The Revolt of the Toys

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1947

Production year

1947

Runtime

14 min

Director

Hermína Týrlová (loutková část), František Sádek (hraná část)

Category

film

Genre

slapstick, satire

Typology

animatedtheatrical distributionshort

Original title

Vzpoura hraček

Czech title

Vzpoura hraček

English title

The Revolt of the Toys

Summary

The legendary film The Revolt of the Toys (1947) is Hermína Týrlová's first film and it is a combination of puppets and actors. In this political grotesque, an evil and arrogant SS man becomes a victim of the wooden puppets of Master Hoblík, who had to run away from him. At first the puppets (some of them were bought in a toy shop) successfully resist the SS man's power thanks to their mutual help and eventually revenge on him and force him to escape, which is very humiliating for the SS man. – Even today, the film surprises with its perfect professional production.

Synopsis

Toy maker Josef Hoblík makes a puppet of Adolf Hitler one evening. However, an SS man who is walking down the street, sees something suspicious and sneaks into Hoblík’s workshop. The master throws the wooden dictator into the fireplace and escapes through the window. The SS man enters the room and starts looking around. As he looks into the wooden chest, its cover falls on him, the SS man faints and suddenly the toys seem to have come to life. On a wooden boy’s command start the other wooden puppets attack the enemy. They take off his shoes, cut off his buttons and take off his uniform jacket. When the man wakes up, he does not hesitate to shoot at them with his gun and sets the closet where they were hiding in fire. But the "boy" sounds the alarm. Wooden firemen come out and put out the fire. Then soldiers with cannons and even bomber aircraft fight against the SS man. The German does not know what to do first. In the end, he escapes with his trousers burning through the window, while the wooden puppet of his Führer flies behind him, loaded in the largest cannon...

Note

The main character of the SS member is sometimes referred to as a member of the Gestapo, but the uniform is intentionally unidentifiable. In May 2005, the film was distributed again in the project Remembering and forgetting together with films The Ill-fated Child (2003) and Passenger (1963).

Cast

Eduard Linkers

sturmann SS

Jindřich Láznička

hračkářský mistr Josef Hoblík

Crew and creators

Director

Hermína Týrlová (loutková část), František Sádek (hraná část)

Director of Photography

Bedřich Jurda, Antonín Horák

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka

Animation

Hermína Týrlová (pohyb loutek)

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Artistic Collaboration

Rudolf Prokop

Cooperation

Josef Hanzl (technická spolupráce)

Music

Music Composed by

Julius Kalaš

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)

Production info

Original Title

Vzpoura hraček

Czech Title

Vzpoura hraček

English Title

The Revolt of the Toys

Category

film

Typology

animatedtheatrical distribution

Genre

slapstick, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1947

Production Year

1947

Production specifications

projection approval 8 May 1947 (konec povolení k promítání 8. 5. 1952)

Premiere

premiere 29 August 1947 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 1 May 2005 /recommended for 15 and over/

Distribution slogan

A Czech puppet film about toys that overpowered the Gestapo. – The first Czech puppet film with a staged part. Directed by Hermína Týrlová. (1947) / An animated dream of a drunken Gestapo man who is seized by a gang of toys. (2005)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Státní půjčovna filmů (původní 1947), Asociace českých filmových klubů (obnovená 2005; monopol do 1. 5. 2008)

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

14 min

Original length in metres

410 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Animation technique

puppet, combined (technique), feature

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

without dialogue

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: Mezinárodní festival filmu a výtvarnictví Brusel

1947
Brusel / Belgium

Vítěz

Festival: 8. mezinárodní filmový festival Benátky

1947
Benátky / Italy
Hermína Týrlová

Vítěz

Festival: 8. mezinárodní filmový festival Benátky

1947
Benátky / Italy
František Sádek