Closing Time

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production year

1960

Premiere

21 April 1961

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, social

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Policejní hodina

Czech title

Policejní hodina

English title

Closing Time

Synopsis

Mrs Fišer works in the kitchen of the all-night café U Benešovských. Her two daughters, Julie and Žofka, earn a living at the factory, her son Franta is a baker but he does not like his job. Mr Fišer is a drunkard and when he starts destroying their impoverished home, the entire family throw him out. Franta meets Růžena at a dance, marries her and finds a job as a bricklayer. Julie aims higher. She is seeing the son of a brothel proprietress, Karel Horáček, whom she marries after a time and becomes a "fine lady". Žofka is in love with the shop assistant Rudolf but he leaves her when the girl becomes pregnant. Pressured by her mother, Žofka marries the spineless waiter and police informer Bureš. The plain clothes policemen meet in the night café. They are ready for action. They have received news that the socialists are preparing a strike. The strike erupts in the factory where Růžena works. Růžena joins the strike, even though Franta is against it. In a struggle with the police she is wounded and loses her job. They are struck by poverty but Mrs Fišer helps them out. Franta matures politically, he becomes a socialist and participates in a workers' demonstration. He is arrested during the demonstration and Růžena is left on her own. She is, however, resolved to fight like Franta for a better life for her children.

Note

The film was made on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Czechoslovak Communist Party.

Cast

Marie Vášová

služka Fišerová

Valentina Thielová

Julie, starší dcera Fišerové

Miriam Hynková

Žofka, mladší dcera Fišerové

Jiří Vala

pekař Franta, syn Fišerové

Marie Tomášová

dělnice Růžena, Frantova žena

Josef Bek

pekař-tenčíř Pepík Foltýn

Václav Voska

číšník a policejní konfident Petr

Jiřina Šejbalová

majitelka nevěstince Horáčková

Rudolf Hrušínský

Karel, syn Horáčkové

Světla Amortová

služka Albína

František Šlégr

kavárník Benešovský

Vlasta Fialová

číšnice Emilka

Josef Beyvl

nadstrážník Kverka

Oldřich Lukeš

typograf Vajgar

Bedřich Vrbský

pantatínek Václav Žandalín, majitel pekárny

Josef Vinklář

příručí Rudolf Werner, Žofčin milý

Jiří Kostka

opilec Fišer, manžel služky Fišerové

Hana Hegerová

prostitutka Vanda

Jan Tříska

pekař Venca

Karel Pavlík

tajný policista Jeníček Buben

Eman Fiala

slepý hudebník

Josef Hlinomaz

hostinský

Anna Kratochvílová

tlustá prostitutka Erika

Věra Uzelacová

prostitutka Mici

Eva Vlachová

prostitutka Leopolda

Boleslava Svobodová

prostitutka Aranka

Emil Rohan

dělník

Josef Koza

dělník

Zuzana Stivínová

recitující dívka

Jiří Bělohoubek

tajný

Stanislav Bareš

mladší dělník

Jarmila Stibůrková

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Václav Sklenář

Assistant Director

Miroslav Kubišta

Based on

Géza Včelička (Policejní hodina – román)

Screenplay

Otakar Vávra

Shooting Script

Otakar Vávra

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Tuzar

Second Unit Photography

Bedřich Baťka

Camera Operator

Ivan Šlapeta

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Set Designer

Eva Slívová

Costume Designer

Kamil Lhoták

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Vilemína Prokopová

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Production Manager

Ladislav Terš

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Merunka, Ludmila Venclíková

Unit Production Manager

Tatiana Gucalová

Cooperation

Jindřich Panáček (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Srnka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Život vojenský

Vždyť jsme jen jednou na světě

My jsme ta veselá pára

Zahrajte mi sólo

Vilemina /parafráze písně Na hranicích města německého/

Když jsem šel včera od zámku

Nesedávej mezi květy

Singer Hana Hegerová

Na blízku za městem

Vězení, ach vězení

Singer Václav Voska

Internacionála

Song Composer Pierre Degeyter
Writer of Lyrics Antonín MacekJosef Skalák
Singer sbor

Pepi, ta koza nedojí

Když jsem šel jednou po rynku

Singer Eman Fiala

Frajtr Pepi

Rudý prapor /Czerwony sztandar/

Song Composer Bolesław Czerwieński

Production info

Original Title

Policejní hodina

Czech Title

Policejní hodina

English Title

Closing Time

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, social

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1960

Production Year

1960

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 May 1958
technical Screenplay approved 10 November 1959
start of filming 1 March 1960
end of filming 27 October 1960
projection approval 21 November 1960
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

preview 14 April 1961 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 21 April 1961 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /3 týdny/, Flora /1 týden/, Kyjev /1 týden od 28. 4./, Dukla /½ týdne od 28. 4./ a Ořechovka /½ týdne od 2. 5./, Praha)
premiere 21 April 1961 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

95 min

Original length in metres

2 712 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

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 3. festival českých a slovenských filmů Ostrava

1961
Ostrava / Czechoslovakia