Ninety in the Shade
Country
Czechoslovakia, Great BritainCopyright
1965Production year
1964Premiere
1 October 1965Runtime
78 minDirector
Jiří WeissCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Třicet jedna ve stínuCzech title
Třicet jedna ve stínuEnglish title
Ninety in the ShadeCo-production title
Ninety Degrees in the ShadeWorking title
MankoSummary
In 1965, director Jiří Weiss embarked upon an unusually ambitious project: the psychological drama Třicet jedna ve stínu (Ninety in the Shade). As a British co-production, which primarily uses English actors, it is based on a screenplay by noted playwright David Mercer. Among this playwright’s films adapted for the big screen we find Morgan! A Suitable Case for Treatment (dir. Karl Reiss, 1962, UK) and Providence (dir. Alain Resnais, 1977, Fr./Switz.). However, Weiss’s story of the theft of socialist property is very much attuned to the contemporary Czechoslovak environment. Set in a grocery store, the story sees manager Vorel (James Booth) forcing his lover Alena (Anne Heywood), to partake in the theft of costly alcoholic beverages in the shop. The young woman then commits suicide, and the honest stock controller Kurka (excellently portrayed by Rudolf Hrušínský) is well aware that the truth of this affair will never come to light. This interesting film was nominated for a Golden Globe in the non-English film category.
Synopsis
An surprise inspection turns up in a grocery store, headed by the incorruptible Doctor Kurka. The shop manager, Vorel, is absent and his deputy, Alena, who is his lover, tries to get him on the phone in vain, knowing that there are twelve bottles of expensive alcohol missing in the stock. Fortunately, the electricity goes off and the inventory is laid off to the next day. Alena has no idea that the electric conduit was intentionally damaged by Vorel. They both, however, make use of the laid-off inventory and in the evening manage to buy and replace the missing bottles. The next day, the inventory continues. Everything seems to be just fine until Kurka's assistant breaks one of the bottles and it comes out that instead of the expensive distillate, it contains only tea. The same holds for the rest of the bottles except those Alena and Vorel bought the evening before. The suspicion of the fraud falls on Alena who was responsible for the stock. The culprit, however, is Vorel, who fears for his family and begs Alena to take the guilt upon herself. Alena cannot bear the weight of disappointment and suspicion and poisons herself with gas. Kurka senses that she was not the actual thief, but cannot prove anything against Vorel - he can just helplessly stare into the shop where Vorel flirts with Alena's successor.
Photos
Cast
James Booth
Voice by Otakar Brousek
vedoucí prodejny Milan Vorel
Anne Heywood
Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
zástupce vedoucího Alena Burdová
Rudolf Hrušínský
inventurník JUDr. Rudolf Kurka
Ann Todd
Voice by Zdenka Procházková
Kurkova žena
Donald Wolfit
Voice by Čestmír Řanda
inventurník Bažant
Jiřina Jirásková
Věra, Alenina sestra
Vladimír Menšík
kadeřník Emil Slavík, Věřin muž
Jorga Kotrbová
mladá prodavačka Jana
Jiří Sovák
ředitel podniku
Valtr Taub
lékař
Věra Tichánková
prodavačka Marie Vávrová
Věra Uzelacová
prodavačka Marková
Taťána Vavřincová
sekretářka Helena
Jan Cmíral
soused
Vlasta Jelínková
žena na schodech
Eva Svobodová
žena na schodech
Jiří Šašek
Emilův kamarád
Jan Libíček
muž v telefonní budce
Jan Skopeček
výčepní Lojza
Karel Pavlík
prodavač v gastronomu
Ladislav Potměšil
Jirka, syn Kurkových
Oldřich Velen
kriminální úředník
Mirko Musil
muž v restauraci
Stella Zázvorková
prodavačka
Josef Burda
řezník
Helena Růžičková
sousedka
Jiří Cimický
opilec
Jiřina Hautová
žena se psem
Alex Jandouš
soused
Vladimír Navrátil
soused
Ivo Němeček
soused
Jarmila Orlová
prodavačka
Jiří Sedlmayer
chlapec na plovárně
Milada Štekrová
pokladní
Dagmar Zikánová
žena na schodech
Miroslav Nohýnek
kriminální úředník
Petr Křiváček
mladík
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Stanislava Hutková
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Bedřich Čermák, Karel Kytka, František Straka
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Miloslav Hůrka, Milan R. Novotný, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Dagmar Rašilovová, Eva Hrubá
Cooperation
Luďka Žáková (klapka), Josef Vítek (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Jazzový orchestr Československého rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Karel Krautgartner), Karel Krautgartner, Richard Kubernát, Laco Déczi, Rudolf Rokl, Karel Růžička, Ivan Dominák, Luděk Hulan, Milan Ulrich
Songs
Mezipatro
Song Composer Luděk Hulan
Singer Marta Kubišová
Production info
Original Title
Třicet jedna ve stínu
Czech Title
Třicet jedna ve stínu
English Title
Ninety in the Shade
Co-production Title
Ninety Degrees in the Shade
Working Title
Manko
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, Great Britain
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1964
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 15 February 1964
technical Screenplay approved 20 February 1964
start of filming 23 July 1964
end of filming 30 October 1964
projection approval 5 May 1965
withdrawal from distribution 31 May 1973
Premiere
premiere 1 October 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 29 October 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /1 týden/, Světozor /2 týdny od 12. 11./ a Aero /1 týden od 26. 11./, Praha)
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
78 min
Original length in metres
2 224 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
Awards
Nominace
Event: 23. ročník Výročních cen Sdružení zahraničního tisku v Hollywoodu Zlaté glóby 1965
1966
Los Angeles / United States of America
Vítěz
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Berlinale Berlín
1965
Západní Berlín / Federal Republic of Germany
Vítěz
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Berlinale Berlín
1965
Západní Berlín / Federal Republic of Germany
