Lost Years

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production year

1964

Premiere

21 May 1965

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, social

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Úplně vyřízený chlap

Czech title

Úplně vyřízený chlap

English title

Lost Years

Working title

Páteř

Summary

Vladimír Čech may have been an expert crafter of crime stories, but it is this socially critical 1965 piece that serves as perhaps his most significant filmic accomplishment. Despite not attaining the provocative nature of the book on which it is based – 1955’s Páteř (Backbone) by Ladislav Bublík – it nonetheless testifies to the loosening political climate of mid-1960s Czechoslovakia. The story is told in flashback by Karel (Jaroslav Vízner), who recalls the events of the previous months at the modest burial of his fellow builder colleague Bedřich (František Peterka). In 1953, on an official day of mourning for the death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, viewers are exposed to the story of one simple man, liquidated by the communist regime. Bedřich has been subject to ongoing political investigations and, unwilling to admit to trumped-up charges of (Nazi-era) collaboration, he commits suicide. The film benefits from convincing performances, including a terrific turn from Oldřich Nový as former barber Carbol.

Synopsis

In a small cemetery, the burial of occasional team-worker Bedřich Nevěřil is held, attended by several of his former colleagues. Pathetic words accompanying the funeral ceremony for the deceased Josif Vissarionovich Stalin come to the cemetery from distant loudspeakers. Karel Kratochvíl, one of the participants of the modest funeral, recalls in his mind the events of the preceding months. Karel used to work as bricklayer, but was class-conscious and the factory director thus appointed him the head of the Department of the Workers' Initiative. In the period of political trials, however, the director was arrested and Kratochvíl paid for it "only" by forced removal to the construction site of the Klement Gottwald New Smelting Works in Kunčice. He was employed in the gang of occasional team-workers, all people who had made a "slip-up." Among them, he found the distinctive and straightforward Bedřich the most likeable. Clerk Růžena Kafková first seemed pleasant to Karel, too, but only until he found her to be an uncompromising and fanatic communist comrade waiting for any detail that might bear witness to treasonous thinking. She hated Bedřich and it thus pleased her when a Doctor Nebeda appeared and, at the Party meeting, claimed that teacher Nevěřil collaborated with the Germans during the occupation. Bedřich tried to defend himself, but in vain. The next day he died, falling into the elevator shaft. Everyone sensed that it was suicide. That very day, it was proved that, during the occupation, he was in fact a brave resistant worker and should have been awarded. However, he was unjustly screened instead and eventually chased down to death.

Cast

Jaroslav Vízner

brigádník Karel Kratochvíl

Eva Kubešová

úřednice Růžena Kafková

František Peterka

brigádník Bedřich Nevěřil

Jaroslav Vojta

dělník Žerávek

Josef Beyvl

Řešátko, člen ZV KSČ

Miloš Patočka

dělník Polda

Ivan Rajniak

dělník Fero Beno

Andrej Bagar

Voice by Július Pántik
mistr Šafář, předseda ZV KSČ

Oldřich Nový

brigádník Carbol, bývalý zubař

Vladimír Menšík

dělník Lexa Pírko

Otakar Brousek

Švéda, redaktor závodního časopisu

Miloš Nedbal

autojeřábník dr. Nebeda

Miloslav Holub

mistr Kežmar

Libuše Geprtová

skladnice Margit

Konstantin Kocev

bulharský dělník Asen

Josef Langmiler

Sedlář, tajemník závodní organizace KSČ

Evelyna Stryhalová

Anka, Karlova žena

Zdeněk Kryzánek

náborář Kajman

Miloš Willig

stavbyvedoucí

Mojmír Fašung

Jirka, předseda ZO ČSM

Oldřich Velen

Kokeš, člen ZV KSČ

Karel Hlušička

Hanyka, člen ZV KSČ a LM

Etela Daniová

Maňa, Ferova žena

Adolf Šmíd

závodní stráž

Jaroslav Heyduk

plešatý brigádník

Jaroslav Horký

brigádník

Elena Hálková

hostinská

Jiří Havel

člen ČSM

Václav Švec

brigádník v hospodě

Eva Přikrylová

svačinářka Máňa

Mária Kendrovská

Zoja, členka ČSM

Karel Brynda

Honza

Jela Bučková

Jarča

Josef Bárta

Benův švagr

Věra Ferbasová

prostitutka

Milena Geislerová

blondýna

Hana Grissová

dělnice

Ladislav Knížátko

strážný

Václav Podhorský

opilec

Ludmila Tikovská

osamělá žena v restauraci

Josef Šulc

mládenec

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Věra Ticháčková

Assistant Director

Viktor Karásek

Based on

Ladislav Bublík (Páteř – novela)

Shooting Script

Vladimír Čech

Director of Photography

Václav Huňka

Second Unit Photography

Zdeněk Prchlík

Camera Operator

Vladimír Zábranský

Production Designer

Bohuslav Kulič

Assistent Production Designer

Věra Líznerová

Set Designer

J. Hlinovský, Josef Pavlík, Karel Průcha

Costume Designer

Karel Postřehovský

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Eliška Švarcová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Václav Cajthaml

Unit Production Manager

Otakar Jiříček, Jan Šuster

Cooperation

Jana Linhartová (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Štěpán Lucký

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Pochod veselých dětí

Song Composer Isaak Dunajevskij
Writer of Lyrics Vasilij Lebeděv-Kumač
Singer sbor

Komandir, geroj, geroj Čapajev

Singer sbor

Maryška, pusu daj

Singer sbor

Jak mé srdce zemdlévalo

Singer Jaroslav Vojta

Půjdem spolu do Betléma

Singer sbor

Narodil se Kristus pán

Song Composer anonym /15. století/
Writer of Lyrics Jan Franus
Singer sbor

Škoda lásky

Song Composer Jaromír Vejvoda

Zpěv svobody /To jsem já, svoboda mladá/

Song Composer Jan Seidel
Writer of Lyrics Josef Hora
Singer sbor

Pochod padlých revolucionářů

Production info

Original Title

Úplně vyřízený chlap

Czech Title

Úplně vyřízený chlap

English Title

Lost Years

Working Title

Páteř

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, social

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1965

Production Year

1964

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 18 December 1963
technical Screenplay approved 22 April 1964
start of filming 3 June 1964
end of filming 27 November 1964
projection approval 12 February 1965
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1973

Premiere

premiere 21 May 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 4 June 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Blaník /2 týdny/, Praha)

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

95 min

Original length in metres

2 692 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech