We Don’t Give Chicks a Lift

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production year

1966

Premiere

10 March 1967

Runtime

78 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kočky neberem

Czech title

Kočky neberem

English title

We Don’t Give Chicks a Lift

Working title

Henry má zelenou / V životě je všechno jinak

Summary

Jaroslav Pinkava initially made documentaries and animated films, but in the early 1960s he started adding fictional motion pictures to his filmography. He mostly specialised in films for children and young people, but Kočky neberem (We Don’t Give Chicks a Lift, 1966) goes down as one of his few exceptions. The main protagonists of this comedy are three youths – Eman, Oskar and Milda – who travel in an old Walter car nicknamed Kleopatra to the shores of the Orlík Dam on the river Vltava. There, they spend several days camping with a tent. Given that a fourth pal has “betrayed” them by getting married, they take apprentice gardener Píďa along in his place. The ostentatious lack of interest in the fairer sex demonstrated by the bowler-hatted brotherhood is confronted with the presence of a band of “revengeful” girls in the locality and Milda’s secret feelings for a certain Olina… This somewhat neglected film breathes an atmosphere of holiday freedom. It can pride itself on the early-career acting performance given by Jiří Štěpnička (Milda). The crowd of chateau visitors seen in the film includes the then 17-year-old Boleslav Polívka.

Synopsis

Smartened up and wearing bowler hats, three youths - Eman, Oskar and Milda - drive up to the town hall registry office in the Cleopatra, their antiquated Walter car, just as their freshly married friend Petar comes out of the building with his wedding guests. Their congratulations, or rather condolences, make clear what they think of his "betrayal", since earlier they had all made a promise never to resign themselves to women. They later invite the apprentice gardener Píďa to join the party, but only after he makes a solemn promise that he will never give up his freedom for a girl. Milda, the student, is secretly smitten with Olina, but has to hide his feelings. The holidays are approaching and the party ride off to the Orlík reservoir in their Cleopatra. Olina and her two friends, Anička and Helena, decide to have their revenge on the youths for flaunting indifference to women, and set off after them. The boys live through some wild adventures in their rattletrap, some of which the girls have orchestrated. Milda is unhappy when he hears Eman boast of having a fling with Olina. The girls have put up their tent close to the boys, who decide for a change in tactics; they will now mix with the girls. Milda is chosen to take part in an ad and for a while he falls for the young actress Eva. Then all goes back to normal. Oskar gets together with Helena and Píďa with Anička. Milda and Olina make up and the whole story ends with another wedding. This time around, it is Eva and Eman who leave the town hall as the newlyweds.

Cast

Jiří Štěpnička

student průmyslovky Milda Svoboda

Michal Drobný

Oskar

Aleš Košnar

zahradnický učeň Píďa

Štěpánka Řeháková

Olina Vránová, Mildova dívka

Helena Říhová

Helena, Olinina kamarádka, Oskarova dívka

Hana Škopková

Anička, Olinina kamarádka, Píďova dívka

Ivana Striničová

herečka Eva

Vlasta Peterková

nevěsta Eva

Viktor Vrabec

ženich Petar

Zlata Jeřábková

kastelánka na zámku

Helena Kotoučová

Mildova babička

Eva Matalová

Škodová, Píďova matka

Josef Novotný (2)

řidič rváč

Václav Babka

strážmistr VB

Josef Haukvic

příslušník VB

Alois Müller

příslušník VB

Arnošt Kotouč

správce kempu

Jaroslav Suchánek

člen filmového štábu

Karel Urbánek

člen filmového štábu

Stanislav Petřek

člen filmového štábu

Boleslav Polívka

mladík v davu návštěvníků zámku

Milan Zeman

Dubbing

Jana Andresíková

hlas Novotné

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Radim Cvrček, Karel Brchel

Screenstory

Jiří Blažek

Director of Photography

Jiří Kolín

Second Unit Photography

Emil Bártek

Production Designer

Zdeněk Rozkopal

Costume Designer

Naďa Škapová

Production Manager

Dušan Schaffer

Unit Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Singer

mužský sbor

Songs

Jsi jako pramínek

Singer Eva Pilarová

Daleká bílá cesta

Singer mužský sbor

Daleko od lidí

Singer mužský sbor

Písnička pro kočku /Lásky advokát/

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr

Tam u Mělníka

Production info

Original Title

Kočky neberem

Czech Title

Kočky neberem

English Title

We Don’t Give Chicks a Lift

Working Title

Henry má zelenou / V životě je všechno jinak

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1966

Production Year

1966

Production specifications

projection approval 27 December 1966
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1991

Premiere

premiere 10 March 1967 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 17 March 1967 /suitable for youths/ (kino Blaník /2 týdny/, Praha)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

78 min

Original length in metres

2 211 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

Vítěz

Festival: 3. filmový festival mladých Pardubice

1967
Pardubice / Czechoslovakia