Dařbuján and Pandrhola

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production year

1959

Premiere

10 June 1960

Runtime

79 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dařbuján a Pandrhola

Czech title

Dařbuján a Pandrhola

English title

Dařbuján and Pandrhola

Summary

Jan Drda belongs among those favourite authors whose books were turned into films – mainly fairytales in his case. Along with the film adaptations of Zdeněk Troška (O princezně Jasněnce a létajícím ševci [Princess Brightness and the Flying Shoemaker], Z pekla štěstí [Helluva Good Luck], Nejkrásnější hádanka [The Loveliest Riddle]), this comedy shot in 1959 by the experienced Martin Frič (who in the same year introduced another of his fairytale projects to cinemas, namely Princezna se zlatou hvězdou [The Princess with the Golden Star]) has also gained favour with viewers. In the stylised story, Jiří Sovák plays the poor mine worker Dařbuján, who for his twelfth descendant chooses a scythe, consequently Death (Václav Lohniský), as a godfather. Death helps Dařbuján to become a rich doctor, who with the secret help of his miracle-working godfather can guess what ails each patient. But the mean and wealthy Pandrhola (Rudolf Hrušínský), whom Dařbuján gets involved with, decides to get rid of Death and imprisons it. The absence of the Grim Reaper in the world thus causes a series of comical catastrophes.

Synopsis

A stork brings Markýtka and Kuba Dařbuján their twelfth child. Kuba is a hard-working miner but money is very short. In vain Kuba asks the rich fat brewer Pandrhola to give him a little bit of the draff to make porridge for his hungry children. Looking for someone as godfather to his daughter, Kuba refuses both God and the Devil, because he considers them both unjust to people. So the man with a scythe - Death - becomes the godfather, because he applies the same standard to all alike. As a christening present, Kuba is given a healing ability. Kuba leaves his mining work and proclaims himself a doctor. At the beginning, he is laughed at, but after he heals the paralysed Matěj, he becomes a popular healer. He lets the rich pay him well and helps the poor. Then, Pandrhola falls very ill. Kuba refuses to heal him, but finally, the ridiculous conditions he had set as a joke are fulfilled: there are sausages on the trees and there is beer running instead of water in the brook. Despite Death's prohibition Kuba heals the brewer. The healed Pandrhola shuts Death into a barrel. People and animals stop dying. The witless and fastidious brewer has no meat on his table, and so he releases Death from the barrel. Pandrhola's life is taken with one single stroke of the scythe in return. Kuba, from whom Death took away his gift of healing, returns to mining.

Cast

Jiří Sovák

havíř a léčitel Kuba Dařbuján

Běla Jurdová

Markýtka, Dařbujánova žena

Rudolf Hrušínský

sládek Pandrhola

Pavla Maršálková

Pandrholova žena

Bohumil Švarc

havíř Matěj Klofát

Květa Fialová

Marijánka, Klofátova žena

Václav Lohniský

kmotr Smrťák

Bohuš Záhorský

stařeček Pánbůh

Josef Hlinomaz

krupař Johan Bašta

Ilona Kubásková

Filoména, krupařova žena

Ota Motyčka

pláteník

Růžena Štěpánová

Verunka, dcera pláteníkových

Karel Fiala

kovářský

Alena Kreuzmannová

děvečka Anka

Eman Fiala

havíř klarinetista

Oldřich Dědek

koktavý doktor

Bedřich Bozděch

hostinský na Kocandě

Jan Bobek

havíř

Jaroslav Moučka

havíř, otec nemocného dítěte

Viola Zinková

havířova žena, matka nemocného dítěte

Irena Juřičková

havířská žena

Marie Kautská

havířská žena

Blažena Slavíčková

havířská žena

Jiřina Bílá

havířská žena

Jarmila Kurandová

porodní bába

Josef Příhoda

havíř Choura

Věra Ferbasová

měšťanka

Magda Maděrová

měšťanka

Michael Dáňa

syn Dařbujánových

Miloš Vavruška

kočí Vojta

Hana Talpová

děvečka od pláteníkových

Josefa Pechlátová

Pšukova žena

Josef Langmiler

pomocník u krupaře

Oleg Reif

krejčí

Josef Steigl

hostinský

Jan S. Kolár

hostinský z Ouběnic

Ladislav Gzela

sladovnický

Věra Váchová

matka nemocného dítěte

Commentary

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Second Unit Director

Rudolf Jaroš

Based on

Jan Drda (Dařbuján a Pandrhola – pohádka z knihy České pohádky)

Shooting Script

Martin Frič

Director of Photography

Jan Novák

Second Unit Photography

Josef Novotný

Camera Operator

Adolf Hejzlar, Karel Hejsek

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Art Director

Vladimír Dvořák

Costume Designer

Vladimír Synek

Make-Up Artist

Josef Mann

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Special Effects

Jiří Rumler, Jan Novák

Titles Designed by

Zdeněk Miler

Production Manager

Rudolf Wolf

Unit Production Manager

Ludmila Tikovská, František Jaderník

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Srnka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Svatá Barbora, panna poctivá

Singer Stanislav Neumannsbor

Lepší je ten kováříček umouněnej

Singer Jiří Sovák

Napij se, bratříčku, napij

Singer sbor

Glo glo glo, gloria

Singer Jiří SovákVáclav Lohniský

My jsme tady dva

Singer Vladimír MenšíkVladimír Hrubý

Production info

Original Title

Dařbuján a Pandrhola

Czech Title

Dařbuján a Pandrhola

English Title

Dařbuján and Pandrhola

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1959

Production Year

1959

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 11 June 1959
technical Screenplay approved 8 July 1959
start of filming 29 July 1959
end of filming 11 December 1959
projection approval 25 February 1960
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995

Premiere

preview 3 June 1960 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 10 June 1960 /suitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /4 týdny/, Arbes /1 týden/, Dukla /1 týden/, Flora /1 týden/, Jiskra /1 týden/, Oko /1 týden/, Svornost /1 týden/, Vzlet /1 týden/, Práce /½ týdne od 17. 6./, Varšava /1 týden od 24. 6./ a Odboj /1 týden od 1. 7./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Brož – Ptáček, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jaromír Ptáček (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

79 min

Original length in metres

2 236 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

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