Mr Tau and Sunday

Country

Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria

Copyright

1970

Production year

1969—1970

Premiere

9 April 1971

Runtime

29 min

Category

film

Genre

children

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionshort

Original title

Pan Tau a neděle

Czech title

Pan Tau a neděle

English title

Mr Tau and Sunday

Co-production title

Pan Tau und der Lange Sonntag / Pan Tau und der Lange Sonntag

Working title

Ať žije neděle / Pan Tau III

Synopsis

Although it is a rainy Sunday, Emil's father insists the whole family must leave for the cottage, reminding them revengefully that it was them who wanted to buy the house and the house is thus going to be enjoyed now. He, however, does not admit that he himself would rather spend the day at home, watching football on TV. Emil would like to go to the cinema with his friends and the older sister Renáta is unhappy without her beloved Petr. Father assigns everybody in the family its task - for going to the cottage does not mean recreation! Mr Tau, too, has arrived to the cottage as a puppet. With the help of his magic bowler hat, he changes into an adult man and secretly helps Emil chop wood, paint the fence and calculate his school homework. But he notices only later how annoyed and unhappy the family is, and makes magic to make everybody enjoy Sunday thorough. The granddad then plays cards with his buddies and father sips bottled beer, watching football on TV. Renáta is with her Petr in his room and mummy is moved, reading old love letters and recalling the times when daddy wooed her. Emil and his friends cannot get to an "adults only" film, and Mr Tau thus must conjure up a moustache for him. Sunday is over, everybody has enjoyed it splendidly and now, satisfied, they return home in car on whose front window swings the puppet of Mr Tau.

Note

The film was distributed to Czech cinemas as part of the series Mr. Tau at the Mountains along with the feature film of the same name and a cartoon film called Give and Take (directed by Zdeněk Seydl and Ludvík Kadleček).

The first (I.) series of thirteen medium-length films about Mr Tau was created in the years 1969–1972. It was first launched in cinemas, in series composed of two parts and accompanied by a cartoon movie (1. Mr Tau Arrives, 2. Mr Tau Gives Presents, 3. Mr Tau at the Mountains, 4. Mr Tau and Sunday, 5. Mr Tau Goes to School, 6. Mr Tau and Cold!, 7. Mr Tau and Claudia, 8. Mr Tau Will Handle It, 9. Mr Tau and Trip around the World, 10. Mr Tau in Circus, 11. Mr Tau and the Taxi Driver, 12. Mr Tau Wanted, 13. Mr Tau and a Thousand Miracles). In the Czechoslovak Television, the series was first introduced in December 1972. Due to its success, another thirteen parts (II.) were filmed in 1973–1975, this time intended exclusively for television (1. Mr Tau Returns, 2. Mr Tau and Robinson, 3. Mr Tau and Too Big Balloon, 4. Mr Tau and Dog Goaty-Dog, 5. Mr Tau and Family Celebration, 6. Mr Tau Goes to Work, 7. Mr Tau and Five Pears and Three Apples, 8. Mr Tau and Black Umbrella, 9. Mr Tau and Big Dog, 10. Mr Tau and Tree-Frog. 11. Mr Tau and Alladin Lamp, 12. Mr Tau and Golden Suitcase, 13. Mr Tau Leaves). The third (III.) and last (seven-part) series was filmed in the years 1977 and 1978 (1. Alert in the Sky, 2. Elephant Hunt, 3. Night at Safari, 4. Mr Tau and Woman-Magician, 5. Mr Tau at Pioneer Camp, 6. Mr Tau – And Which Is the Right One?, 7. No Magic from Tomorrow). On TV, the third series was introduced as a series in the original form and was edited for the film distribution into two feature films Alert in the Sky and No Magic from Tomorrow. The popular bowlered hero last appeared in the feature film Mr Tau, created by a German-Czechoslovak co-production in 1988.

Cast

Josef Beyvl

dědeček

Blanka Krátká

Renáta, Emilova sestra

Antonín Krčmář

Petr, Renátin kluk

Dagmar Jelínková

holka s mašlí

Jan Vyčítal (2)

vlasatý kluk

Jaroslav Ševčík

pihovatý kluk

Josef Vytasil

kluk-cvalík

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Vladimír Zelenka

Assistant Director

Vilém Kijonka

Continuity

Pavla Marková

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Tuzar, Vladimír Malík (loutková část)

Second Unit Photography

Miloš Petrolín

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý, Miroslav Hrachovec

Art Director

Stanislav Látal (loutková část)

Set Designer

Jan Petrů, Augustin Valko, Jiří Žůček

Costume Designer

Jan Kropáček

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková

Sound Designer

Jaromír Svoboda

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Gustav Rohan

Unit Production Manager

Karel Prchal, Jan Syrový, Martin Baroch

Unit Production Manager

Lucie Hertlová

Cooperation

Zorka Chrastinová (klapka)

Music

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Slunce svítí vesele, protože je neděle

Song Composer Jiří Malásek
Singer Kühnův dětský pěvecký sbor

Production info

Original Title

Pan Tau a neděle

Czech Title

Pan Tau a neděle

English Title

Mr Tau and Sunday

Co-production Title

Pan Tau und der Lange Sonntag / Pan Tau und der Lange Sonntag

Working Title

Ať žije neděle / Pan Tau III

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria

Copyright

1970

Production Year

1969—1970

Production specifications

technical Screenplay approved 11 February 1969
start of filming 28 December 1969
end of filming 14 August 1970
projection approval 10 November 1970
the first film copy approved 10 November 1970

Premiere

premiere 9 April 1971 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 13 May 1971 /suitable for youths/ (kino Hvězda, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Česká televize

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Švabík – Hofman (příprava), Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny a vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Erich Švabík (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny a vedoucí výrobní skupiny), Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Výrobní skupina Ericha Švabíka

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

29 min

Original length in metres

825 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Exhibition: 11. celostátní přehlídka československých filmů pro děti Gottwaldov

1971
Zlín / Czechoslovakia