Where an Alibi Is Not Everything

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1961

Production year

1960—1961

Premiere

28 July 1961

Runtime

91 min

Category

film

Genre

detective

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kde alibi nestačí

Czech title

Kde alibi nestačí

English title

Where an Alibi Is Not Everything

Synopsis

The Swiss medicine Cordofilin is trafficked on the black market in packages that contain only vitamin B, a risk-free but in the case of patients with serious cardiac problems an entirely ineffective medicine. When a number of sick people die after giving up their medical treatment for the sake of the fake drug, the police begin to look into the case. Police Captain Tůma and Lieutenant Líbal arrive in Karlovy Vary following the trail of one of the distributors, a criminal by the name of Šesták. The stocktaking at the local Medica Company's warehouse shows evidence that the company provided the traffickers with the vitamin. The company's director Vopálenský, his thoughtless nephew Mirek Zach, Mirek's Swiss lover Isa Kraus and her husband, director of an international hotel, are all among the suspects. The two investigators are forced to drop their undercover identity after the magician Bonhardi, formerly a pharmacist called Valenta, exposes them during one of his performances. The magician is in fact the person with whom Šesták attempted to establish contact. Valenta gets killed. Šesták decides to collaborate with the police and goes to the appointment Valenta had arranged for him before he died. The police know that the criminal - Valenta's killer and the medication trafficker - will show up at that meeting. In the evening, it so happens that all of the suspects arrive at the restaurant, the place of the scheduled meeting. It is Zach who finally invites Šesták for an evening walk but the police arrest him before he can kill another witness to his criminal activities.

Note

A loosely connected sequel to the film A 105 p. c. Alibi, featuring the same pair of investigators.

Cast

Karel Höger

kapitán VB Miloš Tůma

Josef Bek

nadporučík VB František Líbal

Oldřich Nový

ředitel hotelu Jindřich Kraus

Anna Pitašová

Krausova žena zvaná Isa

Bohuš Záhorský

ředitel firmy Medika dr. Vopálenský

Jan Tříska

laborant Mirek Zach, synovec Vopálenského

Miloš Nedbal

kouzelník Bonhardi vlastním jménem Ladislav Valenta

Bohumil Šmída

zloděj Josef Šesták řečený Šoufek

Oldřich Velen

poručík VB Jiří Florián

Marcela Martínková

laborantka Zdena Fišárková

Josef Abrhám

svědek Jirka Ruml

Libuše Geprtová

Rumlova dívka

Anna Gabrielová

Kryštofová, žena lékárníka

Hana Brožová

hráčka golfu

Miloslav Lipinský

tanečník

Antonín Kandert

skladník Rendl

Ota Motyčka

správce domu

František Hadrava

vrchní

Josef Hlinomaz

recepční v prologu

Bohumil Honsa

vrátný

Eva Marie Kavanová

hráčka golfu

Lubomír Kostelka

vrchní Na vyhlídce

František Kovářík

starý pan Menšík

Věra Langrová

recepční

Václav Lohniský

recepční v hotelu International

Vilém Pruner

číšník v Internationalu

Sonja Sázavská

barmanka Lenka

Otto Šimánek

příslušník VB Moravec

Gustav Nezval

náčelník VB

Věra Hanslíková

žena u výslechu

Gabriela Bártlová-Buddeusová

Fikejzlová, žena u výslechu

Milka Balek-Brodská

Řezáčová, žena u výslechu

Milena Geislerová

cizinka

Václav Wasserman

host v hotelu

Karel Peyr

Sochor, muž u výslechu

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Čestmír Mlíkovský

Screenstory

Karel Cop

Director of Photography

Josef Střecha

Second Unit Photography

Bedřich Baťka

Camera Operator

Miroslav Mašek

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Art Director

Kamil Lhoták

Set Designer

Marta Měřínská, Josef Pavlík, František Šaněk

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Eliška Švarcová

Sound Designer

František Černý, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Josef Ouzký

Unit Production Manager

Josef Pitrák, Růžena Hulínská

Unit Production Manager

Jiří Mařas

Consultant

kpt. Miloš Vlasák

Cooperation

Jaroslava Hypiusová (klapka), František Schwarz (vrchní osvětlovač), Karel Šebík (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Dalibor C. Vačkář

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Emma Kovárnová

Danced by

Miloslav Lipinský, Věra Burešová, Alena Martinovská

Songs

Černý stín v bílé tváři

Song Composer Dalibor C. Vačkář
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Jiří VašíčekJosef Bek

Production info

Original Title

Kde alibi nestačí

Czech Title

Kde alibi nestačí

English Title

Where an Alibi Is Not Everything

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1961

Production Year

1960—1961

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 20 July 1960
technical Screenplay approved 20 September 1960
start of filming 14 October 1960
end of filming 27 January 1961
projection approval 28 April 1961
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974

Premiere

premiere 21 July 1961 /suitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /6 týdnů/, Arbes /1 týden/, Dukla /1 týden/, Flora /1 týden/, Oko /1 týden/, Revoluce /1 týden/, Svornost /1 týden/, Vzlet /1 týden/, Odboj /1 týden od 28. 7./, Mír /1 týden od 4. 8./, Kotva /1 týden od 11. 8./, Varšava /1 týden od 18. 8./, Radost /½ týdne od 25. 8./ a Ořechovka /½ týdne od 29. 8./, Praha)
premiere 28 July 1961 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Fikar, Ladislav Fikar (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

91 min

Original length in metres

2 603 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: 12. filmový festival pracujících

1961
24 měst / Czechoslovakia