Talent Competition
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1963Production year
1963Premiere
28 February 1964Runtime
81 minCategory
povídkový filmGenre
music, short-storyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
KonkursCzech title
KonkursEnglish title
Talent CompetitionSummary
In 1963, Miloš Forman directed two musically-themed short films, jointly presented in cinemas under the title Konkurs (Talent Competition). The short film Kdyby ty muziky nebyly (If Only They Ain’t Had Them Bands) tells the story of two brass bands. Konkurs offers varied musical styles, but primarily focuses on the (then progressive) big beat and jazz genres. The core focus of this documentary-style tale is an audition of female singers, organised in Prague’s popular Semafor theatre. Forman takes dozens of performances of varying quality and weaves them into his first social mosaic. Into that, he adds a fictional tale of two young women – the excessively ambitious pedicurist (Markéta Krotká) and the able but highly strung singer of an amateur chorus. The latter is played by Forman’s future wife Věra Křesadlová – unlike her onscreen character, Křesadlová’s performance proved to be a winning one, securing her a place in the real-life Semafor. Many Semafor celebrities also appear in front of the camera, including Jiří Suchý, Jiří Šlitr, Hana Hegerová, and Forman’s future Černý Petr (Black Peter, 1963), the non-actor Ladislav Jakim.
Synopsis
Two short stories.
Note
The second story, Talent Competition, was shot on 16mm film in the authentic interior od the Semafor Theatre.
Film online
Photos
Production info
Original Title
Konkurs
Czech Title
Konkurs
English Title
Talent Competition
Category
povídkový film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
music, short-story
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1963
Production Year
1963
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 21 January 1963 (povídka Konkurs)
technical Screenplay approved 6 February 1963
start of filming 16 February 1963 (povídka Konkurs)
end of filming 20 March 1963 (povídka Konkurs)
literary Screenplay approved 26 June 1963 (povídka Kdyby ty muziky nebyly)
start of filming 13 July 1963 (povídka Kdyby ty muziky nebyly)
technical Screenplay approved 15 July 1963 (povídka Kdyby ty muziky nebyly)
projection approval 8 October 1963 (povídka Konkurs)
end of filming 22 October 1963 (povídka Kdyby ty muziky nebyly)
projection approval 12/1963 (povídka Kdyby ty muziky nebyly)
withdrawal from distribution 31 January 1975
Premiere
preview 21 February 1964 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 28 February 1964 /suitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /3 týdny/, Radost /1 týden/, Odboj /1 týden od 6. 3./, Praha /1 týden od 6. 3./, Mír /1 týden od 13. 3./ a Bystrica /1 týden od 20. 3./, Praha)
premiere 28 February 1964 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
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
81 min
Original length in metres
2 298 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
