Tarzan's Death

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1962

Production year

1962

Premiere

1 February 1963

Runtime

68 min

Category

film

Genre

slapstick, satire, tragicomedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Tarzanova smrt

Czech title

Tarzanova smrt

English title

Tarzan's Death

Working title

Džungle

Synopsis

The sensational celebrity of Circus Europe is Tarzan - half-monkey and half-human. One of the circus visitors, anthropologist Forejt, is intensely interested in the weird creature. He meets a young attractive woman named Regina Smithová, who introduces herself as Tarzan's fiancé. Tarzan, however, is in fact German Baron Wolfgang von Hoppe, whose father left for Africa with his wife and a very little Wolfgang in 1904. Soon afterwards, the news about their death arrived. The vast family property is now managed by nephew Heinrich. After thirty years, Wolfgang was discovered as a wild forest savage living with apes. He was recognized and taken back to Europe. The English Regina was hired as his governess, supposedly to civilize him. Heinrich, afraid to lose the inheritance, offers Regina a rich reward if the education fails. The woman, however, has plans of her own and, in several months, Wolfgang turns into a refined gentleman. Regina has managed to convince the naive savage that all-encompassing love reigns among people. Wolfgang has no idea that oil was found on his estates in Africa. He is alarmed by the cruel fight that breaks out between the English, headed by Regina, and Heindrich's German soldiers, and finds out that it is worse to live among people than in the jungle. He runs away and seeks sanctuary in the circus. When Regina discovers him there, Tarzan realizes that she, too, is worse than the jungle animals, and, in despair, commits suicide.

Note

Tarzan´s Death was distributed along with the film Idiot from Xeenemünde.

Cast

Rudolf Hrušínský

baron Wolfgang von Hoppe zvaný Tarzan

Jana Štěpánková

guvernantka Regina Smithová

Martin Růžek

Heinrich von Hoppe, Wolfgangův bratranec

Vlastimil Hašek

antropolog docent Forejt

Slávka Budínová

ředitelka cirkusu Evropa

Ilja Racek

komorník

Miroslav Homola

důstojník SA

Nina Popelíková

dáma, členka komise

Elena Hálková

baronesa, členka komise

Karel Peyr

Reginin šéf

Ela Poznerová

dáma, členka komise

Rudolf Pellar

vědec, člen komise

Josef Beyvl

vyvolávač na pouti

Zdena Hadrbolcová

německá nevěsta

Hana Talpová

Eva v pouťovém představení

Mirko Musil

prodavač tureckého medu

Jaroslav Moučka

příslušník SA

Oldřich Mandík

příslušník SA

Gustav Jankovský

příslušník SA

Jindřich Narenta

Voice by Mirko Musil
úředník

Ivo Gübel

člen komise

Jan Bedřich

hudebník

Jan Bouška

hudebník

J. Dolejší

hudebník

O. Parkán

hudebník

J. Plecháček

hudebník

Jiří Schulz

pochop

Jiří Knop

kapelník

M. Haak

Angličan

M. Herčíková

uvaděčka

A. Hantig

kluk-klaun

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Tomáš Svoboda

Assistant Director

Dagmar Nováková, Marie Kaplanová

Based on

Josef Nesvadba (Tarzanova smrt – povídka ze sbírky Tarzanova smrt)

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Balík

Director of Photography

Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Ladislav Chroust

Camera Operator

Michal Kulič

Production Designer

Bohuslav Kulič

Assistent Production Designer

Marta Kaplerová, Věra Líznerová

Set Designer

Ivo Černý, Vladimír Mácha, Jiří Široký

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Assistant Film Editor

Štěpánka Stříbrná

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka

Production Manager

Ladislav Kalaš

Unit Production Manager

Adolf Široký, Josef Mathauser

Unit Production Manager

Luděk Marold

Cooperation

Angelika Hanauerová (klapka)

Music

Music Composed by

Evžen Illín

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Krautgartnera (Music Conducted by Karel Krautgartner)

Songs

Někomu stačí

Song Composer Evžen Illín
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Jan Tříska

Production info

Original Title

Tarzanova smrt

Czech Title

Tarzanova smrt

English Title

Tarzan's Death

Working Title

Džungle

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

slapstick, satire, tragicomedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1962

Production Year

1962

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 19 February 1962
technical Screenplay approved 28 February 1962
start of filming 26 March 1962
end of filming 30 July 1962
projection approval 23 October 1962
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974

Premiere

preview 18 January 1963 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 25 January 1963 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Pasáž /3 týdny/, Arbes /1 týden/, Bystrica /1 týden/, Kyjev /1 týden/, Mír /1 týden/, Revoluce /1 týden/, Cíl /1 týden od 1. 2./, Oko /1 týden od 1. 2./, Radost /1 týden od 1. 2./, Eden /1 týden od 8. 2./, Odboj /1 týden od 8. 2./, Sokolovo /1 týden od 8. 2./ a Dukla /1 týden od 15. 2./, Praha)
premiere 1 February 1963 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

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

68 min

Original length in metres

1 944 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: 5. festival českých a slovenských filmů Ústí nad Labem

1963
Ústí nad Labem / Czechoslovakia