It is Christmas day. Mr Tau sneaks into the flat of the boy Emil, which is also inhabited by Emil's friend, a dog. The man in the bowler hat moves around the whole flat surprisingly unseen although there is a hectic rush all around. Mother is baking the Christmas sweets, grandfather is building the Christmas crib, Emil's sister Renáta is cleaning and the father is gathering courage to kill the carp. Emil, playing with the fish, splashes water on the whole bathroom and, by way of punishment, is locked into the pantry. He is thus much pleased to meet Mr Tau who, with the help of his magic bowler, can change from a small puppet to an adult man. Mr Tau tries to help everybody secretly, but, being unacquainted with the situation, makes everything even worse. He shocks the grandfather who misses two little sheep for the Christmas crib, by conjuring up two live sheep in the midst of the living room. Then Emil wants to save the carp, Mr Tau complies with his wish and endows the fish with the ability to speak. The father almost turns nuts when the carp, calling himself Albertek, begins to beg for his life. Daddy thus begins to decorate the Christmas tree instead which, however, starts to grow until its top breaks through the ceiling to the flat of Renáta's beloved Petr. Mummy is utterly desperate - the Christmas sweets were in part eaten by the dog and the rest burnt to cinders. It seems that the whole evening will end up in catastrophe but Mr Tau again uses his magic and everything is as it is supposed to be. The festive Christmas dinner is prepared and the tree shines. Renáta is allowed to visit Petr and everybody, dressed for the occasion, can finally enjoy Christmas. At midnight, they together carry Albertek to the river and the father frees the carp.
The film was distributed to Czech cinemas as part of the series Mr Tau Arrives along with the feature film of the same title and a cartoon puppet film What Blew Up? (1970; directed by Břetislav Pojar and Miroslav Štěpánek).
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.
pan Tau
Emil
tatínek
maminka
dědeček
Renáta, Emilova sestra
Petr, Renátin kluk
hlas kapra Albertka
Vilém Kijonka
Jaroslav Tuzar, Vladimír Malík (loutková část)
Stanislav Látal (loutková část)
Václav Pošta, Jan Petrů, Jiří Žůček
Jan Syrový, Karel Prchal, Martin Baroch
Zorka Chrastinová (klapka)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)
Song Composer Franz Xaver Gruber
Singer Vokální soubor Lubomíra Pánka
Pan Tau naděluje
Pan Tau naděluje
Mr Tau Gives Presents
Pan Tau und die schöne Bescherung / Pan Tau und die schöne Bescherung
Pan Tau II
film
featuretheatrical distribution
children
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria
1970
1970
technical Screenplay approved 11 February 1969
start of filming 3 January 1970
end of filming 3 July 1970
the first film copy approved 20 October 1970
projection approval 7 December 1970
withdrawal from distribution 31 March 1982
withdrawal from distribution 1 October 1993
premiere 19 March 1971 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 25 March 1971 /suitable for youths/ (kino Hvězda, Praha)
non-distribution premiere 26 December 1971 (televizní uvedení ČST 2)
renewed premiere 1 December 1986 /suitable for youths/
Tvůrčí skupina Švabík – Hofman (příprava), Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí a vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Erich Švabík (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí a vedoucí výrobní skupiny), Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Výrobní skupina Ericha Švabíka
short film
27 min
765 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Exhibition: 11. celostátní přehlídka československých filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1971
Zlín / Czechoslovakia