The Singing Film

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production year

1972

Premiere

20 April 1973

Runtime

81 min

Category

film

Genre

music, compilation

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zpívající film

Czech title

Zpívající film

English title

The Singing Film

Summary

Vladimír Sís is among the filmmakers who in the 1960s incorporated the montage phenomenon into Czech cinematography. While the features Král komiků (King of Comedians, 1963) and Sólo pro Jaroslava Marvana (Solo for Jaroslav Marvan, 1971) inclined towards the documentary genre, Hudba kolonád (Music in Colonnades, 1975) and Blues for EFB (Blues for EFB, 1980) combined the classical genre with a heavy staged framework. In Zpívající film (1972), for example, the singer Waldemar Matuška tries to find the lost song of an unhappy singer (Helena Vondráčková) and thus ventures into the world of Czech musicals… In this montage feature, Sís uses film clips from 1931 (On a jeho sestra – Him and His Sister) up to 1970 (Ďábelské líbánky – Devilish Honeymoon). In the feature, built also on the popularity of the Matuška–Vondráčková duo, the quality of the older Czech productions stands out due to the expert craftsmanship of their creators and actors, and the singing of those in the leading roles.

Synopsis

A bearded man arrives in the theatre where a famous singer performs. The performance is sold out, and the man struggles in vain to get in, talking over an uncompromising porter. Eventually he is unmercifully doused with water, even with his large bunch of flowers. The admirer succeeds in seeing the star after the performance. The singer is unhappy because she has somehow lost an old song of hers. The man sets off to the world of Czech music films to find a felicitous evergreen for his beloved lady to please her. Various scenes and songs from different movies are used, such as Lemonade Joe, The Heroic Captain Korkorán, The Undertaker, I'll Give My Wife in Marriage, Him and His Sister, During Quiet Nights, If a Thousand Clarinets, Madla Sings to Europe, Crime in the Night-Club, The Hotel Modrá hvězda, The Poacher's Foster Daughter, Kristian, The Minister's Girlfriend, Nocturnal Butterfly, The Hard Life of an Adventurer, Devilish Honeymoon, A Sign of the Anchor. Finally, the man returns to the theatre with many tunes and a grateful singer sings a duet with him.

Cast

Helena Vondráčková

slavná zpěvačka

Frank Towen

vrátný divadla

H. Bartíková

tanečnice

Antonín Dvořák (tanečník)

tanečník

M. Dvořáková (tanečnice)

tanečnice

J. Laštovka (tanečník)

tanečník

M. Laštovková

tanečnice

V. Nerad

tanečník

A. Rejhon

tanečník

V. Smejkal

tanečník

J. Smejkalová

tanečnice

I. Sladkovská

tanečnice

L. Vávra

tanečník

D. Vávrová

tanečnice

skupina Kamarádi táborových ohňů

trampové

František Friedrich

tramp

Vladislav Morava

tramp

Zdeněk Skarlandt

tramp

Petr Třebický

tramp

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Zdeňka Slunéčková

Assistant Director

Marie Ryšlinková

Screenstory

Vladimír Sís

Screenplay

Vladimír Sís

Shooting Script

Vladimír Sís

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Second Unit Photography

Václav Helliman

Camera Operator

Bohumil Vodička

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Jaromír Švarc

Set Designer

Jan Petrů, Václav Pošta, Jiří Žůček

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Assistant Film Editor

Gabriela Globočníková

Production Manager

Jiří Bečka

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Vlk, František Jaderník

Unit Production Manager

Antonín Kubový

Consultant

Myrtil Frída

Cooperation

Miroslav Pešan (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Já znám dámu ze šantánu

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Waldemar Matuškasbor

Hele, hele, krásná Helena

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Vokální soubor Lubomíra Pánka

Miláčku, budu filmová hvězda

Song Composer John LennonPaul McCartney
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Helena Vondráčková

Kam zmizel ten starý song

Song Composer Melanie Safka
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Helena Vondráčková

Já hledám, hledám píseň

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Waldemar Matuška

Balada Mexico Kida

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Waldemar Matuška

Whisky to je moje gusto

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Květa Fialová [dab]Yvetta Simonová

Francka a Johny

Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Josef HiršalJosef Škvorecký
Singer Miloš Kopecký

Písnička pro Zuzanu

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Waldemar Matuška

Když v báru houstne dým

Song Composer Vlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Květa Fialová [dab]Yvetta Simonová

Směj se, mé srdce, směj

Song Composer Julius Kalaš
Writer of Lyrics Josef NeubergFrantišek Vlček
Singer Hana Vítová [dab]Vilma Meyerová

Horácův pohřební blues

Song Composer Jan Rychlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Brdečka
Singer Miloš Kopecký

Parodie na cizojazyčné písně /z filmu Funebrák/

Song Composer Dalibor Pták
Writer of Lyrics Vlasta Burian
Singer Vlasta Burian

Zakázané ovoce

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer Ljuba Hermanová

Tak velká láska

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Mottl
Singer Bohuslav KupšovskýJana RomanováVladimír Salač

Růžové psaníčko

Song Composer Jára Beneš
Writer of Lyrics Emanuel BrožíkFráňa Vodička
Singer Anny Ondráková

Po starých zámeckých schodech

Song Composer Karel Hašler
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hašler
Singer Karel HašlerWaldemar Matuška

Zdá se mi

Song Composer Roman Blahník
Writer of Lyrics K. M. Walló
Singer Hana Vítová [dab]Míla Spazierová-Hezká

Glory Glory haleluja

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Karel GottWaldemar MatuškaEva Pilarováženský sbor

Ty lesovské stráně

Song Composer František Svojík
Writer of Lyrics František Kudrna
Singer Zdenka Sulanová

Ach, miluji vás

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva PilarováJiří Šlitr

Kolena

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva Pilarová

Sám já chodívám rád

Song Composer Eman Fiala
Writer of Lyrics Josef Gruss
Singer Waldemar Matuška

Jen pro ten dnešní den

Song Composer Sláva Emanuel Nováček
Writer of Lyrics Josef Gruss
Singer Oldřich Nový

Slunečnice

Song Composer Sláva Emanuel Nováček
Writer of Lyrics Josef Gruss
Singer Inka Zemánková

Každý musí někdy něco mít

Song Composer Eman Fiala
Writer of Lyrics Josef Gruss
Singer R. A. Dvorský

Oči čokoládové

Song Composer Jiří Mihule
Writer of Lyrics František Kudrna
Singer Oldřich Nový

Noční motýl

Song Composer Johann Strauss ml.
Writer of Lyrics K. M. Walló
Singer Hana Vítová [dab]Míla Spazierová-Hezká

Motýl

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří ŠlitrJana Malknechtová

To se nikdo nedoví

Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Waldemar MatuškaHelena Vondráčková

Production info

Original Title

Zpívající film

Czech Title

Zpívající film

English Title

The Singing Film

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music, compilation

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production Year

1972

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 April 1972
start of filming 22 May 1972
technical Screenplay approved 23 June 1972
end of filming 12 October 1972
projection approval 31 October 1972
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 20 April 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 31 May 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna, Praha)

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

81 min

Original length in metres

2 310 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

Festival: 6. mezinárodní filmový festival Červeného kříže a zdravotnických filmů Varna

1975
Varna / Bulgaria