You Don’t Strike a Woman Even with a Flower

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production year

1966

Premiere

13 January 1967

Runtime

95 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Ženu ani květinou neuhodíš

Czech title

Ženu ani květinou neuhodíš

English title

You Don’t Strike a Woman Even with a Flower

Working title

Donchuán proti své vůli / Ženu ani květinou

Summary

Jana Brejchová and Vlastimil Brodský were partners both off and on screen. In 1966, they appeared together in this relationship comedy from director Zdeňek Podskalský, written by experienced screenwriter Jaroslav Dietl. The 46-year-old Brodský plays musician Ludvík Podzimka, whose timidity and lack of good looks actually serve as an attraction to many women. But the tender-hearted, married Don Juan just has too many women on his plate. When beautiful compère Bohunka enters his life (played by the then 26-year-old Brejchová), Ludvík gets more than he bargained for. Bohunka insists on marriage, but he refuses to get divorced... Jiřina Bohdalová, Karolina Slunéčková and Květa Fialová play the other women in Ludvík’s life.

Synopsis

Shortish forty-year old Ludvík Podzimek, lute and flute player in a Prague orchestra, is far from being an attractive man. He is nevertheless generally considered a great 'Don Juan'. Women take up with him out of a certain motherly compassion and Ludvík's tender heart does not allow him to split with any of them. His lovers thus accumulate and cause him numerous troubles. Once he spends a night in a duvet box in the apartment of his former schoolmate Blažena whose husband returned home unexpectedly. His wife Zdena gets her revenge in saddling family friend Helena - of whom she is jealous - with him. Ludvík moves in with his male friend Břetislav. Pretty compere Bohunka accompanies the orchestra tour and falls in love with the Ludvík, making this plain to him in Prague when they accidentally meet in a wine cellar. Intellectual Dáša labels Ludvík a "passive erotic hack". Ludvík gives in to Bohunka's love. Their first night of love is interrupted by the arrival of the girl's parents. Bohunka proudly takes Ludvík away from the house and they both end up in a police station, for a man dressed only in pyjamas and a girl in a night dress cause turmoil on the crowded streets. The relationship continues but Ludvík is somehow not going to get divorced. Out of spite, Bohunka decides to marry another but runs away from the altar. She begins to pursue Ludvík and is gradually joined by the rest of his lovers. The unhappy man escapes. He then publishes an ad in the Lonely Hearts column, looking for yet another woman...

Film online

Cast

Vlastimil Brodský

hudebník Ludvík Podzimek

Jana Brejchová

konferenciérka Bohunka Jamborová

Jiřina Bohdalová

Helena Drozdová

Květa Fialová

Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
intelektuálka Dáša

Jan Libíček

hobojista Břetislav

Josef Zíma

dirigent Arnošt Moravec

Ilja Prachař

JUDr. Vilém Jambor, otec Bohunky

Nina Popelíková

Jamborová, matka Bohunky

Vladimír Hlavatý

rekvizitář Čapek

Karolina Slunéčková

Blažena, Ludvíkova bývalá spolužačka

Zdeněk Dítě

Miloš, Blaženin manžel

Slávka Budínová

Zdena, Podzimkova žena

Marie Brožová

Podzimkova matka

Václav Lohniský

poručík VB

Vladimír Menšík

strážmistr SNB

Eduard Pergner

rotný SNB

Miloš Kopecký

muž za novinami

Klaudie Ferbrová

stará paní se psem

Jana Březinová

Arnoštova žena

Josef Mráz

opilý atomový fyzik, Dášin přítel

Vítězslav Černý

výtržník v úřadovně VB

František Brož

hudebník

Eman Fiala

hudebník

Karel Hovorka

hudebník

Ivo Husák

hudebník

Lubomír Pánek

hudebník

Jaroslav Boťa

hudebník

Karel Kos

hudebník

Novák

hudebník

Jiří Hlava

hudebník

Pulkráb

hudebník

Ladislav Tvrz

hudebník

Karel Huth

hudebník

Helena Růžičková

Helenina sousedka

Marcela Sedláčková

žena s kyticí

Jarmila Švabíková

prodavačka prádla

Dališová

návštěvnice koncertu

Josef Vondráček

rozcuchaný muž

Vladimír Zátka

Ludvík, syn Podzimkových

Richard Záhorský

ženichův otec

Martin Štěpánek

Dášin mladík

Zdeněk Podskalský

rozčílený řidič

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jan Mimra

Assistant Director

Eva Přikrylová

Shooting Script

Zdeněk Podskalský

Director of Photography

František Valert

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Holan

Camera Operator

Jiří Pospíšil

Production Designer

Boris Moravec

Assistent Production Designer

Zbyněk Hloch

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Josef Pavlík

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Assistant Film Editor

Miloslava Vojnová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Production Manager

Josef Ouzký

Unit Production Manager

Růžena Hulínská, Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Vladimíra Kopecká

Consultant

Josef Pavlík

Cooperation

Věra Houšková (klapka), Karel Šebík (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Evžen Illín

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj UzelacŠtěpán Koníček)

Songs

Olivo, olivo zelená

Singer Vokální soubor Jiřího Linhy

Léta plynou jako voda pode mlejnem

Singer Vokální soubor Jiřího Linhy

Production info

Original Title

Ženu ani květinou neuhodíš

Czech Title

Ženu ani květinou neuhodíš

English Title

You Don’t Strike a Woman Even with a Flower

Working Title

Donchuán proti své vůli / Ženu ani květinou

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production Year

1966

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 11 June 1965
technical Screenplay approved 11 December 1965
start of filming 28 January 1966
end of filming 18 July 1966
projection approval 6 September 1966
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1976

Premiere

premiere 13 January 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 20 January 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /1 týden/ a Blaník /4 týdny od 27. 1./, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

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

95 min

Original length in metres

2 713 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