The Best Woman in My Life

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production year

1967—1968

Premiere

11 October 1968

Runtime

84 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Nejlepší ženská mého života

Czech title

Nejlepší ženská mého života

English title

The Best Woman in My Life

Working title

Podvod na paní poštmistrové

Summary

Martin Frič’s last film is a sarcastic comedy about a thief who fails to accomplish a daring bank scam. In an effort to please a demanding new wife, minor Prague pen-pusher Láďa Winter (Jiří Sovák) sets off for a small-town post office, pretending to be a specialist looking for forged banknotes. He intends to make off with those he marks as fake. However, the likeable post office manager (Milena Dvorská) is not someone he could rob in cold blood… This 1968 bare morality play, written by Jaroslav Dietl, presents the usual parade of distinctive characters who fall victim to their own ambition and inability to deal with difficult relationship issues. The actual “best woman” of the film title is the protagonist’s former wife, Jiřina (Jarmila Smejkalová).

Synopsis

Forty-year old clerk Láďa got divorced some time ago and then was married again, to an attractive woman. The young wife cannot keep the house in order but wants to dress up and have an easy-going life. Láďa is often broke and has to borrow money. He thus devises a crafty plan to come into money. Taking a few days off in the office, he leaves for a small town. Here, he visits the managers of all the local stores and orders them to hand their sales over at the post office by noon so that the banknotes can be examined, since false one-hundred crown notes have reportedly appeared in the town and its surroundings. He is to carry out the inspection with the help of a microscope at the local post office. Here, however, his plan receives the first crack. The old postmaster fell ill and is substituted by a resolute young woman, Mrs Kaplanová. Láďa's behaviour inspires confidence in the new postmistress and the inspection can begin. Láďa examines the banknotes with a non-functioning microscope, selecting out "false" banknotes from the genuine ones. The pile of those he is going to take away already amounts to ninety thousand crowns, but Láďa finds himself unable to rob the credulous woman. He decides to steal the money from a businessman who did not earn his one thousand crowns fairly but gets into a quarrel with him and must run away from both him and the police. He returns to Prague devastated - but where is he going to get the needed money? He is helped by his ex-wife, "the best woman in his life".

Film online

Cast

Jiří Sovák

technolog Vláďa Winter

Milena Dvorská

vedoucí pošty Kaplanová

Jarmila Smejkalová

Jiřina, bývalá Láďova žena

Iva Janžurová

servírka Blanka

Ivanka Devátá

Marta, nynější Láďova žena

Čestmír Řanda

vedoucí samoobsluhy Kadeřábek

Vladimír Hlavatý

penzista Koula

Nina Popelíková

poštovní úřednice Zouharová

Jaromír Hanzlík

strážmistr VB

Zdeněk Řehoř

učitel Zbyněk Kaplan, manžel vedoucí pošty

Věra Koktová

ředitelka školy

Mirko Musil

pokladník

Zdeněk Najman

referent Karel

Svatopluk Skládal

kolega-komik

Jiřina Bílá

květinářka

Blažena Kramešová

kolegyně Jindřiška

Jaroslav Cmíral

cestující ve vlaku

Jan Přeučil

cestující ve vlaku

František Hruška

poštovní úředník

Ivana Kudlová

prodavačka v samoobsluze

Ela Šilarová

vedoucí prodejny koženého zboží

A. Pelzerová

listonoška

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Second Unit Director

Jiří Hartman

Assistant Director

Miloslav Čech

Screenstory

Jaroslav Dietl

Shooting Script

Martin Frič

Director of Photography

Jan Roth

Second Unit Photography

Kamil Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Vojtěch Kuthan

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Assistent Production Designer

Karel Vacek

Set Designer

Daniela Eckertová, Karel Lukáš, Václav Zavřel

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská, Jarmila Müllerová

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Production Manager

Ladislav Terš

Unit Production Manager

Karel Prchal, Ctibor Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Blanka Rýdlová

Cooperation

Kateřina Reimanová (klapka), Jana Exnerová (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Dalibor C. Vačkář

Selected Music

Georges Bizet (Carmen /árie Toreadore smělý/ – opera)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Nejlepší ženská mého života

Czech Title

Nejlepší ženská mého života

English Title

The Best Woman in My Life

Working Title

Podvod na paní poštmistrové

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1968

Production Year

1967—1968

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 1 September 1967
start of filming 17 November 1967
end of filming 10 April 1968
the first film copy approved 25 June 1968
projection approval 28 June 1968
withdrawal from distribution 31 July 1976

Premiere

gala premiere 2 October 1968 (kino 64 U Hradeb, Praha)
premiere 3 October 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /6 týdnů/, Kotva /3 týdny/, Kyjev /1 týden od 24. 10./ a Mír /1 týden od 7. 11./, Praha)
premiere 11 October 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 375 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

Festival: 20. filmový festival pracujících – léto '69

1969
39 měst / Czechoslovakia