pubs to construction sites. They also have their place in the love stories from old Prague, which maiden Veronika can tell so nicely. Their heroine is the maiden Stázi, who first did not have luck in her love with student Tadeáš, but then fell in love with three gentlemen at once – shy Mr Alois, jolly Mr Franc and Mr Johanes who seduced her behind the Horse Gate. Eventually, however, she threw them all over for an old but wealthy landlord. The three abandoned gentlemen almost take their lives under the Stone Bridge. However, their sadness soon stops hurting and they find their feet in marriages richly blessed by cute kids. And maiden Stázi? She ran away from the old man and returned to Mr Franc upon his return from military service. And all that happened in just one old house in the Lesser Town district in Prague, the city to which the composer Hašler declared his love in a song: "That is my beautiful one, the white princess. The only I know in the world. That is my love, that is my dear one which I am never going to leave."
Note
The movie was filmed on the basis of fourty pages of material in which the director Vít Olmer summarized his own experience from the peculiar practices of the music agency Pragokoncert.
Photos
Cast
Jan Hartl
houslista Jan Rošetský
Bronislav Poloczek
ředitel Oldřich
Lenka Termerová
Eva, Janova manželka
David Matásek
Vašek, muž s příčeskem
Ivana Chýlková
zpěvačka
Jaromír Dulava
violista
Jiří Hošek
violoncellista Václav
Vlastimil Peška
houslista Jarek
Tomáš Töpfer
spisovatel Tomáš
Jaroslav Kohut
houslista Michal
Věra Kubánková
Janova matka
Adam Novák
Pavel, Janův syn, jako dítě
Filip Novák
Pavel jako mladík
Jiří Potůček
Honza, Janův syn, jako dítě
Martin Kotas
Honza jako mladík
Karel Brožek
náměstek Karel
František Husák
nový náměstek
Anna Ferencová
sekretářka ředitele
Monika Kvasničková
sekretářka u Vaška
Petr Drozda
ředitelův řidič
Eva Čížkovská
zpěvačka, ředitelova milenka
Lucie Bílá
sekretářka
Zdeněk Mucha
topenář Franta
Jaromír Meduna
šéf topenářů
Libuše Pospíšilová
členka rekvalifikační komise
Alena Karešová
členka rekvalifikační komise
Pavel Jiras
člen rekvalifikační komise
Petr Weig
člen rekvalifikační komise
Václav Mareš
člen rekvalifikační komise
Miloš Větvička
člen rekvalifikační komise
Viktorie Knotková
zřízenkyně krematoria Marie
Ivana Vavrová
ředitelova manželka
Jaroslav Someš
lékař
Lenka Vychodilová
úřednice v Paláci kultury
Jana Tučková
úřednice v Paláci kultury
Antonín Jedlička
on sám, imitátor
Jaroslav Štercl
on sám, herec
Hana Talpová
ona sama, herečka
Ladislav Krečmer
on sám, herec
Jiří Samek
vedoucí oddělení z ÚV KSČ
Dechový orchestr Kutilka
Country-folková skupina Popelky
Romská cimbálovka Františka Adama
Zorka Kohoutová
zpěvačka dechovky
Berousková
artistka
Černý
artista
artisté Šimkovi
Martina Zbořilová
holka od ředitele
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Jan Křížek, Jaroslav Hykl
Script Supervisor
Screenstory
Screenplay
Script Editor
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Milan Furman
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Michal Erazim, Jiří Matějka, Eva Slívová, Jiří Zahrádka
Costume Designer
Make-Up Artist
František Příhoda, Božena Došlá, Zdenka Prchlíková, Tereza Kolihová
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Assistant Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Lenka Jandová, Jiří Synek, Dagmar Pitráková
Unit Production Manager
Pavel Bačkovský, Adolf Hickl, Vladimír Švestka
Cooperation
Daniela Humlová (klapka), Dvořákovo kvarteto, František Pišinger, Jaroslav Foltýn, Pavel Kudelásek, Karel Bárta, Jiří Kubita, Tomáš Hrazděra, Marta Šímová
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Richard Wagner (Lohengrin /Svatební chór/), Bedřich Smetana (Z mého života), Johann Sebastian Bach (Ciaccona d moll z Partity č. 2), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Smyčcový kvartet C dur), Joseph Haydn (Smyčcový kvartet C dur), Joseph Kreutzer
Music Selected by
Jan Beneš (/výběr populární hudby/), Jaroslav Ruis (/výběr klasické hudby/)
Songs
Ta naše písnička česká
Songwriter Karel Hašler
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hašler
Singer dětský hlasmužský sbor
Láska je láska
Songwriter Ondřej Soukup
Široka strana moja rodnaja /parafráze V prdeli jsou naši kamarádi/
Songwriter Isaak Dunajevskij
Singer Tomáš TöpferJan Hartl
Happy Birthday to You
Singer Zorka Kohoutová
Zem si zpívá
Songwriter Jan Smolka
Writer of Lyrics Jan Smolka
Singer Josef Štágrsbor Planety
Co si víc můžeš přát
Songwriter Mojmír Smékal
Writer of Lyrics Hana Čiháková
Singer Jana MatysováHelena Vrtichová
Slunci je dvacet let
Songwriter tradicionál
Writer of Lyrics Luděk Nekuda
Singer Jana MatysováHelena VrtichováFrantišek Havlíček (2)sbor Severky
Ej, od Buchlova
Songwriter lidová píseň
Singer Bronislav Poloczek
Mal som ženu, už ma nechce
Songwriter lidová píseň
Singer Bronislav Poloczek
Prší, prší, len sa leje
Songwriter lidová moravská píseň
Singer Bronislav Poloczek
Smugljanka
Songwriter Anatolij Novikov
Writer of Lyrics Jakov Švedov
Singer Pavel Liška
Říkáme ano! /We'll Say Yes/
Songwriter Dean Reed
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Aplt
Singer Jiří ŠtědroňJana MatysováHelena Vrtichovásbor Severky
Production info
Original Title
Ta naše písnička česká II
Czech Title
Ta naše písnička česká II
English Title
Our Czech Song II
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
tragicomedy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1990
Production Year
1990
Production specifications
start of filming 02/1990
end of filming 08/1990
Premiere
premiere 5 December 1990 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
2. tvůrčí skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. tvůrčí skupiny), Ivana Dortová (vedoucí produkce 2. tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
100 min
Distribution carrier
16mm, 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
Awards
Vítěz
Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu v oblasti filmové tvorby za rok 1989
1990
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ivana Kačírková
