Ecce Homo Homolka

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production year

1969

Premiere

8 March 1970

Runtime

80 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Ecce homo Homolka

Czech title

Ecce homo Homolka

English title

Ecce Homo Homolka

Summary

Director Jaroslav Papoušek’s earlier tragicomedy Nejkrásnější věk (The Most Beautiful Age, 1968), set in a sculpture studio, was very much in the mould of a free-thinking, free-speaking Czechoslovak New Wave film. A year later, he embarked upon the folk comedy Ecce homo Homolka (1969). Following the departure into exile of directors Miloš Forman and director-screenwriter Ivan Passer, Papoušek was the last member of this strongly bonded trio to remain behind. During the 1960s, the three men brought to the screen a number of highly successful film projects. Papoušek’s film, utilising a Latin phrase, is closely associated with Forman’s merciless study of the Czech character Hoří má panenko (Firemen’s Ball, 1967). Unlike with Passer, whose stand-alone Intimní osvětlení (Intimate Lighting, 1965) demonstrates a sympathy for his provincial central character, Papoušek’s tragicomic Ecce homo Homolka is more inclined towards Forman’s cynical, sarcastic tones. The hedonistic Homolková family departs Prague for a Sunday trip to the countryside. But they are forced to return home early by a woman’s voice calling – fruitlessly – for help. While grandpa prepares for a game of football, the rest of the family – the resolute grandmother, corpulent Heduš, her rather wimpy husband Ludva, and two naughty young twins – head out on an alternative trip to Chuchle to “see the horses”. But nothing quite manages to turn out as planned – and the Homolkas' Sunday ends full of self-pity and recriminations… This accomplished feature, which charts the life of one simple Czech family, benefits from memorable dialogue, classic moments, and distinctive characters. The cast boasts strong performances from the likes of Josef Šebánek, Helena Růžičková, František Husák and Marie Motlová. Matěj and Petr Forman (sons of Miloš) play the twins. Two years later, Papoušek directed a loosely-inspired sequel called Hogo fogo Homolka (Hogo Fogo Homolka, 1970); and a year after that, the trilogy was completed with Homolka a tobolka (Homolka and the Purse, 1972). Given the growing pressures that were being exerted by the regime on Barrandov filmmakers, it is widely viewed that the quality of this trilogy declined with each sequel.

Synopsis

It is a beautiful Sunday and the Homolka family are having a picnic in a forest not far from Prague. The grandfather and grandmother have settled comfortably in the grass, their son Ludva romps about in the river with his two young twin sons and his podgy wife Heduš dances among the trees, while the beer gets cooled in the water. A young couple embrace in the nearby bushes. A voice of a woman calling for help disturbs the idyll. Masses of people, unnoticed until now, begin to leave the forest in haste. The Homolka family returns to their shared flat in Prague. The meal, which would have been delicious in the forest, seems somewhat improvised at home. The grandmother, twins and Heduš set off for Chuchle to watch horse races. The grandfather gets ready to watch a game of football and Ludva, who could not persuade Heduš to join him in watching this "male" game, is forced to join his family on their excursion. He gets drunk at a stand in Chuchle and this has terrible consequences. Exhausted by the hangover, Ludva becomes a witness and co-conspirator in a number of disastrous squabbles and settling of wrongdoings among the members of his family. Their TV set breaks down, and the family is left to its own resources. The grandfather has to make the double bed after he has messed it up, and this ruins his high spirits after the football. The grandmother burns the steaks she was frying for dinner black. The Sunday is over. Heduš cries because she is fat and unhappy, the grandmother joins in, and the men are miserable to have made such failures of their marriages. The two couples finally dance to Beethoven's Ode to Joy, which is heard on the radio.

Cast

Josef Šebánek

děda Homolka

Marie Motlová

babi Marie Homolková

František Husák

Ludva, syn Homolkových

Helena Růžičková

Heduš, snacha Homolkových

Petr Forman

dvojče Péťa, vnuk Homolkových

Matěj Forman

dvojče Máťa, vnuk Homolkových

Yvonne Kodoňová

milenka Pavlínka

Miroslav Jelínek

milenec Jirka

Jiří Dědík

žárlivý mladík v aerovce

Růžena Pružinová

sousedka Suchánková

Karel Fridrich

muž v okně

Julie Kučerová-Nezavdalová

brýlatá stařenka v lese

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Muchna

Continuity

Helena Pokorná

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Papoušek

Director of Photography

Jozef Ort-Šnep

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Dosoudil

Camera Operator

Jiří Zavřel

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Assistent Production Designer

Miloš Červinka

Set Designer

Jaroslav Česal, Karel Kočí, Bohuslav Varhaník

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Adolf Böhm

Production Manager

Rudolf Hájek

Unit Production Manager

František Jaderník, Jaroslav Vlk

Unit Production Manager

Antonín Kubový

Cooperation

Dagmar Ševčíková (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Selected Music

Ludwig van Beethoven (Symfonie č. 9 d moll /Óda na radost/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), skupina Rudolfa Rokla

Songs

Lásko, bože, lásko

Song Composer lidová píseň

Óda na radost

Song Composer Ludwig van Beethoven
Writer of Lyrics Friedrich Schiller
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Ecce homo Homolka

Czech Title

Ecce homo Homolka

English Title

Ecce Homo Homolka

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production Year

1969

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 4 June 1969
technical Screenplay approved 8 July 1969
start of filming 14 July 1969
end of filming 16 September 1969
the first film copy approved 20 November 1969
projection approval 4 December 1969
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 8 March 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 12 March 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Kotva /3 týdny/ a Jalta /5 týdnů od 19. 3./, Praha)

Studio

Hostivař

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

80 min

Original length in metres

2 255 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: 1. výroční ceny DAVID pro nejlepší DVD video roku 2004 – DVD Group.cz

2005
Praha / Czech Republic
BONTONFILM a.s.

Vítěz

Event: 1. výroční ceny DAVID pro nejlepší DVD video roku 2004 – DVD Group.cz

2005
Praha / Czech Republic
Euro Digital Center

Vítěz

Event: 1. výroční ceny DAVID pro nejlepší DVD video roku 2004 – DVD Group.cz

2005
Praha / Czech Republic
Martin Ježek

Vítěz

Event: 1. výroční ceny DAVID pro nejlepší DVD video roku 2004 – DVD Group.cz

2005
Praha / Czech Republic
BONTONFILM a.s.