Life Is a Dog

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1933

Production year

1933

Premiere

1 December 1933

Runtime

88 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

comedy, screwball comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Život je pes

Czech title

Život je pes

English title

Life Is a Dog

Working title

Muž se špatnou pověstí

Synopsis

Young music composer Viktor Honzl in vain looks for work. He is prevented from committing suicide by a technician of the gasworks who shortly beforehand has disconnected his gas due to past due bills. In the disguise of an older, serious, musical scholar Viktor obtains work in a music publishing house. So he may court Eva, publisher Durdys's daughter, who he likes quite a bit, he recommends to the owner that he also employ his nephew. Understandably, this is he himself, in his every-day form. For Viktor, however, this becomes an extremely complicated situation as he switches in the place of business from the clothes of the uncle and then back again from the clothes of Viktor the nephew. Unfortunately, in the appearance of the uncle Eva's sister Helena is reminded of her music teacher, with whom she has fallen in love. Mr. Durdys consents to Eva marrying Viktor but only on the condition that his uncle marry Helena at the same time. To be engaged to both girls at once is now too much for Viktor to manage and the truth comes out. In this hopeless situation Viktor is rescued by the music teacher who comes to ask for Helena's hand in marriage. The happy father joyfully agrees to both marriages.

Cast

Hugo Haas

hudební skladatel Viktor Honzl/profesor Alfred Rokos

Theodor Pištěk

majitel hudebního nakladatelství Hynek Durdys

Adina Mandlová

Eva, Durdysova mladší dcera

Světla Svozilová

Helena, Durdysova starší dcera

Ferdinand Hart

penězokaz Ralph Morrison

Alois Dvorský

pan domácí

Jára Kohout

muž kupující gramodesku

Antonín Hodr

majitel konfekce Netušil

Karel Český

zákazník v hudebninách

Antonín Šolc

zákazník v hudebninách

F. X. Mlejnek

zákazník v hudebninách

Josef Waltner

pokladník v hudebninách

Jiří Hron

úředník v hudebninách

Václav Menger

tajný policista

Ada Karlovský

host na zásnubách

Robert Ford

host na zásnubách

Běla Horská

host na zásnubách

Josef Kotalík

host na zásnubách

Bohdan Lachman

host na zásnubách

Béďa Pražský

prodavač Pepík

Marie Hodrová

žena majitele konfekce Netušila

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Screenstory

Hugo Haas

Director of Photography

Václav Vích

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Film Editor

Martin Frič

Sound Designer

Bedřich Poledník

Production Manager

Josef Stein

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Pavel Haas

Selected Music

Ludwig van Beethoven (Symfonie č. 9 d moll /Óda na radost/), Ludwig van Beethoven (Symfonie č. 3 Es dur /Eroica/), Johann Sebastian Bach

Songs

To nevadí

Song Composer Pavel Haas
Writer of Lyrics Hugo Haas
Singer Hugo Haas

Production info

Original Title

Život je pes

Czech Title

Život je pes

English Title

Life Is a Dog

Working Title

Muž se špatnou pověstí

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, screwball comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1933

Production Year

1933

Production specifications

date of censorship 09/1933
date of censorship 11/1938 (konec povolení k promítání 1943)
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1991

Premiere

premiere 1 December 1933 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Gaumont /3 týdny/ a Světozor /3 týdny/, Praha)

Production

Moldavia

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Moldavia

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 492 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,19

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech