Pipes

Country

Czechoslovakia, Austria

Copyright

1966

Production year

1965—1966

Premiere

16 September 1966

Runtime

84 min

Category

povídkový film

Genre

comedy, short-story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dýmky

Czech title

Dýmky

English title

Pipes

Co-production title

Pfeifen, Betten, Turteltauben

Working title

Čtyři dýmky

Summary

Based on a book by Soviet writer Ilja Ehrenburg, this 1966 Czechoslovak-Austrian co-production offers three whimsical tales. Director Vojtěch Jasný guided this feature-film project in between duties directing the celebrated works Až přijde kocour (That Cat..., 1963) and Všichni dobří rodáci (All Good Countrymen, 1968). The trio of light-hearted historical tales from the pen of the unabashed West-loathing Ehrenburg is only politically neutral on the surface. All three show a simple pipe illustrating the laughable incompetence of the arrogant, archaic English. The first story features an actor so spellbound by his role that he ceases to be aware of the real world; in the second and third stories the pipe comes to symbolise adultery and impotence. This less-than-subtle co-production features a mixed cast. The film’s competitive screening at the Cannes Film Festival can be understood as a push by its foreign co-producer, following the previous screening of two of director Jasný’s films at the festival – namely Touha (Desire, 1958) and That Cat...

Synopsis

Three short stories.

Note

It was originally planned to film another, fourth tale, The Captain´s Pipe. Adolf Hoffmeister collaborated on the screenplay for the tale The Lord´s Pipe.

Cast

Walter Giller

Voice by Miloš Kopecký
herec George Randy

Gitte Haenning

Voice by Jiřina Jirásková
herečka Mary, Randyho žena

Juraj Herz

herec William Poker, hrající Joea

Jaroslav Štercl

herec Jurs, hrající překupníka kožešin

Josef Hlinomaz

vetešník

Stanislav Litera

pomocný režisér

Nadja Tiller

žena ve vězení

Adolf Filip

policista

Vladimír Ptáček

člen štábu

Josef Elsner

člen štábu

Richard Münch

Voice by Felix le Breux
lord Edward Grayton

Vít Olmer

lord William

Jan Kačer

psář John

Gerhard Riedmann

Voice by Jiří Sovák
myslivec Kurt, Elsin muž

Waldemar Matuška

italský zajatec Marcello

Dubbing

František Hanus

hlas prodavače dýmek

Zdeněk Řehoř

hlas oddávajícího kněze

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaromír Dvořáček

Based on

Ilja Erenburg (Třináct dýmek /Trinadcať trubok/ – kniha)

Screenplay

Vojtěch Jasný, Adolf Hoffmeister (spolupráce na scénáři povídky Dýmka lordova)

Shooting Script

Vojtěch Jasný

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Second Unit Photography

Václav Helliman

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Set Designer

Jiří Rulík

Costume Designer

Zdena Bauerová

Make-Up Artist

Vladimír Petřina

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Dobroslav Šrámek

Unit Production Manager

Renée Lavecká, Blažej Vráb

Consultant

dr. Daniel Stanko

Music

Music Composed by

Svatopluk Havelka

Selected Music

Johann Strauss (Radeckého pochod /Radetzky-Marsch/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Choreographer

Josef Koníček

Production info

Original Title

Dýmky

Czech Title

Dýmky

English Title

Pipes

Co-production Title

Pfeifen, Betten, Turteltauben

Working Title

Čtyři dýmky

Category

povídkový film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, short-story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Austria

Copyright

1966

Production Year

1965—1966

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 27 November 1964
technical Screenplay approved 20 August 1965
start of filming 1 September 1965
end of filming 22 February 1966
projection approval 24 May 1966
withdrawal from distribution 1 June 1971

Premiere

premiere 16 September 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 23 September 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Alfa /6½ týdne/, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

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

84 min

Original length in metres

2 373 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech