Taking Refuge in the Wind

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production year

1964

Premiere

29 October 1965

Runtime

65 min

Category

film

Genre

children, romantic

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Útěk do větru

Czech title

Útěk do větru

English title

Taking Refuge in the Wind

Working title

Vítr zpívá príma písničku

Summary

During the 1960s, experienced documentary filmmaker Václav Táborský made two narrative feature-films. Yet both Útěk do větru (Taking Refuge in the Wind, 1965) and Zázračný hlavolam (The Miraculous Brain Teaser, 1967) contain documentary elements. Sheila Ochová, the London-born daughter of wartime Czech exiles, co-wrote the screenplay with Táborský. The protagonists of the story are three 15-year-old boys, whose problems with truancy spiral out of control. Consequently, they run away from home and try to stand on their own two feet. Before being tracked down by the police, they find work in a JZD agricultural cooperative, thus proving that they can get by without the desultory care offered by their inattentive parents. Even in this fictional tale with a moral at the end, director Táborský pays close heed to authenticity, ensured partly by casting non-actors Michal Wiener, Pavel Pátek and Tomáš Novák in the leading roles.

Synopsis

Jirka, Karel and Martin are friends. They are fifteen and each of them has problems of his own at home. Jirka lives in wealth, but his parents never have time for him and substitute their loving care with money. Karel's father is an officer, insensitively submitting all his children to a military regime. Martin lives with his divorced father, who bans him from meeting his beloved mother. One day in May, the boys spend all day shirking school and then get imprudently drunk at Jirka's place. They run away from the town, afraid of punishment. They first camp out in a forest, but then run out of supplies and money and find work in the Standard Farming Cooperative of the nearby village. In the beginning, they do not do very well and even have several minor conflicts with the village youth. After some time, however, they begin to develop various skills and the villagers accept them among themselves, even inviting the boys to a village meeting where an official-in-charge is to hold a speech. The boys actively engage in the discussion, but the official dislikes their critical words. The next day, the police arrive at the village, and upon revealing the boys' identity, take them home. However, the boys do not grieve - they found friends in the village and have proved to themselves that they will not get lost in a crowd.

Cast

Michal Wiener

Martin Fryčák

Tomáš Novák

Jirka Navrátil

Pavel Pátek

Karel Doseděl

Květa Hanušová

prodavačka Věra

Zuzana Theuerová

Marie, Věřina kamarádka

Miroslav Čadil

předseda družstva, Mariin otec

Miroslav Juroška

funkcionář z okresu

Ladislav Mrnka

důstojník Doseděl, Karlův otec

Bohuslav Ličman

Jirkův otec

Zdeňka Balounová

Jirkova matka

Ota Žebrák

Martinův otec

Květa Hustáková

Martinova matka

Antonín Hardt

příslušník VB

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaromír Borek

Screenstory

Sheila Ochová

Director of Photography

Jiří Kolín

Camera Operator

Rudolf Červenka, Arne Parduba

Production Designer

Zdeněk Rozkopal

Set Designer

František Santarius

Costume Designer

Naďa Škapová

Make-Up Artist

Bohumil Kubíček

Assistant Film Editor

Ivan Matouš

Production Manager

Dušan Schaffer

Unit Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Unit Production Manager

Věra Hábová

Cooperation

Rudolf Červenka (fotograf), Pavel Dias (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Ferdinand Havlík

Music Performed by

Orchestr Ferdinanda Havlíka (Music Conducted by Ferdinand Havlík)

Songs

Oudolím, oudolím

Song Composer Ferdinand Havlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott

V duchu si křídou násobím

Singer Karel Gott

Do lesíčka na čekanou

Song Composer lidová píseňMiloš Vacek /úprava/
Singer sbor

Už mně koně vyvádějí

Singer sbor

Praha je opravdu tak krásná

Singer Karel Meister ml.

Production info

Original Title

Útěk do větru

Czech Title

Útěk do větru

English Title

Taking Refuge in the Wind

Working Title

Vítr zpívá príma písničku

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children, romantic

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1964

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 20 September 1963
technical Screenplay approved 7 April 1964
start of filming 17 June 1964
end of filming 21 November 1964
projection approval 16 June 1965
withdrawal from distribution 1 June 1971
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1991

Premiere

premiere 29 October 1965 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
preview 29 October 1965 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 5 November 1965 /suitable for youths/ (kino Jalta /2 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 1 September 1990 /suitable for youths/

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1965 a obnovená 1990)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

65 min

Original length in metres

1 841 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

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 17. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Benátky

1965
Benátky / Italy

Vítěz

Festival: 17. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Benátky

1965
Benátky / Italy

Vítěz

Festival: 17. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Benátky

1965
Benátky / Italy