Looking Back
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1968Production year
1968Premiere
3 January 1969Runtime
92 minDirector
Antonín MášaCategory
filmGenre
drama, psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
OhlédnutíCzech title
OhlédnutíEnglish title
Looking BackSummary
The fates of two people, who see the world from different perspectives, unexpectedly collide when young screenwriter František meets the author Olga Machová. Her successful autobiographical short story is meant to serve as the basis for a forthcoming film which František is to work on, but they don’t see eye to eye – at first. The bohemian screenwriter is an eternally disgruntled sceptic whilst the aging author is an optimist with an unshakable communist worldview, despite the tragic past. The intimate get-together between the disparate duo provides screenwriter and director Antonín Máša with his basis for this 1968 psychological drama. Looking back, it proves to be a bridge between 1940s and 1950s retrospectives and the then contemporary late 1960s. Petr Čepek and Jiřina Třebická star in this thought-provoking film.
Synopsis
Young script-writer František is hired to write a film script based on the successful novel Looking Back. He meets with the novel's female author, a University professor and writer named Olga Machová, approximately ten-years-older than him. In the beginning, they do not understand each other at all. František is a sceptic experiencing a moral crisis, unsatisfied with both his work and his private life - he lives separated from his wife and has no deeper feelings for his numerous lovers. He even gets drunk from time to time and breaks the public peace. Olga is lonesome, too, but considers her life fulfilled. In her novel, she summed up her previous experiences. During the German occupation, she was a very young girl, was arrested and tortured, and her father was killed by Gestapo. The Germans released the dying woman prisoner, but Olga recovered and spent the rest of the war with the partisans. The consequences of torture, however, deprived Olga of the possibility to have children and, subsequently, also of her relationship with a beloved man. Despite all that, she remains a stubborn optimist. Her hard-earned wisdom and equanimity strongly influence František during their working sessions and trips to the places of Olga's youth. The two incongruous people gradually become close; Olga, however, prevents their relationship from turning to love. František then tries to find love with his former lover, but it seems that it is already too late for anything. Olga eventually leaves abroad for half a year.
Photos
Cast
Jiřina Třebická
Olga Machová, profesorka a spisovatelka
Petr Čepek
scenárista František Černý
Věra Galatíková
barová zpěvačka Helena, Františkova přítelkyně
Taťána Fischerová
Veronika, Františkova přítelkyně
Pavol Simko
komisař Míša Barečnyj
Valerie Kaplanová
Hodačová
Václav Kaňkovský
Hodač
Miroslav Nohýnek
partyzán Lojza Pondělíček, později strážmistr VB
Pavel Moskalyk
partyzán Míťa
Ján Dzubák
partyzán Vaska
Josef Bárta
partyzán
Václav Halama
partyzán
Milena Dvorská
Marie, Františkova manželka
Josef Vondráček
Karel Kvapil, Olžin přítel v mládí
Libuše Švormová
Kvapilova manželka
Ladislav Štětka
MUDr. Mach, Olžin otec
Vladimír Zátka
František jako dítě
Josef Roubíček
Františkův kamarád v dětství
Karel Hábl
student v komisi
Oldřich Vízner
student před komisí
Josef Mojžíš
brýlatý člen komise
Jindřich Heidelberg
úředník ministerstva vnitra
Josef Pechar
muž ve vinárně
Stanislav Liška
muž ve vinárně
Richard Valenta
Mariin milenec
Vlasta Fáberová
švagrová
Ladislav Gzela
vězeň gestapa
Václav Kotva
vězeň gestapa
Růžena Gottliebová
sekretářka
Ivan Kheil
dozorce
Bohumil Koška
dozorce
Inocenc Březina
otec
Miloš V. Kratochvíl
přednášející na filozofické fakultě
Václav Petrus
velitel studentů
Jaroslav Franta
důstojník SS
Stanislav Hájek
důstojník SS
Vladimír Pospíšil
důstojník SS
K. Blahout
gestapák
Miloslav Novák
gestapák
Jindřich Sejk
gestapák
Jiří Svárovský
gestapák
Ladislav Vičar
gestapák
Jiří Kasík
partyzán
Vincenc Vávra
partyzán
František Pokorný (2)
švagr
Antonín Stockinger
bratr
Václav Hladík
bratr
Karel Manžel
dědeček
Jiří Žák
milenec
Jana Březinová
milenka
F. Sedlák
německý voják
Z. Janas
architekt
Jan Chodský
farář
K. Burda
sebevrah
Ferdinand Petr
hudebník
František Tuček
hudebník
F. Zedník
hudebník
Z. Zrno
hudebník
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Karel Brchel
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Bohumil Kadlec, Ludmila Štěchová, František Zajíček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Josef Mojžíš, Věra Winkelhöferová
Unit Production Manager
Jaroslav Vondráček
Consultant
Eduard Čejka
Cooperation
Věra Mayerová (klapka), Jaroslav Franta (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Songs
Bílá hůl
Nesem vám noviny
Writer of Lyrics Tomáš Bečák
Singer sbor
Lví silou, vzletem sokolím
Song Composer František Josef Pelz
Writer of Lyrics František Josef Pelz
Singer sbor
Budujeme /Teď, když máme, co jsme chtěli/
Song Composer Václav Dobiáš
Writer of Lyrics František Halas
Singer sbor
Production info
Original Title
Ohlédnutí
Czech Title
Ohlédnutí
English Title
Looking Back
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1968
Production Year
1968
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 22 December 1967
technical Screenplay approved 11 March 1968
start of filming 1 April 1968
end of filming 8 July 1968
the first film copy approved 15 October 1968
projection approval 14 November 1968
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1971
Premiere
premiere 3 January 1969 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 16 January 1969 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /2 týdny/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny), 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
92 min
Original length in metres
2 593 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
Awards
Vítěz
Event: Ceny Trilobit 1968
1969
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiřina Třebická
Vítěz
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 50. výročí vzniku Československa a 70. výročí československé kinematografie o nejlepší scénář
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Milena Honzíková
Vítěz
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 50. výročí vzniku Československa a 70. výročí československé kinematografie o nejlepší scénář
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Antonín Máša
