Requiem for a Maiden

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1991

Production year

1991

Premiere

6 February 1992

Runtime

94 min

Director

Filip Renč

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Requiem pro panenku

Czech title

Requiem pro panenku

English title

Requiem for a Maiden

Working title

Zběsilost

Summary

Filip Renč made his 1991 debut as a screenwriter and director with this psychological drama based on reportage published by journalist Josef Klíma in his book Brutalita (Brutality). The film relates the story of 14-year-old Marika, who is sent to a care institution for mentally disabled girls. The facility’s employees are indifferent to the obvious fact that the sensitive Marika, traumatised by an incestuous father, should not be in such a place. The shocked girl witnesses the sadistic staff dish out brutal treatment on the unhappy ward... The then 15-year-old Anna Geislerová stars in this moving feature which bears the characteristic mark of Renč’s powerful directing style. Barbora Hrzánová shines in the role of retarded Johanka who becomes emotionally attached to the heroine. Renč cast himself as young waiter Viki.

Synopsis

The fourteen-year old Marika is raped by her father and is taken to the Institute of Social Care at night. The institute is in an old and dilapidating château. In the morning, Marika finds out to her horror that she is in a home for mentally retarded girls. The alcoholic doctor confirms during the introductory medical inspection that the girl does not belong there. But his words mean nothing; both the personnel and the institute's director are totally uncaring regarding the cases of the inmates, and also Marika's fate. They keep their wards under strong medication and treat them brutally. The educator Krocová moreover revels in almost sadistic punishments, Volfová displays lesbian tendencies, and the installed woman Communist is solely interested in visiting her son in the United States. Only the educator Suková, probably a former nun, is not indifferent to the girls. Marika tries to get out of the home and manages to escape, but is caught and returned. The retarded Johanka gets fixated on her. Marika tries to send out a letter but it is confiscated, too. Volfová moreover locks her in an outside wire cage, leaving her there in the rain. Johanka, expressing her affection to Marika, is in turn locked in a cellar. As soon as Marika hears her moaning, she gets out of the cage, turns on the siren and liberates Johanka. The two girls hide in a drying room. When Volfová finds them, Marika strikes a match. The inflammable liquid deposited in the room explodes and the ensuing fire soon spreads all over the house. Marika vainly tries to help the wards who are confined to their beds behind a locked door on the second floor. Johanka dies, too, when she goes to the fire to find her friend Marika. - The adult Marika stops by the château ruin. She spent five years in prison for arson. The educators, who were in fact responsible for the death of twenty six girls, received lower punishments. Marika discovers the motif of the sun which Johanka used to draw constantly on a shed handle.

Note

The closing title reads: "Twenty six wards of the institute died in the 1984 fire. In the ensuing court proceedings, the educators Volfová and Procházková were sentenced to a one-year unconditional sentence of imprisonment for the accomplished offence of battering a person entrusted to one´s care. The educator Krocová was sentenced to a nine-month conditional penalty. Marika Fárová received a five-year unconditional sentence for arson." The author of the news report about the case, journalist Josef Klíma, later found out that numerous facts were manipulated during the investigation, and he additionally apologized to the educators.

Cast

Anna Geislerová

Marika Fárová

Barbora Hrzánová

chovanka Johanka

Soňa Valentová

vychovatelka Věra Volfová

Eva Holubová

vychovatelka Jiřina Krocová

Jaroslava Hanušová

vedoucí vychovatelka Procházková

Jan Schmid

ředitel ústavu

Filip Renč

číšník Viki

Věra Nováková

vychovatelka Anna Suková

Dagmar Dědková

Kubyová

Alice Dráčová

vychovatelka Zdena

Vlasta Mecnarowská

vedoucí dětského domova Burešová

Zuzana Dančiaková

chovanka Zuzana

Lenka Pekárková

chovanka Kaťuška

Alice Troblová

chovanka Péťa

Stanislav Tříska

velitel požárníků

Milan Maňák

mladý příslušník VB

Josef Drápal

řidič dodávky

Zdeněk Kulajta

starý sekáč

Hana Přikrylová

zdravotní sestra

Jana Hošková

zdravotní sestra

Lubomír Vašík

příslušník VB v Hradci

Jiří Hasík

příslušník VB v Hradci

Eva Paštěková

chovanka

Jana Bodková

chovanka

Iveta Šerkezyová

chovanka

Hana Číšková

chovanka

chovanky Ústavů sociální péče pro dospělé na Velehradě a ve Zdicích

chovanky

Crew and creators

Director

Filip Renč

Second Unit Director

Milan Maňák

Assistant Director

Otakar Cholasta, Hana Pešáková

Based on

Josef Klíma (Brutalita – reportáž z knihy)

Screenplay

Filip Renč

Dramaturg

Jan Gogola

Director of Photography

Juraj Fándli

Second Unit Photography

Vladimír Kolář, Karel Kopecký

Camera Operator

Miroslav Makarov

Production Designer

Luděk Kouřil

Assistent Production Designer

Jiří Malota

Set Designer

František Hladík, Ladislav Adam, Josef Vojtášek

Film Editor

Jan Mattlach

Assistant Film Editor

Alice Egnerová, Vlasta Malotová

Sound Designer

Václav Vondráček, Radomír Koutek, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)

Assistant Sound Designer

Ladislav Procházka

Special Effects

Vladimír Kýbl, Zdeněk Rozkopal

Special Effects

Jaroslav Kolman (pyrotechnik), Josef Pokorný (pyrotechnik)

Stunts

Zlata Bednářová, Pavel Hulinko, Naďa Chrástová, Simona Jáklová, Jiří Kraus, Jiří Kuba, Dimo Lipitkovský, Pavel Myslík, Pavel Rubenová

Production Manager

Věra Kopecká

Unit Production Manager

Dušan Schaffer

Consultant

Olga Kurzová, Jaroslav Tomsa

Cooperation

Petra Vyoralová (klapka), Otto Kamenský (fotograf), Peter Šutovský, David Krejčí

Music

Music Composed by

Ondřej Soukup

Music Performed by

Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Ondřej Soukup)

Songs

Majzl polka /Byla panna, měla pána/

Song Composer Antonín ModrJaroslav Řídký

Production info

Original Title

Requiem pro panenku

Czech Title

Requiem pro panenku

English Title

Requiem for a Maiden

Working Title

Zběsilost

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1991

Production Year

1991

Production specifications

the end of the distribution monopoly 5 February 1997

Premiere

premiere 6 February 1992 /unsuitable for youths/

Distribution slogan

Czech film. Tenderness, brutality, hope.

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

94 min

Original length in metres

2 820 meters

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

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Anketa časopisu Kinorevue

1993
Praha / Czech Republic

Vítěz

Festival: 11. mezinárodní filmový festival Carrousel Rimouski

1993
Rimouski / Canada

Vítěz

Festival: 11. mezinárodní filmový festival Carrousel Rimouski

1993
Rimouski / Canada
Barbora Hrzánová

Vítěz

Event: Žebříček návštěvnosti pražských kin za 1. pololetí 1991

1992
Praha / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: Žebříček návštěvnosti pražských kin za 1. pololetí 1991

1992
Praha / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: Cena za jihomoravskou audiovizuální tvorbu Pierot

1992
Brno / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: 6. Fórum mladého filmu Bratislava

1991
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 1. festival FAMU Praha

1991
Praha / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: 6. Fórum mladého filmu Bratislava

1991
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia