“In one word, describe the difference between man and animal.” “Reason?” “No! Discipline!” The allegorical motion picture, Joseph Kilian, rousingly exposes how human obsession with order leaves him sour and dull. The central character, a man who, having leased a feline companion for a single day, laboriously tries to return him the next to avoid a fine and in the process, experiences endless drama. The rental shop is nowhere to be found so the man, with the cat in his briefcase, treads through a labyrinth of hallways, waiting rooms and offices, finally growing accustomed to his burden. Joseph Kilian is a middle length film shot by the creators in perfect Kafkaesque style. Kafka has been back in fashion for some time in Czechoslovakia; it is of great significance that he has been reevaluated in his homeland [...] Everything is narrated in an entertaining manner with humor that penetrates through the images. Postava k podpírání is one of the most successful films we have seen in some time. [“Křik”, “O něčem jiném”, “Postava k podpírání” in the Italian Press. Czechoslovakian Cinematographey in the Light of the Foreign Press.1964, no. 9, pg. 21.]
Jan Herold is looking for comrade Kilián. He must tell him that someone has died. He asks different people but to no avail. He wanders the streets of old Prague indecisively All of a sudden, he sees a strange sign - Cats for Rent. Driven by curiosity, he walks in and gets himself a tabby kitten for fifteen crowns. The next day he wants to return it but the rental shop has disappeared in the meantime. He enquires with the passers-by and then goes to ask at official places. He is worried about having to pay penalties for keeping the kitten. Nobody can help him. Finally, Jan remembers Kilián. He wanders the endless corridors of an administrative building until he finally reaches the waiting room in front of Kilián's office. There is an entire crowd of people already waiting there. One of them, a man with a gas boiler, storms into the office that has Kilián's name on it. The office is deserted, even the furniture is missing. Exhausted, Jan goes to the local pub. Next to his table he sees a man who looks a lot like Kilián. When he asks the man, he denies it and leaves in a hurry. Before losing him in the crowd, Jan sees that the man is carrying a kitten under his arm.
The text of the short story, which became the impetus for the film, was written by Pavel Juráček in February 1958. The film was distributed to Czech cinemas along with the film Museum of Miracles (1964) by Rudolf Jaroš and Vladimír Sís.
Jan Herold
prodavačka v půjčovně koček
Voice by Jaromír Spal
úředník
Kilián
hudebník s klarinetem
muž s kotlem
muž v kartotéce
Voice by Jan Pohan
muž na ulici
brýlatý muž na magistrátě
úředník
muž na schodech
hlas Heroldovy matky
Zdenka Pešulová
Pavel Juráček (Prostřednictví kočky – povídka)
Miloslav Dvořák, Jan Drvota (rekvizitář)
Adolf Nacházel, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Jan Wahle
Zdeňka Černá, Ladislav Dražan
Jiřina Znamenáčková (klapka), Václav Kovařík
Song Composer americká lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Pavlína Filipovská
Postava k podpírání
Postava k podpírání
Joseph Kilian
A Character in Need of Support
film
featuretheatrical distribution
absurd, allegory
Czechoslovakia
1963
1963
literary Screenplay approved 1 April 1963
start of filming 20 June 1963
end of filming 19 July 1963
projection approval 8 October 1963
preview 9 April 1964
premiere 4 September 1964 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 13 November 1964 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /2 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 11 June 1990 /suitable for youths/ (kino 64 U Hradeb, Praha)
renewed premiere 3 March 2016 /suitable for all ages without limit/
no caption (1964) / no caption (1990) / A satirical reflection not only on the disappearance of the Stalin monument on Letná. Back in cinemas in a digitally restored version. (2016)
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1964 a obnovená 1990), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2016)
Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Fikar, Ladislav Fikar (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
medium length film
38 min
1 055 meters
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,37
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Exhibition: 10. západoněmecké dny krátkého filmu Oberhausen
1964
Oberhausen / Federal Republic of Germany
Festival: 13. mezinárodní filmový týden Mannheim
1964
Mannheim / Federal Republic of Germany