Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1961Production year
1960—1961Premiere
28 July 1961Runtime
91 minDirector
Vladimír ČechCategory
filmGenre
detectiveTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Kde alibi nestačíCzech title
Kde alibi nestačíEnglish title
Where an Alibi Is Not EverythingSynopsis
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.
Photos
Cast
Karel Höger
kapitán VB Miloš Tůma
Josef Bek
nadporučík VB František Líbal
Oldřich Nový
Jindřich Kraus, ředitel hotelu
Anna Pitašová
Krausova žena zvaná Isa
Bohuš Záhorský
dr. Vopálenský, ředitel firmy Medika
Jan Tříska
laborant Mirek Zach, synovec Vopálenského
Miloš Nedbal
kouzelník Bonhardi, vlastním jménem Ladislav Valenta
Bohumil Šmída
zloděj Josef Šesták zvaný Šoufek
Oldřich Velen
poručík VB Jiří Florián
Marcela Martínková
laborantka Zdena Fišárková
Josef Abrhám
svědek Jirka Ruml
Libuše Geprtová
Rumlova dívka
Rudolf Deyl ml.
major VB
Anna Gabrielová
Kryštofová, žena lékárníka
Hana Brožová
hráčka golfu
Miloslav Lipinský
tanečník
Věra Burešová
tanečnice
Alena Martinovská
tanečnice
Antonín Kandert
skladník Rendl
František Miroslav Doubrava
příslušník VB
Ota Motyčka
správce domu
František Hadrava
vrchní číšník
Josef Hlinomaz
recepční v prologu
Bohumil Honsa
vrátný
Marta Kaňovská
cizinka
Eva Marie Kavanová
hráčka golfu
Lubomír Kostelka
vrchní číšník Na vyhlídce
František Kovářík
starý pan Menšík
Věra Langrová
recepční
Václav Lohniský
recepční v hotelu International
Vilém Pruner
číšník v Internationalu
Zdeněk Řehoř
Lokvenc
Sonja Sázavská
barmanka Lenka
Georgis Skalenakis
cizinec
Otto Šimánek
příslušník VB Moravec
Zdeněk Týle
liftboy
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
Martin Vačkář
pikolík
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Miroslav Mašek
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Art Director
Set Designer
Marta Měřínská, Josef Pavlík, František Šaněk
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
František Černý, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Production Manager
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
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)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
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
