The Five Sinners

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production year

1963—1964

Premiere

4 December 1964

Runtime

73 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Pět hříšníků

Czech title

Pět hříšníků

English title

The Five Sinners

Synopsis

A guy nicknamed Long-Legs [Dlouhán] takes to flight from the police through the suburban streets. He runs into a small pub and hides behind the beer counter. Soon the gendarmes appear. The ready reply of one of the guests - nicknamed Pock-Marked [Poďobaný] - saves the escapee. The event initiates a discussion among the guests that one sometimes acts somehow without even knowing why. - The first speaker is Smiley [Usměvavý], who suffered an injury in his face during the war, due to which a derisive grin appears on his face any time he is irritated or upset. The grin has already caused him a lot of trouble, even the death of his friend from his native village. - Pock-Marked wanted to steal a golden ring from the finger of a soldier buried under a battlefield. But the hand moved and Pock-Marked began to run instead of helping the injured man. - The publican in turn recalls an event when he was on sentry duty in the army, spotting a Russian soldier going for water. His silhouette reminded him of the dummy from the shooting-range and he automatically fired. Since then, the memory of this event has been chasing him. - Long-Legs threw a bear glass at a speaking deputy and the police are pursuing him for this; he cannot explain his act rationally, either. - A man in black suit, considered by everybody present a nark, introduces himself as a lower clerk anxiously fulfilling the orders of his superior. He used to visit the same café every day for five years, eating four rolls to his coffee, but admitting only two. That very evening, he paid off his debt and therefore feels like a proper citizen - and as such, he reports Long-Legs to the police.

Cast

Josef Kemr

úředník Bláha

Václav Lohniský

Tonda zvaný Usměvavý

Jan Skopeček

hostinský

Ilja Racek

Dlouhán, muž na útěku

Václav Voska

raněný voják

Jiří Vršťala

zajatec Luka Lopuškin, vlastním jménem František Dorazil

Jiří Holý

brýlatý voják

Bohumil Šmída

přednosta úřadu

Jaroslav Moučka

děda v hospodě

Oldřich Velen

Voice by Jindřich Narenta
důstojník u soudu

Zdeněk Kutil

policista

Josef Bartůněk

host v hospodě

Božena Köhlerová

dívka na pouti

Ervín Zolar

důstojník-předseda soudu

Gustav Heverle

důstojník při výcviku

Viktor Maurer

opilec v hospodě

Alex Jandouš

důstojník

Milan Draždík

důstojník

Jindřich Pavlišta

důstojník

Karel Hovorka

číšník

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Stanislav Černý

Assistant Director

Marie Kaplanová

Continuity

Dagmar Perlová

Based on

Josef Kopta (Pět hříšníků U velryby – kniha povídek)

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Balík

Director of Photography

Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Ladislav Chroust

Camera Operator

Pavel Nečesal

Production Designer

Bohuslav Kulič

Assistent Production Designer

Věra Líznerová

Art Director

Pravoslav Sovák

Set Designer

Jiří Cvrček, Ivan Ernyei, Jan Vrňata

Assistant Film Editor

Štěpánka Stříbrná

Sound Designer

František Fabián

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Věra Kadlecová

Unit Production Manager

Václav Havlík, Karel Hyka, Karel Škorpík

Consultant

plk. Alois Bíca, mjr. Jaroslav Šebek

Music

Music Composed by

Ivan Řezáč

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Pět hříšníků

Czech Title

Pět hříšníků

English Title

The Five Sinners

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1964

Production Year

1963—1964

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 19 February 1963
technical Screenplay approved 08/1963
start of filming 9 October 1963
end of filming 18 April 1964
projection approval 29 July 1964
withdrawal from distribution 31 March 1974

Premiere

premiere 4 December 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna /2 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 4 December 1964 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

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

73 min

Original length in metres

2 077 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