The Finnish Knife
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1965Production year
1964—1965Premiere
23 July 1965Runtime
72 minDirector
Zdenek SirovýCategory
filmGenre
psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Finský nůžCzech title
Finský nůžEnglish title
The Finnish KnifeSummary
Director Zdeněk Sirový made his most important contribution to the Czechoslovak New Wave with the film Smuteční slavnost (Funeral Ceremonies, 1969). As a result, one of his earlier achievements, the intimate psychological drama Finský nůž (The Finnish Knife, 1965), has been somewhat overlooked. The main protagonists are two young men who have become convinced that they have killed someone in a fight that they unfortunately might have provoked. Twenty-year-old Tonda (Karel Meister) and seventeen-year-old Honza (Jaromír Hanzlík) flee from justice even before their guilt for the death has been determined. They make it to Poland but the tension between them mounts and after their return home they part ways... Besides the spectacular chiaroscuro in the camera work of Jan Čuřík, this intimate film offers a convincing testimony of a period wherein young people leading externally untroubled, purposeful lives were typically beset by deep internal fears and uncertainties about their place in life.
Synopsis
Twenty-year old Tonda and seventeen-year old Honza follow a man and girl leaving a café and then spy on them and with bated breath watch their love-making in the park. The man notices the boys and, furious, gets into a fight with them. In the end, he pulls out a sharp Finnish knife. Honza gets hold of the knife and stabs the man. The two boys think they have killed the man and decide to flee justice by escaping across the border. Prague becomes their first destination, then Poland, and after that... Honza dislike the runaway life and misses home. He contemplates confessing; after all, he is still underage and the punishment would not necessarily be too severe. Tonda has already been up for trial once and refuses to go back. He does everything to make sure that Honza does not betray him, but Honza slips away anyway. Tonda goes looking for him in their home town. When he arrives, he finds out that the man they thought dead is alive. The two boys are relieved but Honza leaves Tonda anyway - they no longer have anything in common.
Photos
Cast
Karel Meister ml.
Tonda
Jaromír Hanzlík
Honza
Karel Engel
muž v saku
Jitka Zelenohorská
dívka
František Hanzlík
spisovatel
Jan Schánilec
tančící mladík
Jan Kotva
mladík v kavárně
Adolf Kohuth
mladík v kavárně
Miroslav Rataj
mladík v kavárně
Mahulena Kulendíková
tančící dívka
Jaroslav Mařan
muž s aktovkou
Jaroslav Cafourek
prodavač
Sáša Neuman
Táňa Berglová
Bohumil Heller
Karel Slíva
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Oldřich Halaza, Jaroslav Ciboch, František Zajíček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Adolf Nacházel, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Olga Mimrová, Josef Hudlička
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Jitka Hůlková (klapka), Karel Ludvík (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Studiová skupina Karla Duby
Songs
Jak vypadá čas
Song Composer Wiliam Bukový
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Sobotka
Singer Eva Pilarová
Hvězdy ve Splitu nad mořem /Daleko me moj Split/
Production info
Original Title
Finský nůž
Czech Title
Finský nůž
English Title
The Finnish Knife
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1964—1965
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 22 June 1964
technical Screenplay approved 7 September 1964
start of filming 1 October 1964
end of filming 9 February 1965
projection approval 31 March 1965
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1971
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992
Premiere
premiere 16 July 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /2 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 23 July 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 1 September 1990 /recommended for 12 and over/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1965 a obnovená 1990)
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
72 min
Original length in metres
2 063 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
