Jan Kašpar's Life

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production year

1958

Premiere

5 June 1959

Runtime

69 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Život pro Jana Kašpara

Czech title

Život pro Jana Kašpara

English title

Jan Kašpar's Life

Synopsis

The bridegroom Jan Kašpar is an officer in the Klement Gottwald's Nová Huť rolling-mill. After bidding farewell to his freedom, he accidentaly takes a sip from the bottle of tetrachlore which he stores at home. He disregards the dizziness, but the next day, he faints in the factory and has a brain concussion. During her regular tests, doctor Dudková is shocked by a high percentage of residual nitrogen found in Kašpar's blood. Doctor Boháček, with whom Dudková consults, thinks that it is a liver disease and informs the head physician Filip. The doctors know nothing about tetrachlore and are in the dark about the case. Despite that, they immediately start to fight for Kašpar's life and their struggle consequently affects their personal lives. Boháček loses his well-deserved day off, the nurse Eliška has a spat with her lover. Filip forgets about his long past rivalry and asks the liver-disease expert, doctor Kareš, for help. Kareš suppresses his conceit, too, and examines Kašpar. He sets both the diagnosis and the treatment: Kašpar must be transferred to Prague immediately to get a dialysis. His transfer by a military helicopter is arranged by the ex-husband of Kašpar's fiancé. The pilot risks his life in the bad weather. And in Prague, the divorced doctor Friedl loses the last aspects of his daughter Zuzanka's affections since he is busy as so many times before. Kašpar's life is saved thanks to the people who sacrificed their leisure time and a part of their private life for his sake.

Cast

František Peterka

úředník Jan Kašpar

Blažena Holišová

prodavačka Pavla Váňová, Janova snoubenka

Lubomír Černík

MUDr. Luba Boháček

Jarmila Kurandová

Janova matka

Jaroslav Raušer

primář MUDr. Eduard Filip

František Smolík

docent Viktor Kareš

Zdeněk Kryzánek

asistent MUDr. Friedl

Martin Růžek

major letectva Vojtěch Váňa

Jaroslav Rozsíval

Petr, Janův bratr

Věra Koktová

Slávka, Petrova žena

Věra Bublíková

MUDr. Eva Dudková, Boháčkova snoubenka

Jana Drbohlavová

zdravotní sestra Eliška

Jiří Hanák

Voice by Eduard Cupák
Jureček, Eliščin milý

Zuzana Ondrouchová

Zuzanka, Friedlova dcera

Jiřina Steimarová

Karešova žena

Ota Žebrák

laborant

Vladimír Brabec

MUDr. Lipský

Jiří Pick

MUDr. Červenka

Irena Fabiánová

zdravotní sestra Boženka

Ladislav Kazda

zákazník ve zlatnictví

Miloslav Holub

Voice by Zdeněk Kryzánek
dispečer Bartoš

Luka Rubanovičová

Voice by Jiřina Bohdalová
Vlasta, Pavlina kamarádka

Libuše Švormová

zdravotní sestra Lída

Nora Krčmářová

zdravotní sestra Věra

Luděk Pilc

dispečer ČSA

Zdeněk Řehoř

pacient Houžvička

Alois Dvorský

pacient Slezák

Karel Hovorka

Janův opilý kamarád

Jiřina Bílá

zdravotní sestra

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Stanislav Černý

Assistant Director

Jana Pokorná, Bohuslav Musil

Based on

Vladimír Stibořík (novinová reportáž)

Shooting Script

Vladimír Sís

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový, Jan Oliva

Set Designer

František Suchý, Jaroslava Vilímková

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

František Fabián, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Rudolf Hájek

Unit Production Manager

Vlastimil Maršálek

Consultant

MUDr. M. Chytil , doc. MUDr. A. Kostelecký, Věra Sochorová

Music

Music Composed by

Miloš Vacek

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Production info

Original Title

Život pro Jana Kašpara

Czech Title

Život pro Jana Kašpara

English Title

Jan Kašpar's Life

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production Year

1958

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 5 April 1958
technical Screenplay approved 5 June 1958
start of filming 18 July 1958
end of filming 23 November 1958
projection approval 10 March 1959
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1970

Premiere

preview 29 May 1959 (kino Sevastopol, Praha /jednorázové uvedení v rámci Přehlídky nových českých filmů/)
preview 2 June 1959 (kina Dukla, Odboj, Radost, Revoluce a Eden, Praha /do 4. 6./)
premiere 5 June 1959 /suitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /2 týdny/, Praha /1 týden/, Dukla /1 týden/, Kyjev /1 týden/, Flora /1 týden/, Revoluce /1 týden/, Odboj /1 týden/, Radost /1 týden/ a Eden /½ týdne/, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

69 min

Original length in metres

1 962 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