Every Young Man
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1965Production year
1965Premiere
13 May 1966Runtime
82 minDirector
Pavel JuráčekCategory
povídkový filmGenre
short-story, psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Každý mladý mužCzech title
Každý mladý mužEnglish title
Every Young ManSummary
Pavel Juráček left his mark on the history of the Czechoslovak New Wave as both screenwriter and director. Alongside the feature-length parable Případ pro začínajícího kata (Case for the New Hangman) (1969), he also created the 1965 diptych of stories Každý mladý muž (Every Young Man). While both stories set against the backdrop of basic military service met Barrandov’s dramaturgical demand for current, topical subjects, their absurdist tone means they significantly exceed that brief. As the author of the story and screenplay and director he succeeded in creating stories that confront the reality of the socialist army with heroes incapable of giving up their ordinariness, humanity and fallibility. While “every young man” behind the walls of the barracks dreams of the outside world and the women therein, he bears the impossibility of liberation internally… In the story Achilles Heel a dismissive old hand – a lance corporal (Pavel Landovský) – gets to know the naive squaddie Soukup (Ivan Vyskočil), suffering from an inflammation of the Achilles tendon, on the way to hospital in Plzeň. In the story Every Young Man soldiers discuss women confidently on exercises. But when a woman appears at an organised dance evening none of them dares to speak to her… Juráček’s delicately casual picture was not unanimously well received; critics at the time were at something of a loss as to what to make of it and in the main regarded it as merely anti-militaristic. The film bears the hallmarks of Juráček’s oeuvre – opposition to the totalitarian system and self-appointed authorities and a sense of alienation in an absurd world that drives right feeling and thinking individuals to derangement. In Every Young Man apparent randomness, a mosaic-like structure and the unclassifiable nature of the story combine with a deeply thought out structure. The film thus offers a good example of the ways in which the members of the Czechoslovak New Wave came to terms with reality. Fledgling cameraman Ivan Šlapeta gave the mosaic-like structure a unified form. In the first story the playwright Václav Havel appears briefly in the role of a hospital patient.
Synopsis
Two short stories.
Note
The film was shot by cameraman Jiří Vojta. After disagreements with director Pavel Juráček, he was replaced by his colleague Ivan Šlapeta.
Photos
Cast
Pavel Landovský
svobodník
Ivan Vyskočil
vojín Soukup
Hana Růžičková
dívka/zdravotní sestra/lékařka/servírka
Otto Šimánek
muž v okně
Helena Růžičková
smějící se žena
Václav Havel
světlovlasý pacient v nemocnici
Vítězslav Černý
číšník
Jaromír Hanzlík
vojín Petrus
Ladislav Jakim
vojín Bárta
Jan Kotva
vojín Balónek
Emil Horváth
vojín Matejka
Jiří Krampol
poručík
Allan Laufer
vojín Gajar
Vladimír Hrabánek
vojín Beran
Petr Štěpánek
vojín Krištůfek
Jan Schaffer
Herold
Karel Charvát
kapitán Pleskot
Josef Šebek
vojín Sobota
Jiří Janoušek
vojín na marodce
Tomáš Sedláček
vojín-radista
Jan Vala
ženatý voják
František Němec
svobodník u bazuky
Viktor Sodoma
zpívající vojín
Miroslav Igaz
vojín Alois Korejs
Zdeněk Procházka
plukovník
Josef Bárta
kapitán
Zdeněk Novák
kapitán
Eduard Ambros
vojín
Luděk Nešleha
vojín
Petr Sedláček
vojín
R. Musil
Dubbing
Otto Šimánek
hlas zelináře/hlas muže v parku
Vítězslav Černý
hlas stařečka s králíkem
Věra Tichánková
hlas ženy v muzeu/hlas ženy v okně
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Artistic Management
Zbyněk Brynych (supervize)
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Karel Hyka, Václav Havlík
Consultant
pplk. František Říčka, pplk. Zdeněk Kodeš
Cooperation
jednotky Československé lidové armády, Vladimír Souček (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj UzelacŠtěpán Koníček), skupina Mefisto
Songs
Kdepak leží jistej klíč
Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Vomáčka
Singer Viktor SodomaPetr Štěpánek
Jó, holka, vojna, to není žádný med
Song Composer Jaromír Vomáčka
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Vomáčka
Singer Karel Štědrýmužský sbor
Zastavte čas
Song Composer Jaromír Vomáčka
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Čermák
Singer Pavlína Filipovská
Směr Praha /Přes spáleniště, přes krvavé řeky/
Song Composer Ervín Toman
Writer of Lyrics Jan Mareš
Singer mužský sbor
Production info
Original Title
Každý mladý muž
Czech Title
Každý mladý muž
English Title
Every Young Man
Category
povídkový film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
short-story, psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1965
Production Year
1965
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 30 April 1965
technical Screenplay approved 7 June 1965
start of filming 26 July 1965
end of filming 19 December 1965
projection approval 28 December 1965
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1972
Premiere
premiere 13 May 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 27 May 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Jalta /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
82 min
Original length in metres
2 328 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
Exhibition: 13. západoněmecké dny krátkého filmu Oberhausen
1967
Oberhausen / Federal Republic of Germany
Vítěz
Event: 7. mezinárodní setkání filmů pro mládež Cannes
1967
Cannes / France
Vítěz
Exhibition: 13. západoněmecké dny krátkého filmu Oberhausen
1967
Oberhausen / Federal Republic of Germany
Vítěz
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary
1966
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Event: Cena Víta Nejedlého 1966
1966
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Juráček
