A Journey into the Primeval Times
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1954Production year
1953—1954Premiere
5 August 1955Runtime
85 minDirector
Karel ZemanCategory
filmGenre
children, adventure, fantastic, special effectsTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Cesta do pravěkuCzech title
Cesta do pravěkuEnglish title
A Journey into the Primeval TimesWorking title
Výlet do pravěku / Pravěk / Cesta do minulosti Země / Cesta do minulosti naší Země / Cesta života / Výlet do vesmíru / Život v pravěkuSummary
The first of what would become a series of legendary staged and animated films by director Karel Zeman, Cesta do pravěku (A Journey into the Primeval Times, 1955) is the story of four inquisitive boys who are transported back to various prehistoric ages. These pals wander by boat from the present back to the Ice Age, through the Tertiary and Mesozoic periods, and finally to the moment when the ocean first brought forth life. Along the way, these young heroes undergo a series of perilous adventures during which they closely observe the metamorphoses of the planet's flora and fauna that took place over millions of years – and of the Earth itself. The biggest attraction for viewers of this popular film are the prehistoric animal puppets, inspired by the illustrations of anthropological artist Zdeňka Burian in consultation with the palaeontologist Josef Augusta. A Journey into the Primeval Times won the Grand Prix at the Festival of Film for Youth in Venice and the Press Award at the Mannheim Week of Cultural and Documentary Films.
Synopsis
Little Jirka found a rock with a trilobite imprint on it in front of a cave, and wished to see this animal in reality. To do this, a group of four boys - chronicler Petr, photographer Toník, Jenda and the youngest Jirka - organized an expedition to the primeval time. They sailed through the cave in a little boat and soon had to dress more warmly, because they found themselves in the ice age. As the last ice floes disappeared, a mammoth appeared in the rich vegetation. The next day, the boys were intrigued by a beaten path by the waterside. They found unmistakable traces of life of primeval man in the cave: an abandoned fireplace and drawings of animals on the walls. Incredible adventures awaited them in the Mesozoic period. Giant saurian animals were fighting on the shore. The boys closely studied the body of the stegosaur, who died in the fight. Judging by the traces they discovered, their little boat was destroyed by a giant animal. They built a raft instead, on which they sailed to the Carboniferous period - time of the great horsetails, lycopodiums and insects. At the end of their journey, they found themselves on the coast of the Silurian Sea, where the entire life on Earth was created.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Josef Lukáš
Voice by Bedřich Šetena
Petr, kronikář výpravy
Vladimír Bejval
Jirka, Petrův bratr
Petr Herrmann
Toník, fotograf výpravy
Zdeněk Husták
Jenda, vůdce výpravy
Commentary
Crew and creators
Director
Assistant Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Commentary by
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Václav Pazderník (hraná část), Antonín Horák (triková část)
Camera Operator
Jiří Tarantík, Arne Parduba
Art Director
Karel Zeman (výtvarná práce), Zdeněk Rozkopal (výtvarná práce), Ivo Mrázek (výtvarná práce), Zdeněk Ostrčil (výtvarná práce), Karel Černý (výtvarná práce), Marie Mazůrková (výtvarná práce)
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Animation
Arnošt Kupčík, František Krčmář
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Consultant
Cooperation
Zdeněk Tmej (fotograf), Antonín Buráň, Bohumila Zemanová, M. Müller, M. Sonnabend
Music
Music Composed by
E. F. Burian, Vlastimil Pinkas (instrumentace)
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)
Music Supervisor
Production info
Original Title
Cesta do pravěku
Czech Title
Cesta do pravěku
English Title
A Journey into the Primeval Times
Working Title
Výlet do pravěku / Pravěk / Cesta do minulosti Země / Cesta do minulosti naší Země / Cesta života / Výlet do vesmíru / Život v pravěku
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
children, adventure, fantastic, special effects
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1954
Production Year
1953—1954
Production specifications
start of filming 28 February 1953
end of filming 31 October 1954
projection approval 07/1955
withdrawal from distribution 17 October 1975
withdrawal from distribution 1990
the end of the distribution monopoly 30 June 2018
Premiere
premiere 5 August 1955 /suitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /8 týdnů/, Arbes /1 týden/, Bystrica /1 týden od 12. 8./, Vzlet /1 týden od 19. 8./, Aero /1 týden od 26. 8./, Dukla /1 týden od 2. 9./, Revoluce /1 týden od 9. 9./, Mír /1 týden od 16. 9./ a Oko /1 týden od 23. 9./, Praha)
renewed premiere 14 November 1975 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 14 September 2017 /suitable for all ages without limit/
renewed premiere 25 April 2019 /suitable for all ages without limit/
renewed premiere 13 May 2024 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Rozdělovna filmů Československého státního filmu (původní 1955), Ústřední půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1975), Asociace českých filmových klubů (obnovená 2017 /Projekt 100 – 2017/, pouze školní představení), Bontonfilm (obnovená 2019), Muzeum Karla Zemana (obnovená 2024)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
85 min
Original length in metres
2 542 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, MP4, BRD
Animation technique
puppet, combined (technique), feature
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: Mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Zlín 2001
2001
Zlín / Czech Republic
Vítěz
Festival: 30. dětský filmový a televizní festival Oty Hofmana Ostrov
1998
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czech Republic
Vítěz
Event: Múzy pražských diváků za rok 1969
1970
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Karel Zeman
Vítěz
Exhibition: 1. přehlídka československých a zahraničních filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří
1969
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Karel Zeman
Vítěz
Festival: 6. světový festival mládeže a studentstva Moskva
1957
Moskva / Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Vítěz
Event: Státní ceny za rok 1956
1957
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Karel Zeman
Vítěz
Festival: 6. světový festival mládeže a studentstva Moskva
1957
Moskva / Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Vítěz
Event: Konference Pracovního společenství pro školní film Gelsenkirchen
1956
Gelsenkirchen / Federal Republic of Germany
Vítěz
Festival: 5. týden kulturních a dokumentárních filmů Mannheim
1956
Mannheim / Federal Republic of Germany
Karel Zeman
Vítěz
Festival: 16. mezinárodní filmový festival Benátky
1955
Benátky / Italy
Vítěz
Festival: 9. mezinárodní filmový festival Edinburgh
1955
Edinburgh / Great Britain
