The Pickpocket

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1974

Runtime

29 min

Category

povídka

Genre

short-story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionshort

Original title

Kapsář

Czech title

Kapsář

English title

The Pickpocket

Synopsis

Pickpocket Antonín Benda is a free man again after several years in prison. His girlfriend Olina has sold the flat where they lived before his sentence and has sent their son Petřík, to her mother, the pub landlady Krejčová. Now working as a receptionist at an international hotel and dating a dentist Soukeník. Olina is far from delighted to see her former partner. She at least arranges him rented accommodation in the flat of a receptionist colleague. Benda is not faring too well with his former buddies either. Instead of the promised share of the proceeds from the theft for which he has taken the blame, he gets a thrashing. Petřík, hardened by the life in his grandmother's pub, is delighted by his father's return, but Benda immediately takes away the flick knife the boy was so proud of. Benda starts to steal again. He buys a ticket for the train running between Prague and the nearby town of Benešov and tries to rob a sleeping man, but the man wakes up and Benda accidentally kills him in the ensuing fight. The desperate murderer borrows the key to Soukeník's weekend cabin and goes there with his son, whom he has been forced by the grandmother to take with him on an "excursion". The police soon find out where they are and surround the house. The police approach the house slowly, because they know there is a loaded rifle inside. After a short siege, Petřík comes out of the house holding a white handkerchief instead of a flag, and asks to borrow new bullets for the rifle. A shot is heard from the house behind him. It is Benda, who has just ended his messed up life.

Cast

Petr Čepek

zloděj Antonín Benda

Jana Brejchová

recepční Olina, Bendova milá

Slávka Budínová

hospodská Krejčová, matka Oliny

Josef Somr

recepční Roček, Olinin kolega

Josef Abrhám

kapitán VB Havránek

Jiří Bednář

sociální pracovník Pavlík

Filip Renč

Bendův syn Petřík

Josef Langmiler

zubař Soukeník, Olinin přítel

Oldřich Velen

hromotluk ve vlaku

Viktor Maurer

vedoucí recepce

Eugen Jegorov

nový nájemník

Vlastimil Čaněk

příslušník VB

Radim Vašinka

průvodčí

Stanislav Litera

číšník v hospodě

Viktor Očásek

stařík u kolotoče

Josef Šebek

Bendův bývalý kumpán

Zdeněk Srstka

bývalý kumpán zvaný Malý Honza

Jaroslav Tomsa

bývalý kumpán

Karel Engel

bývalý kumpán

Ladislav Gzela

vrátný ve svobodárně

Lucie Krátká

děvčátko

Josef Blažek

harmonikář

Jiří Flíček

prodavač novin

Otto Ohnesorg

muž se psem/dubl za Petra Čepka

Magda Maděrová

svatebčanka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

František Sádek

Assistant Director

Jiří Potsch, Žofie Futerová

Screenstory

Karel Štorkán

Shooting Script

Tomáš Svoboda

Director of Photography

Miloš Petrolín

Second Unit Photography

Zdeněk Prchlík

Camera Operator

Bohumil Rath

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Boris Halmi

Set Designer

Eva Slívová, Marcel Kříž, Jiří Matějka

Costume Designer

Šárka Hejnová

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Production Manager

Jiří Bečka

Unit Production Manager

Dagmar Rašilovová

Consultant

JUDr. Přemysl Velický

Cooperation

Jarmila Kovtanová (klapka), Jitka Bylinská (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Už troubějí na horách jeleni

Singer sbor

Slepička kropenatá

Song Composer Karel Valdauf
Writer of Lyrics Karel Valdauf
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Kapsář

Czech Title

Kapsář

English Title

The Pickpocket

Category

povídka

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

short-story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1974

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

29 min

Original length in metres

805 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech