Jaromír Pleskot devoted the lion's share of his professional career to stage direction. Yet he also has a filmography. Alongside popular 1956 girls’ favourite Robinsonka (The Girl Robinson), it features his 1989 biographical work on Karel Čapek Člověk proti zkáze (Man versus Ruin) and this children’s movie adhering to what was considered ideologically sound and entertaining in the Czechoslovakia of 1955. The story’s folk hero is an honest destitute musician who strikes fortune thanks to gifts – a magical handkerchief and a gold-bearing donkey – he is given by an old man with magical powers. However, in order to ward off a thievish innkeeper, he also needs a punishing magic cudgel... Featuring in this adaptation of Kouzelné dary (Magical Gifts), a fairytale by Jaromír Erben, are Ladislav Pešek as the musician and Josef Beyvl as the innkeeper. The conjuring old man seeking social justice is effortlessly performed by the dependable František Smolík.
A poor musician with a horde of hungry children at home sets off into the world to look for work. He is wandering through the country until he reaches a pub where, just at that moment, they are celebrating a village fair. The musician plays to the visitors but the publican rewards him with only a piece of old bread for his performance. An elderly magician takes pity on the musician and presents him with a magical table-napkin which serves delicacies all by itself and a little donkey from which ducats are pouring. On the way home, the musician stops at the same pub and good-naturedly displays the magic gifts. But the dishonest publican exchanges them for ordinary ones. At home, the musician disappoints the entire family: the table-napkin doesn't serve any food and not even a copper coin falls out of the donkey. The poor man realizes who robbed him off the old man's gifts. He goes back with another old magician's gift - a stick. The stick gives the owner a good thrashing and the greedy man readily returns everything. On his return home, the musician makes a feast for the entire village. The old man ascends to the sky to look around and see if anybody needs his help.
muzikant
hostinský
stařeček
Rozárka, dítě muzikanta
Mikeš, dítě muzikanta
Kuba, dítě muzikanta
Terinka, dítě muzikanta
Kristýnka, dítě muzikanta
Barunka, dítě muzikanta
venkovské děvče
venkovské děvče
šumař
ponocný
myslivec
sedlák
sedlák
tančící venkovská dívka
kluk s prutem
Eva Mičulková, Zdeněk Maršálek, Mojmír Drvota
Karel Jaromír Erben (Kouzelné dary – pohádka)
Karel Mann, Josef Bůžek, František Jakubec, Milada Veselá
Ferdinand Martinásek (malíř pozadí)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Song Composer Jan F. Fischer
Writer of Lyrics Jan F. FischerJaromír Pleskot
Singer Ladislav Pešek
Song Composer Jan F. Fischer
Writer of Lyrics Jan F. FischerJaromír Pleskot
Singer František Smolík
Writer of Lyrics František Ladislav Čelakovský
Singer Ladislav Pešek
Singer sbor
Obušku, z pytle ven!
Obušku, z pytle ven!
Stick, Stick, Start Beating!
film
featuretheatrical distribution
fairytale
Czechoslovakia
1955
1955
start of filming 13 February 1955
projection approval 15 May 1956
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995
premiere 7 September 1956 /suitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /8 týdnů/, Mladých /3 týdny/, Bystrica /1 týden od 28. 9./, Mír /1 týden od 28. 9./, Vzlet /1 týden od 5. 10./ a Arbes /1 týden od 19. 10./, Praha)
Studio dětského filmu Praha, Studio uměleckého filmu (dokončení)
feature film
75 min
2 129 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech