Man Is Not Alone

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production year

1971

Premiere

25 February 1972

Runtime

87 min

Director

Josef Mach

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Člověk není sám

Czech title

Člověk není sám

English title

Man Is Not Alone

Summary

Director Josef Mach demonstrated his loyalty to the regime with this 1971 psychological drama, which represents a typical example of a film production during the early period of “normalisation”. Pro-regime-oriented writer and scriptwriter Ivan Gariš contributed to the script for a story that is set in the 1950s. The protagonist is a capable engineer who is given a fresh chance despite the fact that he has not taken part in the general “constructive” enthusiasm sought by the communists. However, thanks to the obliging chairman of the enterprise’s communist party committee, he is able to recognise his mistake. He then goes on to expose a conspiracy of emigrants who are trying to obtain his discovery. Jiřina Švorcová features in the emblematic role of an orthodox communist. She had played similar roles stretching back two decades.

Synopsis

The year is 1953. Engineer Jaroslav Král has not joined in the enthusiastic efforts to rebuild the country initiated after the Communist takeover in February 1948, and has been relocated to the archives. The chairwoman of the factory's Communist party committee Lída Jostová wants to help Král and invites him to join an important research project. Král receives an unexpected visit from his former friend Weber, who moves in with him without explanation. Král is puzzled by the situation as Weber had actually emigrated some years before. He has returned to the country illegally with the object of getting possession of Král's invention. Král doesn't know what to do; he is frightened but doesn't turn Weber in. Weber goes to Král's country cottage where he and a policeman are shot by the assassin Karel Švarc. Král is detained but the investigator Major Sýkora, influenced by Jostová, does not believe him guilty. Král tells the Major that he wants to finish his invention quickly. The Major agrees and Král is now free to work in police custody. In the meantime, the search for Švarc continues. The assassin seems to be hiding at the home of certain Krásová. One of the policemen manages to get into Krásová's flat dressed as a plumber and succeeds in capturing Švarc. Krásová is also arrested. Král's innocence is confirmed and he is set free. At the factory institute, he completes his invention. He meets Jostová, who has been helping him throughout his captivity. The two evidently will be more than just friends.

Cast

Jiřina Švorcová

předsedkyně ZO KSČ Ing. Lída Jostová

Zdeněk Kampf

inženýr Jaroslav Král

Jiří Sovák

major Josef Sýkora

Vladimír Šmeral

plukovník Malát

Jan Libíček

vězeň Láďa

Jan Schánilec

poručík František Záhorský

Oldřich Lukeš

ředitel výzkumného ústavu Petřík

Vladimír Hlavatý

lesák Pánek

Marie Drahokoupilová

Jarmila Krásová

Jan Teplý

Karel Švarc, bratr Krásové

Jarmila Smejkalová

Králova bývalá žena

Věra Tichánková

správcová Kateřina Stýblová

Vladimír Hrabánek

příslušník VB alias plynárenský zřízenec

Milan Klásek

emigrant Stanislav Weber

Václav Mareš

inženýr Přibyl

Ladislav Trojan

kapitán Hanka

Vladimír Bičík

podporučík Urban

Karel Sekera

příslušník StB

Mariana Štepitová

sekretářka

Milan Stehlík

poručík VB

Ladislav Kazda

okrskář Jiří Louda

Jan Faltýnek

řidič StB Pepíček

Lenka Fišerová

sekretářka na VB

Karel Hábl

poručík Malát

Vladimír Huber

zřízenec

Bohumil Křížek

staršina VB

Hana Kudrnáčová

mladá žena

Josef Smejkal

mladý příslušník StB

Vladimír Pospíšil

příslušník StB

Alena Procházková

radistka Zdenička

Pavel Radosta

zámečník

Eduard Pavlíček

Voice by Jindřich Narenta
muž v lesnickém

Jaroslav Tomsa

Voice by Zdeněk Ornest
muž-stín

Miloš Vavruška

kapitán Líska

Crew and creators

Director

Josef Mach

Second Unit Director

Aleš Dospiva

Assistant Director

Jiří Koníček

Continuity

Eva Kubesová

Screenstory

Ivan Gariš

Shooting Script

Josef Mach

Director of Photography

Josef Střecha

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Jokl

Camera Operator

Jiří Zavřel

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Karel Janda (2), Jiří Bžoch, Karel Kracík

Costume Designer

Petr Diviš

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková

Sound Designer

Milan R. Novotný

Production Manager

František Milič

Unit Production Manager

Václav Havlík, František Nedvěd

Consultant

pplk. František Havlíček

Cooperation

Věra Kadeřábková (klapka), Karel Šebík (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Vladimír Soukup

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

U nás jaro nekončí

Song Composer Ludvík Podéšť
Writer of Lyrics Vlastimil Pantůček
Singer Milan Směták

Dobrou noc

Song Composer Zdeněk Petr
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Dvořák
Singer Rudolf Cortés

Váš dům šel spát

Song Composer Alfons Jindra
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Dvořák
Singer Josef Zíma

Production info

Original Title

Člověk není sám

Czech Title

Člověk není sám

English Title

Man Is Not Alone

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1971

Production Year

1971

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 3 January 1971
technical Screenplay approved 14 April 1971
start of filming 27 May 1971
end of filming 4 August 1971
projection approval 15 October 1971
the first film copy approved 9 November 1971
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 24 February 1972 /suitable for youths/ (kina Sevastopol a Flora, Praha)
premiere 25 February 1972 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vojtěcha Trapla, Vojtěch Trapl (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Jiřího Šebora, Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

87 min

Original length in metres

2 456 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

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: 10. festival českých a slovenských filmů Plzeň

1972
Plzeň / Czechoslovakia
Ivan Gariš

Vítěz

Festival: 10. festival českých a slovenských filmů Plzeň

1972
Plzeň / Czechoslovakia
Josef Picek