Young Boháček’s Sufferings

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production year

1968

Premiere

25 July 1969

Runtime

89 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Utrpení mladého Boháčka

Czech title

Utrpení mladého Boháčka

English title

Young Boháček’s Sufferings

Summary

In 1969, actor Pavel Landovský performed one of the most distinctive roles of his career courtesy of this tragicomedy from director František Filip. Tonda Boháček is a thirty-something bachelor living in the countryside, whose mother decides to help him find love via a personal wanted ad. Landovský, aged 33 at the time, had hitherto only appeared in supporting, and often intensely stylised, roles in a number of Czechoslovak New Wave titles. Consequently, the part of the unhappy Tonda offered him the chance to make the most of a fully-fledged leading role. This outwardly simple tale serves as a genial example of the civility of yesteryear – both Filip (predominantly a TV director) and debuting screenwriter Eduard Verner stood outside the New Wave efforts of contemporaries such as Věra Chytilová, Jiří Menzel and Miloš Forman. The embarrassing situations into which Boháčková drags her son, are developed on screen with care, innocence and without the kind of sarcasm spewing from the social critiques of the New Wave cinema. Consequently, as the breezy, fierce Prague hitchhiker Květa is swapped in the bachelor’s affections for naive villager Janička – whom Tonda dates under the watchful and hopeful eye of his mother – the situations are never mined for the sake of caustic or cynical humour. Indeed the very concept here is decidedly awkward – a doting mother pushing her reluctant son into finding a partner. All of Tonda's contemporaries are already married, which mother Boháčková views as something that needs to be urgently – and forcefully – addressed. To his surprise, Tonda, who tries his best to accede to his mother’s wishes, falls for Květa, who at first only views the entire entanglement as a non-committal game. For 1960s relationship comedies, disillusionment for the lead character was a commonplace feature, serving as a kind of individualist victory over expectations about leading a “proper life”, as seen, for example in Miloš Forman’s Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde, 1965). Playing the lead character’s mother is Stella Zázvorková (noticeably too young for the role) and actresses Regina Rázlová (Květa) and Jorga Kotrbová (Janička).

Synopsis

Tóna has been a great worry to his mother, Mrs Boháčková. All his friends equal in age are already married and some of them even have children - only Tóna still has nothing. Mother Boháčková thus publishes an ad in the Lonely Hearts column on behalf of her son. From among the girls who responded, she picks out Janička, a girl from the neighbouring village, and then forces Tóna to go to have a look at her and bring her home. The date of the two young people, however, does not turn out well due to the embarrassment on both sides, and Tóna returns home drowning in the feeling of ridiculousness. On the way, he picks up hitchhiker Květa from Prague. Only then, he realizes that the mother with her festive dinner is waiting for him and Janička at home and thus asks Květa to substitute for the girl from the ad. Květa, after a moment of hesitation, agrees. Mummy likes the girl and already envisions her future daughter-in-law in her. Tóna and Květa drop by a local pub and the man falls in love with the likeable girl in the course of the evening. The next day, however, the situation gets complicated, as Janička has decided to have a relationship with Tóna. Ridicule follows ridicule, until the mother realizes what is going on. However, Květa has already rushed off for Prague to meet her boyfriend Petr. Tóna, in love, follows her only to find out that Květa prefers Petr. He returns home in disappointment, already expected there by Janička and the satisfied mummy. We are left to hope that Tóna will be happy in his marriage with Janička.

Film online

Cast

Pavel Landovský

traktorista Tonda Boháček

Stella Zázvorková

matka Boháčková

Regina Rázlová

Květa Lesecká

Jorga Kotrbová

zootechnička Janička Pazderková

Jaroslav Satoranský

Petr Stárek, Květin kluk

Hermína Vojtová

stará žena v kravíně

Josef Hlinomaz

hostinský Láďa

Jiřina Bílá

pokladní na nádraží

Magda Dolejšová

trampka Máňa

J. Zemanová

trampka

Tomáš Sedláček

mladík v hospodě

Jan Kanyza

mladík v hospodě

Radan Rusev

mladík s dýmkou

Ivana Kudlová

dívka

J. Pokorná

žena

Františka Zemanová

žena

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Miloslav Čech

Screenstory

Eduard Verner

Screenplay

Eduard Verner

Shooting Script

František Filip

Director of Photography

Rudolf Stahl ml.

Second Unit Photography

Karel Dobřichovský, Michal Kulič

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek, Bohumír Schwarzer

Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka

Assistent Production Designer

Karel Vacek

Set Designer

Stanislav Krejča, Karel Lukáš, Karel Smrž

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Assistant Film Editor

Jarmila Müllerová

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Production Manager

Ladislav Terš

Unit Production Manager

Karel Prchal, Ctibor Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Petr Kajtar

Cooperation

J. Navrátilová (klapka)

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Paní v černém

Song Composer Karel Kahovec
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Plicka
Singer sbor

Máňa

Song Composer lidová ruská píseň
Writer of Lyrics Géza Včelička
Singer sbor

Jednou dvakrát

Song Composer Jaromír Vejvoda

Už koníček pádí

Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer Waldemar Matuška

Kde je sládek, tam je mládek

Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Utrpení mladého Boháčka

Czech Title

Utrpení mladého Boháčka

English Title

Young Boháček’s Sufferings

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production Year

1968

Production specifications

technical Screenplay approved 28 May 1968
start of filming 1 August 1968
end of filming 11 October 1968
the first film copy approved 18 February 1969
the first film copy approved 28 March 1969
projection approval 14 April 1969
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1993

Premiere

festival premiere 13 June 1969 (20. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´69)
premiere 24 July 1969 /suitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /4 týdny/ a Blaník /7 týdnů od 18. 9./, Praha)
premiere 25 July 1969 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 1 June 1990 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Hostivař

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1969 a obnovená 1990)

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

89 min

Original length in metres

2 521 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

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: 8. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1970
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Landovský