Mykoin PH 510

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1963

Production year

1962—1963

Premiere

20 March 1964

Runtime

96 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Mykoin PH 510

Czech title

Mykoin PH 510

English title

Mykoin PH 510

Working title

Penicilin / Bílý kůň PH 510

Synopsis

In the course of the Second World War, an interesting decision is made in a small medical factory in the suburbs of Prague. The company has been under German administration since the occupation of Czechoslovakia, but its employees are all Czechs - both scientists and students of science whose studies were interrupted when the Germans closed the Universities. One of the former students, Honza Petřina, discovers a newspaper report about the British bacteriologist Fleming, the discoverer of a fungus, which miraculously kills disease-causing microbes. Honza decides to produce the substance and his enthusiasm is contagious. On the pretext an imaginary research project on food vermin he wins the approval by the company management. The Czech team then begins to work in the modest conditions of their small laboratory. The scientists test various samples in vain before discovering the right ones from the Penicillium genus. The long and difficult research is crowned by the production of the first sample of Czech penicillin, called Mykoin PH 510. The first application on a female patient is not successful. The scientists are moreover reported on by a Nazi secretary, and the Czechs, fearful of an investigation, destroy almost all supplies of the cure. The rest of the antibiotic saves a little girl suffering from meningitis towards the end of the war. Paradoxically, there is no cure for one of the most active researchers, doctor Benda, wounded during the May upheaval, and Benda dies. After the country is liberated, however, the production of penicillin is launched immediately.

Cast

Karel Meister

Voice by Jiří Němeček
MUDr. Bohumír Benda

Vlastimil Hašek

asistent Honza Petřina

Karel Vochoč

RNDr. Pavel Kobloch

Kamil Bešťák

inženýr Hrouda

Vladimír Čech

ředitel Jan Čermák

Zdena Bittlová

Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
laborantka Alena Hofmanová

Nora Houfová

německá prokuristka

Jana Andresíková

sekretářka Schillerová

Václav Neužil

MUDr. Sádek

Miloš Vavruška

docent Malát

Jaroslava Šebestová

Mařenka Závadová

Jan Jakl

zřízenec děda Koubek

Traute Senze

jeptiška

Oldřich Velen

sekundář

Erik Vacek

Němec

Norbert Chotaš

příslušník SS

Boris Černý

řidič SS

Jiří Zach

docent Coufal

Karel Fiala

asistent chirurga

Karel Havránek

německý správce továrny

Lena Birková

Koblochová

Commentary

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Květa Ondráková

Assistant Director

Zdena Pavlátová, Petr Kadlec, René Mattes

Director of Photography

Jaromír Holpuch, Zdeněk Šibrava (mikro-makro kamera), Ivan Karel (mikro-makro kamera), Antonín Stránský (mikro-makro kamera)

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jiří Polák

Production Designer

Boris Moravec

Assistent Production Designer

Zbyněk Hloch

Set Designer

František Straka, Václav Kozel, Václav Zavřel

Costume Designer

Karel Postřehovský

Assistant Film Editor

Diana Heringová

Sound Designer

Roman Hloch, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Ladislav Hanuš

Unit Production Manager

Karel Fiala, Jaromír Lukáš, Luděk Marold

Unit Production Manager

Jordan Balurov, Eliška Doubková

Consultant

akademik MUDr. Ivan Málek, prof. dr. Miloš Herold, MUDr. Alena Tošovská, dr. Antonín Břečka, dr. Jan Nečásek, dr. Milan Dohnal, doc. dr. Maxmilián Wenke, Ing. František Volek, pplk. František Nevěřil, Ing. Miroslav Romaňuk

Cooperation

Jana Těžká (klapka), Oldřich Žák (vrchní osvětlovač), Bohuslav Kück (fotograf), Antonín Stránský (fotograf), Spofa Praha n. p., Biotika – závod Slovenská Lupča

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Taneční orchestr Československého rozhlasu (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Mykoin PH 510

Czech Title

Mykoin PH 510

English Title

Mykoin PH 510

Working Title

Penicilin / Bílý kůň PH 510

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1963

Production Year

1962—1963

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 20 December 1961
technical Screenplay approved 25 August 1962
start of filming 13 November 1962
end of filming 1 June 1963
projection approval 22 October 1963
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 20 March 1964 /suitable for youths/ (kino pasáž /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 20 March 1964 /suitable 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

96 min

Original length in metres

2 734 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour, black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, German

Subtitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech