A Leap in the Dark

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production year

1963—1964

Premiere

28 August 1964

Runtime

91 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Skok do tmy

Czech title

Skok do tmy

English title

A Leap in the Dark

Working title

Spojení přerušeno

Synopsis

The terror unleashed in Bohemia and Moravia following the assassination of the Acting Reichsprotector Heydrich, has hit the whole Czech resistance hard and almost destroyed it. With the aim of re-establishing broken communications with the resistance and helping it to resume the fight, three parachutists are sent from Moscow: Štěpán, Karel and Honza. All of them land without injury at the designated spot, from where they are supposed to continue by train. They have bad luck almost as soon as they are back in their homeland. A railway worker who recognizes Karel as a former schoolmate betrays them. Honza pays for the betrayal with his life. Štěpán and Karel continue on their way to Prague, where after long and hopeless wanderings they find shelter and the hope of link-up with the resistance. They are helped by a Doctor Gruber, but when they are receiving instructions in a hospital they are clearly overheard by a waiting patient. Karel, who continues to be tormented by a sense of guilt at Honza's death, since he had failed to kill the cowardly schoolmate in time, shoots at the patient. This draws the attention of German soldiers and in the following struggle he dies. The wounded man on the hospital bed simply quietly repeats, "I know nothing", in front of the Gestapo. Like Karel's, his death is pointless. Only Štěpán is left to fulfil orders and establish communication with the resistance.

Cast

Martin Růžek

Štěpán Hradecký

Jaroslav Mareš

Karel Vrána vlastním jménem Vacek

Václav Voska

MUDr. Gruber

Marie Tomášová

Zdena, Kalábova žena

Vlastimil Hašek

odbojář Petr Vosecký

Eva Sirotková

Voseckého žena

Josef Větrovec

odbojář Malík

Zdeněk Řehoř

železničář Moučka

Alena Hesounová

Moučkova žena

Věra Bublíková

výčepní Marie Uhrová

Slávka Budínová

udavačka Kirchmaierová

Ivo Palec

Kaláb

Karel Hlušička

železniční strážný Pinkas

Norbert Chotaš

důstojník wehrmachtu

Miroslav Kalný

německý voják

Václav Kaňkovský

výběrčí plynu

Lubomír Kostelka

postřelený pacient

Vítězslav Černý

muž v hospodě

Ladislav Křiváček

mladý dělník v tramvaji

Míla Myslíková

sousedka Malásková

Jindřich Narenta

gestapák ve vlaku

Jarmila Navrátilová

ošetřovatelka

Jan Pohan

ruský navigátor

Ervín Zolar

gestapák v nemocnici

Pavel Spálený

železničář Loukotka

Ivo Foustka

důstojník wehrmachtu

Zdeněk Novotný

gestapák v civilu

Karel Plzák

gestapák v civilu

František Hájek

trafikant

Jana Hrdličková-Poláková

mladá průvodčí

Miloslav Janovský

primář

Jan Kouba

průvodčí

Marian Cingroš

harmonikář

Václav Podhorský

brusič

Josef Skrčený

dělník před továrnou

Otakar Sochor

muž v koženém kabátě

Commentary

Dubbing

Václav Lohniský

hlas kněze, znějící z kostela

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Věra Pištěková

Assistant Director

Věra Kalesová

Director of Photography

Jan Kališ

Second Unit Photography

Alexandr Rašilov

Camera Operator

Vladimír Zajíc

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Assistent Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Set Designer

Viktor Fixl, Jan Drvota, Karel Kočí

Costume Designer

Fernand Vácha

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Vilemína Binterová, Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Vladislav Špidra, Jiří Zika, Artur Stacha

Unit Production Manager

Jindřich Dvořák, Vít Pešina

Cooperation

Jaroslav Chlasták (fotograf), Ivana Mikolášová

Music

Music Composed by

Svatopluk Havelka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Babička Mary

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer sbor

Možná, že jo, možná, že ne

Singer sbor

Nemelem, nemelem

Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Skok do tmy

Czech Title

Skok do tmy

English Title

A Leap in the Dark

Working Title

Spojení přerušeno

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production Year

1963—1964

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 3 July 1963
technical Screenplay approved 3 September 1963
start of filming 12 October 1963
end of filming 29 January 1964
projection approval 6 May 1964
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976

Premiere

premiere 21 August 1964 /suitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna /2 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 28 August 1964 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

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

91 min

Original length in metres

2 580 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, German

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech