Crime in the Night-Club

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production year

1968

Premiere

20 December 1968

Runtime

83 min

Category

film

Genre

music, comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zločin v šantánu

Czech title

Zločin v šantánu

English title

Crime in the Night-Club

Summary

Following Zločin v dívčí škole (The Crime at the Girls’ School, 1965), director Jiří Menzel returned to his collaboration with novelist Josef Škvorecký. But prior to this 1968 motion picture, he had become famous for creating Ostře sledované vlaky (Closely Watched Trains, 1966) and the stylish Rozmarné léto (Capricious Summer, 1967), a bittersweet comedy based on a novel by Vladislav Vančura. The story of Zločin v šantánu (Crime in the Night-Club), played out according to a screenplay Menzel devised with Škvorecký, takes place in the timeless atmosphere of an elegant cabaret. The star turn at the venue is the beautiful singer Clara Regina (Eva Pilarová). A minister who is smitten with the performer gifts her pearl necklace, but it is stolen by her husband, a magician. He blames the theft on shy assistant Pepíček (Jiří Suchý), who, along with defence lawyer (Jiří Šlitr), falls victim to blind justice in an unfair world full of intrigue… The form of this outwardly noncommittal crime musical, featuring the songs of Šlitr and Suchý, is influenced by the dark atmosphere that pervaded society after the Prague Spring efforts at reform were crushed in August 1968: the two convicts, performed by this duo from Prague’s Semafor theatre, can now do nothing but sing.

Synopsis

The charming singer Clara Regina has many admirers. Even the minister of justice fights for her favour, especially enchanted by Clara's lullaby. The singer is also secretly loved by assistant Pepíček Janáček. Clara's successes with men are watched with displeasure by her jealous husband, Ikaro Volante. The minister sends a bouquet and a pearl necklace to the singer. The juggler Piterman steals the pearls but frames Pepíček. At court, Pepíček is defended by the inexperienced lawyer Vilém Bojanovský. During the process, it turns out that the pearls are fake. The minister denies this, but, just to make sure, has the juggler eliminated when the next investigation leads to him. Pepíček is accused of Piterman's murder. When the defender with the help of his colleague Stella proves Pepíček innocent, the public prosecutor orders the defender arrested as well. Vilém has an alibi, but the minister who can prove it denies everything. The two men, Pepíček and Vilém, are sentenced and imprisoned in one cell. In the backyard of the prison, gallows are built. The desperate Clara entreats for them with the minister who promises to help only if she sings his favourite lullaby to him. He, however, sends a special agent after the messenger carrying the letter granting the two prisoners pardon. Pepíček and Vilém, standing under the gallows, say their last wish - to sing a song. They sing until everybody at the place of execution falls asleep, but the messenger with the promised pardon is still not coming...

Film online

Cast

Eva Pilarová

zpěvačka Klára Králová uměleckým jménem Clara Regina

Jiří Suchý

zřízenec Pepíček Janáček

Jiří Šlitr

JUDr. Vilém Bojanovský

Jitka Zelenohorská

Vilémova pomocnice Stella

Vlastimil Brodský

ministr spravedlnosti

Jiří Grossmann

eskamotér Piterman

Ferdinand Krůta

vrhač nožů Bobby Akurát

Jan Přeučil

skákač Ikaro Volante, manžel Clary

Ladislav Vodička

Gub, agent pro zvláštní úkoly

Zdeněk Svěrák

státní žalobce

Karel Hovorka

inspicient

Vratislav Blažek

ceremoniář

Karel Mareš

režisér/fízl

František Husák

Viktor/promovanec František Husák

Petr Kopřiva

číšník/promovanec

Jan Pech

fotograf

Milan Kindl

přísedící

Antonín Kryl

přísedící

Jindra Rathová

zapisovatelka

Jana Drchalová

artistka Lilly

Antonín Pražák

fízl

Pavel Bošek

novinář

Alois Vachek

starý profesor

Jan Vlček

porotce

K. Gabriel

porotce

Emil Iserle

fotograf

Irena Pejšková

baletka

Vratislav Blažek

ceremoniář

Stanislav Hájek

muž v černém

Miloš Kohout

muž v černém

M. Mareš

muž v černém

Zuzana Minichová

květinářka

Pavel Navara

vazoun

Jaroslav Tomsa

vazoun/dubl za Jiřího Šlitra

N. Slavčev

vazoun

Milan Dvořák

vedoucí hudebník

Petr Hejduk

hudebník

František Sojka

hudebník

Bohumil Zoula

hudebník

Rudolf Růžička (hudebník)

hudebník

I. Rajman

policajt

J. Kratochvíl

promovanec

Julie Kučerová-Nezavdalová

stařenka v obecenstvu u soudu

Jiří Kasík

dubl za Vlastimila Brodského

P. Stejskal

dubl za Jiřího Grossmanna

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Miloš Kohout

Assistant Director

Eva Janíková

Shooting Script

Jiří Menzel

Director of Photography

František Uldrich

Second Unit Photography

Jiří Macák

Camera Operator

Vladimír Murat

Production Designer

Oldřich Bosák

Assistent Production Designer

Bohumil Nový

Set Designer

Miroslav Fára, Karel Kočí, Václav Podhorský

Costume Designer

Svatava Sophová

Assistant Film Editor

Helena Lehovcová, J. Marková

Sound Designer

Jiří Pavlík

Production Manager

Karel Kochman

Unit Production Manager

Richard Němec, Artur Stacha

Unit Production Manager

Z. Čajkinová

Cooperation

Jitka Faktorová (klapka), Josef Janoušek (fotograf), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Šlitr

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Orchestr divadla Semafor, Milan Dvořák

Songs

Ach, miluji vás

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří ŠlitrEva Pilarová

Balada pod šibenicí

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří Šlitr

Kolena

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva Pilarová

Boubelatá Betty

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří ŠlitrEva Pilarová

Co já všechno dovedu

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Šlitr

Ukrejvám rozpaky

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva PilarováJiří Šlitr

Ukolébavka

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva Pilarová

Kočičí bál

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří Šlitr

Na shledanou

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Poklad

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva Pilarová

Slavně pějí sbory

Singer dětský sbor

Nebe na zemi

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek

Production info

Original Title

Zločin v šantánu

Czech Title

Zločin v šantánu

English Title

Crime in the Night-Club

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music, comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production Year

1968

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 29 November 1967
technical Screenplay approved 2 February 1968
start of filming 18 April 1968
end of filming 5 July 1968
the first film copy approved 20 September 1968
projection approval 26 September 1968
withdrawal from distribution 14 December 1972

Premiere

festival premiere 10 October 1968 (19. filmový festival pracujících – podzim ´68 /kino Sevastopol, Praha/)
premiere 10 October 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol /5 týdnů/, Praha)
premiere 20 December 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

83 min

Original length in metres

2 354 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