There was no place in socialist Czechoslovakia for “low” capitalist entertainment. Nevertheless, films were made that referred to it, not only in parody but with a humorous, creative distance. Examples included the Western Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera (Lemonade Joe) (1964), the Bond-style Konec agenta W4C prostřednictvím psa pana Foustky (The End of Agent W4C) (1967), the crime caper „Čtyři vraždy stačí, drahoušku!“ (Four Murders Are Enough, Darling) (1970), the hard-boiled Adéla ještě nevečeřela (Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet) (1977), the Vernesque Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (The Mystery of the Carpathian Castle) (1981) – and the comedy Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?) (1966). The latter was the feature screenwriting debut of Miloš Macourek and the first of a series of zany comedies on which he worked with director Václav Vorlíček. Alongside the experiments with “Western” models that Jiří Brdečka and Oldřich Lipský went in for, the story centring on the materialisation of dreams enjoys a special status. It amuses viewers by playing with elements that they could not have been familiar at the time, but supplements them with elements that were intelligent and politically satirical. The emancipated associate professor of somnology Beránková (Dana Medřická) invents a machine capable of monitoring and influencing dreams and, spurred by jealousy, uses it on her diffident, unsuccessful husband Jindřich (Jiří Sovák). Three comic-book characters escape from Jindřich’s dreams into reality – the beautiful Jessie (Olga Schoberová) and two baddies: a gunslinger and Superman… The narrative offers a criticism of everything that mankind attempts to manage, perfect and control (including dreams). Its makers develop the witty idea at the formal level: the comic characters don’t speak but express themselves via speech bubbles. The comic book aesthetic spreads to the live action in a broad variety of inventive ways. Cinematographer Jan Němeček and artist Karel Saudek had a significant impact on the film’s visual form. The movie was shot in cinemascope but had to be released in black and white due to the demands of executing the special effects.
In front of a group of foreign scientists, senior lecturer in somnalogy Růženka Beránková demonstrates her invention: a machine capable of seeing and influencing dreams. Meanwhile, her docile and less ambitious husband senior lecturer Jindřich Beránek is not overly successful in constructing a crane with colossal lifting capacity. The foreign scientists at the international symposium watch a laboratory cow as a single injection of the serum frees it from the bothersome horseflies in its dreams. They do not even notice that the insect has materialized in the experimental laboratory. Beránek is absorbed in a comic strip in a scientific magazine, where a seductive girl called Jessie invents special gloves that give great power to anyone who wears them. Her adversary, Superman, tries to steal her invention with the help of the Gunman. Later, in the night, Beránek dreams of single-handedly saving the beautiful girl Jessie. Růženka uses her invention on her fitfully sleeping husband and injects him with the serum out of jealousy. The three comic book figures enter the human world, with a single difference - their "conversation" proceeds in speaking bubbles. The battle continues and Superman demolishes the flat of the Beránek couple's neighbours. The chase continues through the streets. They all get arrested but only Beránek is finally sentenced with three days in prison. The resolute Růženka immediately invents an antiserum. While Jindřich constructs the gloves, his wife turns Superman into her lover. Running away from her, the comic book hero injects himself with the antiserum and is back in the dream. The lovesick scientist follows him. Free at last, Beránek lives with Jessie.
docentka somniologie Růženka Beránková
docent Jindřich Beránek
Jessie
Superman
Pistolník, Supermanův pomocník
vězeňský dozorce
profesor
rektor vysoké školy
kolega docentky Beránkové
zástupce docentky Beránkové
obhájce
prokurátor
předseda soudu
velitel policie
vyšetřující policista
Voice by Zdeněk Dítě
soused Láďa Kokeš
Kokešova žena
delegát profesor Alfonso
ředitel továrny
mladičký strážník
diskutující vědec
zřízenec Kolbaba
topič v krematoriu
Alena, Beránkova asistentka
Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
Ivana, Beránkova asistentka
Helena, Beránková asistentka
majitel octávie
manželka majitele octávie
řečník v krematoriu
lékař
zapisovatel u soudu
brýlatý kolega Beránkové
delegát
delegát
delegát
delegát
pomocný dělník
velitel hasičů
dělník
hudebník, člen kvarteta
hudebník, člen kvarteta
hudebník, člen kvarteta
hudebník, člen kvarteta
novinář v soudní síni
novinář v soudní síni
novinář v soudní síni
dozorce
dozorce
dozorce
policista na střeše
hasič
tlumočnice
asistentka Beránkové
policista
mistr v továrně
soused v domě
posluchač
žena s fotoaparátem
soudce z lidu
soudkyně z lidu
sousedka
sousedka
sousedka
noční hlídač
dozorce/delegát
kreslička
policista
žena v krematoriu
pes Car
hlas sousedky v okně
Jaroslav Chytrý, Karel Kočí, Richard Staněk
E. Kneiblová
pplk. Josef Menoušek, MVDr. Yvonne Lambertová, RNDr. Antonín Bürger, RNDr. Jan Minář, MUDr. Miroslav Plzák
L. Pužíková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)
Petr Iljič Čajkovskij (Klavírní koncert b moll)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
Tajemství žluté komety
film
featuretheatrical distribution
comedy, parody, sci-fi
Czechoslovakia
1966
1965—1966
literary Screenplay approved 28 May 1965
technical Screenplay approved 18 July 1965
start of filming 8 October 1965
end of filming 4 February 1966
projection approval 6 May 1966
withdrawal from distribution 30 November 1973
withdrawal from distribution 31 May 1993
premiere 12 August 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /2 týdny/ a Blaník /4 týdny od 26. 8./, Praha)
premiere 26 August 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 30 July 1982 /unsuitable for youths/
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1966 a obnovená 1982)
Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
79 min
2 248 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,85, 1:2,35
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 19. mezinárodní filmový festival Locarno
1966
Locarno / Switzerland
Festival: 4. mezinárodní festival vědecko-fantastických filmů Terst
1966
Terst / Italy
Only a handful of films which could be described as of the science fiction variety were made in Czechoslovakia prior to ...