Legenda, the Robber

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production year

1972

Premiere

9 March 1973

Runtime

91 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Lupič Legenda

Czech title

Lupič Legenda

English title

Legenda, the Robber

Summary

During the first half of the 1970s, the ideologically motivated director Karel Steklý made a number of films that have almost come to define the cinematography of the “normalisation” era. The films Hroch (The Hippo, 1973), Za volantem nepřítel (An Enemy Is at the Wheel, 1974) and Tam kde hnízdí čápi (The Place Where Storks Nest, 1975) are typical products of their time, with reality made to cede to political demands. His film Lupič Legenda (Legenda, the Robber, 1972), which is set in 1905, shows how this process even encroached upon interpretations of history. The emerging political consciousness of the Czech labour movement thus finds its origins in the mutiny on the battleship Potěmkin. An old-world anarchist and gentleman-thief (played by Eduard Cupák) co-finances the strikers. A subplot deals with the hero’s private life and his relationship with his illegitimate son. The heavily politicised plot, which hinges upon the relationships between the Social Democrats, Anarchists and Communists, is somewhat confusing today. Legenda, the Robber remains absorbing, however, thanks to its excellent casting.

Synopsis

It is 1905. The police director gets Jindřich Legenda shadowed as, yet Legenda had served his sentence for a burglary, the jewels have not been found. Russian revolution encouraged also Czech workers to fight for their rights. Radical anarchists are followed by Legenda's friend Karel Wohryzek who was forced to collaborate with the police as he was convicted of pornography distribution. The step-father Doležal ties young Jirka to the piano to train. Jirka is Legenda's illegitimate son and his mother Emilka married Doležal after the burglar's sentence. Legenda finds out that Wohryzek had not distributed to the workers the revenue from selling a part of the jewels. The guests of the "U stromu" (Near the Three) pub learn about the Potěmkin cruiser mutiny and start to sing Russian songs. The police burst inside and Legenda misguides them by blaming the musician Doležal. He is seized but all the people claim they sang too and go to the Žižkov police station with him. Legenda tells Doležal he will return to Emilka and his son. Emilka gives Jindřich the hidden jewels. The jewels owner makes her husband, baron Kubinsky, buy them back from the burglar. Legenda arranges that Jirka who wants to become a engine-driver to have a ride at an engine. The boy gets injured at a demonstration and Doležal refuses to get a doctor. Legenda handles it all and Emilka shows Doležal the door. Jindřich starts to work in a press room of the social democratic daily Právo Lidu but he is sacked as Wohryzek discloses his past. Legenda suffers from intense tuberculosis but Wohryzek makes him burglar in Switzerland. Legenda gets safely back to Prague but workers refuse to take the money. Legenda throws the money to fire in front of a desperate Wohryzek. Both of them are convicted of burglary. Legenda being seized accidentally shoots dead a policeman and then he gives up for Jirka's sake as he is with him. When parting Jirka addresses him Dad for the first time.

Cast

Eduard Cupák

lupič a anarchista Jindřich Legenda

Vladimír Menšík

anarchista Karel Wohryzek

Bohuslav Čáp

muzikant Rudi Doležal

Eliška Havránková

Emilka, Doležalova manželka

Jiří Kúkol

Jirka, syn Doležalové

Jiří Holý

baron Hugo Kubinský

Consuela Morávková

manželka Kubinského

Vladimír Brabec

policejní komisař Eminger

Martin Růžek

policejní ředitel dvorní rada Křikava

Josef Beyvl

politik Plavec

Josef Větrovec

JUDr. František Jáchym

Jaroslav Satoranský

redaktor Práva lidu Tichý

Čestmír Řanda

ředitel věznice

Eduard Dubský

komisař Hlavatý

Josef Hlinomaz

MUDr. Vičar

Ferdinand Krůta

cirkusák Janák

Miloš Nesvadba

šéf konfekce

Jaroslav Moučka

dělník a anarchista Matějka

Jan Skopeček

tajný Petříček

Ela Šárková

sousedka Paličková

Miloš Vavruška

policista u dvorního rady

Raoul Schránil

sluha ve vile

Ivo Gübel

faktor Huml

Hana Zagorová

zpěvačka Alice

Soňa Stenová

prostitutka

Karel Fořt

sluha Kubinského

Karel Hábl

Horowitz

Rudolf Horák

dr. Neumann z Chicage ve varieté

Jarmila Horská

sousedka Brtková

Vladimír Hrubý

vikomt Kristian v němém filmu

Valerie Chmelová

vychovatelka Klotylda v němém filmu

Ilona Jirotková

žena bez hlavy

Václav Kaňkovský

soused brzdař

Jiří Lír

číšník v kavárně

Jana Posseltová

Merunková

Josef Cmíral

příručí

Karel Klement

příručí

František Němec (2)

příručí

Petr Zámostný

příručí

Svatava Černá

zpěvačka

Ludmila Engelová

zpěvačka

Renée Nachtigallová

zpěvačka

Lubomír Pánek

zpěvák

Pavel Osif

policista

Karel Vítek

policista

Václav Fišer

zatýkající strážník

Jan Víšek

zatýkající strážník

Lubomír Krystlík

komisař

Karel Prchal

komisař

Josef Skrčený

zahradník

Kajetán Maudr

sluha v livreji

Mirko Musil

detektiv

Ivo Niederle

detektiv

Stanislav Šimek

šofér Šárl

Josef Maršík

kriminalista

Vladislav Špidra

kriminalista

František Svačina

artista Lojza

J. Vaněk

host

M. Svoboda

majitel bio

Jan Vlček

hlídač

Dubbing

Mirko Musil

hlas cirkusáka u orchestrionu/hlas policisty zatýkajícího Wohryzka

Václav Kaňkovský

hlas policisty odvádějícího Petříčka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Pour

Assistant Director

Vilém Kijonka, Hana Cvejnová

Screenstory

Karel Steklý

Screenplay

Karel Steklý

Shooting Script

Karel Steklý

Director of Photography

František Uldrich

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Nečesal

Camera Operator

Jiří Pechar

Production Designer

Věra Líznerová

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Kňákal

Set Designer

Jiří Čermák, Karel Lukáš, Karel Smrž

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jiří Zika, Ladislav Terš

Unit Production Manager

Karel Prchal, Jan Vild

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslava Semrádová

Consultant

Zdeněk Borkovec

Cooperation

Hana Macháčková (klapka), Miroslav Pešan (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Vlastimil Hála

Selected Music

Jacques Offenbach (Orfeus v podsvětí)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Zdeněk Jílek /klavír/

Songs

Koně, koně, koně

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Hana Zagorová

Kalinka

Song Composer Ivan Petrovič Larionov

Dubinuška

Song Composer lidová ruská píseň

Production info

Original Title

Lupič Legenda

Czech Title

Lupič Legenda

English Title

Legenda, the Robber

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production Year

1972

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 3 January 1972
start of filming 1 February 1972
technical Screenplay approved 17 March 1972
end of filming 4 September 1972
projection approval 27 September 1972
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

festival premiere 11 January 1973 (24. filmový festival pracujících – leden ´73)
premiere 9 March 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 22 March 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vojtěcha Trapla, Vojtěch Trapl (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

91 min

Original length in metres

2 575 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech