The Hero Is Afraid
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1965Production year
1964—1965Premiere
24 June 1966Runtime
73 minDirector
František FilipCategory
filmGenre
satireTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Hrdina má strachCzech title
Hrdina má strachEnglish title
The Hero Is AfraidSummary
For the broadest film audiences, the 1960s are always tightly bound to the Czechoslovak New Wave artistic movement in cinema. However, the period also produced genre films that endeavoured to offer a humorous approach to expressing a critical view of everyday reality under the socialist regime. Based on a script inspired by Jaroslav Dietl’s stage play (Dietl also contributed to the film screenplay), successful TV director František Filip created a 1965 satire about a lowly clerk who achieves a promotion thanks to a momentary absence of timidity. But Jan Vavřinec fails to achieve anything in his new post as his own personal courage is vastly insufficient when it comes to changing the prevailing state of affairs and, above all, the ways of those around him… The film, attractive for its formal elements, successfully utilises internal monologues in which the protagonist offers a detached commentary for his own actions. Rudolf Hrušínský is terrific in the title role and enjoys equally proficient support from Ladislav Pešek, Jiří Sovák and Vladimír Menšík.
Synopsis
Honza Vavřinec works in the investment department of a large office. One day he gets involved in the case of an unjustly convicted worker who mistakenly considers him a parliamentary deputy. Honza as a "deputy" interferes in the case and helps the worker. Encouraged by the success and possibly also out of love for the beautiful secretary Svatava, the then shy and fearful Honza stands up for the chief of the department, Hofmánek, who has been removed from his position. The cause for the chief's dismissal was an accident during the construction of a hall in the town of Brod. Everybody knows that Hofmánek made every effort to prevent the accident but his suggestions were shuffled from one department to another in vain. Honza proves that many people in various positions are responsible for the situation. To his own surprise, he himself is appointed the chief of department. Honza tries to work in a different way and kicks out his former colleagues, who are indifferent to their work. His effort, however, is unsuccessful - the new ones are the same and Honza can only work with them.
Photos
Cast
Rudolf Hrušínský
úředník investičního odboru Honza Vavřinec
Ladislav Pešek
vedoucí investičního odboru Hofmánek
Jiří Sovák
úředník Zdeněk, Honzův přítel
Rudolf Deyl ml.
úředník Bedřich zvaný Béďa
Ilja Prachař
náměstek ředitele
Blanka Bohdanová
Svatava, sekretářka plánovacího odboru
Vladimír Šmeral
vysoký zmocněnec
Marie Glázrová
Hofmánkova žena
Jaroslav Moučka
František Velda, stavěč jeřábů
Alena Procházková
mladá úřednice
Pavel Spálený
Masna, Veldův vedoucí
Milan Mach
tajemník
Vladimír Menšík
tajemník
Jiří Lír
tajemník
Josefa Pechlátová
Honzova matka
Božena Böhmová
sekretářka
Ludmila Roubíková
sekretářka
Antonín Jedlička
úředník Kalinka
František Nechyba
hostinský
Míla Myslíková
slečna z podatelny
Jitka Frantová
slečna z podatelny
Rudolf Wolf
vysoký brýlatý úředník
Zdeněk Grygárek
naháč
František Jaderník
naháč
Josef Drbohlav
naháč
Rudolf Veselý
naháč
J. Kratochvíl
harmonikář
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Helena Rohanová
Continuity
Based on
Jaroslav Dietl (Nehoda – divadelní hra)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Zdeněk Jeřábek, Jiří Haller, Jan Petrů
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Josef Pitrák, František Jaderník
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Ladislava Boudová (klapka)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)
Songs
Strahováček
Song Composer Karel Hašler
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hašler
Singer mužský hlas
Den je krásný
Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří BažantVlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Karel Gott
Zčervená
Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jaroslav Moučka
Koupím já si koně vraný
Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Rudolf HrušínskýJaroslav Moučka
Production info
Original Title
Hrdina má strach
Czech Title
Hrdina má strach
English Title
The Hero Is Afraid
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
satire
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1964—1965
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 3 April 1964
technical Screenplay approved 12 April 1964
start of filming 5 October 1964
end of filming 21 January 1965
projection approval 14 June 1965
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1974
Premiere
premiere 24 June 1966 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 1 July 1966 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /3 týdny/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
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
2 072 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
