We Want to Live
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1949Production year
1949Premiere
29 September 1950Runtime
80 minDirector
E. F. BurianCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Chceme žítCzech title
Chceme žítEnglish title
We Want to LiveSynopsis
While visiting her home village, the seamstress Marie becomes close with her friend from childhood, glass blower Josef. Yet, she refuses Josef's offer to marry him, as she knows very well how uncertain life is in the economic crisis of 1933. Soon after that, Josef loses his job, and goes to Prague to see Marie. He looks for her in vain at the given address. He manages to find work on a construction site, where he jumps in to replace a wounded worker. Later, he finds Marie in the hospital, where the girl is recovering after an unsuccessful abortion of their child. Josef takes Marie to his destitute little room. Marie is earning a small income with great difficulty. Josef joins the group of communists on the construction site who organize a strike after the wages are lowered. Josef and other communists are fired but the strike still grows into a big demonstration in which Josef and Marie also participate. The years pass and, in 1949, Josef is marching in the serried ranks of the People's Militia. From the cheering crowd, Marie greets him with a child in her arms.
Note
The film was cut down after two censorship proceedings. All the materials in the National film archive are of the same length.
Photos
Cast
Jaroslava Adamová
švadlena Marie Klímová
Gustav Heverle
sklář a zedník Josef Tomeš
Otylie Beníšková
bytná Dittrichová
Růžena Pochová
Božka, dcera Dittrichové
Jiří Sovák
řidič Jindřich
František Vnouček
stavitel Rudolf Müller
Milada Svobodová
Mariina teta
Ludvík Dvorský
policista Nouzar
Jarmila Korbelářová
Nouzarova žena
Zuzana Kočová
dělnice
Stanislava Strobachová
jeptiška
Ludmila Fraňková
švadlena Jarka
Ladislav Gzela
nezaměstnaný
Sylvie Havránková
manželka nezaměstnaného
Zdeňka Podlipná
Pohorská, majitelka Modes Robes
Vladimír Horáček
zedník Novotný
Bohuš Rendl
penzista
Josef Kozák
zedník s fajfkou
Karel Křeček
Oldřich Kubart
Eduard Jarkovský
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Ivan Weiss
Assistant Director
Based on
Karel Nový (Chceme žít – román)
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Production Designer
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Otakar Pařík), Pěvecký sbor Čs. rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Jiří Pinkas)
Songs
Má milá Marjánko
Singer mužský sbor
V míru chceme žít
Singer sbor
Production info
Original Title
Chceme žít
Czech Title
Chceme žít
English Title
We Want to Live
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1949
Production Year
1949
Production specifications
date of censorship 11 January 1950 (konec povolení k promítání 11. 1. 1955)
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
Premiere
premiere 29 September 1950 /suitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /2 týdny/ a Lucerna /3 týdny/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
VI. tvůrčí kolektiv Jiřího Hájka, Jiří Hájek (vedoucí VI. tvůrčího kolektivu)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
80 min
Original length in metres
2 290 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
