The Figure Skater and Fidelity
Country
Czechoslovakia, German Democratic RepublicCopyright
1965Production year
1964—1965Premiere
17 December 1965Runtime
84 minDirector
Jindřich PolákCategory
filmGenre
music, comedyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Strašná ženaCzech title
Strašná ženaEnglish title
The Figure Skater and FidelityCo-production title
Eine schreckliche FrauWorking title
Die unmögliche FrauSummary
In 1965, director Jindřich Polák and screenwriter Vratislav Blažek worked together on this East German co-production. It provided few hints of the future successes both men would achieve. The protagonist of the comedy story is a marriage counsellor, the doctor Pavel Novák – himself in a happy relationship with ice skater Eva. On the day of the couple’s second wedding anniversary, Eva mysteriously disappears. Gripped by jealousy, Pavel imagines all the different scenarios that might surround the vanishing of his wife... This light film is built upon bringing to life a series of jealous fantasies through a number of ice skating sequences, underscored by contemporary pop music numbers sung by Eva Pilarová, Waldemar Matuška and Karel Štědrý. Husband Pavel is portrayed by Jiří Lír, while Eva is performed by real-life figure skater Olga Divínová.
Synopsis
Doctor of Social Sciences Pavel Novák regularly appears on television in discussions of marital problems. He himself is happily married to the figure skater Eva, who is appearing in an ice revue. On the day of his second wedding anniversary Novák invites a young quarrelling married couple to dinner, wanting to give them a practical example of how a good marriage works. And just when Pavel is so much depending on it, Eva is not returning. The celebration, attended by another couple of neighbours, is ruined. Pavel starts to imagine all kinds of situations in which Eva might have found herself. His dreams are like individual ice dance numbers, in each of which the usually so rational Novák sees his previously faithful wife in the arms of a different seducer. In the end he goes off to the stadium, but Eva has left hours before. Tormented by jealousy, Pavel drinks himself into the ground in a bar. Early in the morning the porter telephones his flat for help. The guests come for Pavel. When they try to get the drunken man in the lift, they find the desperate Eva, who has been stuck in the lift all night since trying to get home for the party. Everyone is pleased that the doctor's optimistic view of marriage has been confirmed. Except that Pavel has to beg the insulted Eva for forgiveness for his suspicions.
Photos
Cast
Jiří Lír
dr. Pavel Novák
Olga Divínová
Voice by Eva Klepáčová
Eva, Novákova žena
Karol Divín
svůdce-diplomat
Jiří Sovák
rybář Kaválek, Novákův soused
Vladimír Menšík
Kouba, Novákův soused
Karin Schröder
Voice by Jaroslava Tvrzníková
Alena Pokorná
Günter Junghans
Voice by Jan Tříska
Honza, Alenin muž
Karin Buchali
Voice by Míla Myslíková
Pavlína, Koubova milenka
Hans-Dieter Schlegel
Voice by Milan Neděla
hokejista
František Landl
prokurátor
Pavel Šmok
Voice by Bohumil Švarc
obhájce
Eberhard Cohrs
Voice by Josef Beyvl
venkovský strýc
Harry Studt
předseda soudu
Gerd Ehlers
Voice by Oldřich Musil
František, vrátný v baru Trocadero
Zdeněk Doležal
Evin partner na ledě
Václav Trégl
vrátný ve sportovní hale
Heinz Schröder
televizní reportér
Miroslav Hodan
cizinec v baru
Paul Berndt
choreograf
Erika Radtke
televizní hlasatelka
Günter Rüger
inspicient
Siegfried Nürnberger
přísedící
Werner Wieland
přísedící
Rudi Schiemann
režisér
Hanna Rimkus
dívka s cigaretovou špičkou
Sylva Schüler
bardáma
Axel Triebel
plešatý muž
Maria Besendahl
Voice by Eva Svobodová
domovnice
Hans-Joachim Blochwitz
bufetář
Ingrid Barkmann
bufetářova žena
Ingrid Grun
krasobruslařka
Ute Langer
krasobruslařka
Jörg Jäckel
krasobruslař
Bernd Gerwien
zvukový mistr
Ursula Goin
asistentka střihu
Maika Joseph
posluhovačka
Horst Giese
televizní divák
Fritz-Otto Giese
televizní divák
Erich Brauer
televizní divák
Fredy Barten
televizní divák
Christa Pasemann
televizní divačka
Karla Thomalla
televizní divačka
skupina Olympic
beatová skupina
Karel Hovorka
divák hokeje
František Miroslav Doubrava
příslušník VB
Rudolf Milič
kameraman
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Jaroslav Pour, Doris Borkmann
Screenstory
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Production Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Otakar Košťál, Erna Beranová, Lothar Stäglich, Christa Grewald
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Gerrit List, Jan Kadlec, Dorothea Hildebrandt
Cooperation
Roland Dressel (fotograf), Bohuslav Kück (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac), Taneční orchestr Československého rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Josef Vobruba), skupina Olympic
Choreographer
Luboš Ogoun, Míla Nováková
Danced by
Pražská lední revue, Balet Státního divadla v Drážďan., Balet Friedrichsstadtpalastu
Songs
Ve tříčtvrtečním taktu zkuste mi zahrát blues
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Štědrý
Smuteční hraje kapela
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer soubor Jiřího Linhy
Ani sedmerá stěna klidně nedá ti spát
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva Pilarová
Inzerát
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva PilarováWaldemar Matuška
Venuše
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Eva Pilarová
Fellini /Ó, pane Fellini/
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Štědrý
Irský tanec /Šejkspír/
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer soubor Jiřího LinhyKarel Štědrý
Production info
Original Title
Strašná žena
Czech Title
Strašná žena
English Title
The Figure Skater and Fidelity
Co-production Title
Eine schreckliche Frau
Working Title
Die unmögliche Frau
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
music, comedy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1964—1965
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 24 January 1964
technical Screenplay approved 7 July 1964
start of filming 10 August 1964
end of filming 12 February 1965
projection approval 12 June 1965
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974
Premiere
premiere 2 July 1965 /suitable for youths/ (kino Alfa /3 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 17 December 1965 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny), Roter Kreis (DEFA), Hans Mahlich (vedoucí skupiny Roter Kreis DEFA)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
84 min
Original length in metres
2 385 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66, 1:2,35
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
