Crime in the Blue Star

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production year

1973

Premiere

22 February 1974

Runtime

88 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zločin v Modré hvězdě

Czech title

Zločin v Modré hvězdě

English title

Crime in the Blue Star

Summary

The fact that director Antonín Kachlík had converged with the new norms in Czechoslovak cinematography imposed under the “normalisation” period was demonstrated by this 1973 historical feature. Despite its title, the film is essentially not related to the crime genre. Its narrative – devised according to a secondary plot found in Ivan Olbracht’s novel Anna proletářka (Anna the Proletarian) – outlines the exposed dirty practices of social democrats that have been targeted at working people. The story of a corrupted MP, Jandák (Karel Šebesta), who has enriched himself through a sinister business involving fire extinguishers, is connected to dramatic events centred on Hungarian revolutionary Kerekes (Vladimír Kostovič). In an act of vengeance, he kills a guard who has tortured him in jail… Script editor and screenwriter Václav Šašek, formerly associated with cinema’s Czechoslovak New Wave, wrote the screenplay for this feature. It offers a typical interpretation of modern history through “class”.

Synopsis

It is the year 1920. A newly established Czechoslovak Republic is still very unstable. Workers in Prague revolt mainly against profiteers and unfair money-lenders. Jandák, a Parliament member for the social democrats, throws a party in his luxurious villa. He gained the wealth together with his brother by unfair trade with extinguishers. He is afraid of being revealed, and this is why he refuses to join his brother in another dirty business. Jandák's son Jaroslav, a law student and editor of the social democratic daily Právo lidu (People's Rights) meets a Hungarian revolutionary Sándor in an old house gateway. Sándor narrowly escaped death in a Hungarian jail. Regardless his father's protests, Jaroslav puts Sandor up in his apartment. Later he gets a shelter at carpenter Plecitý's workshop. Sándor coughs up blood. Upon a medical examination, the doctor finds out that he has tuberculosis that cannot be treated at this stage. Jandák has a firm political influence, and the opposition decides to remove him from public life. An opposition representative Hradský shows him a compromising photo of his taken at a night club and documents on his unfair sales of extinguishers. Jandák is asked to publicly retract from his revolutionary ideas, threatening to go public with the compromising materials. Walking in Prague streets, Sándor recognizes a cruel jail officer Bélaffy, following him to the Blue Star Hotel, where he kills him. Jandák takes care of his defence at the court, but his plea becomes an accusation and condemnation of revolution. Depressed Jaroslav leaves home. However, Plecitý assures him that their fight will go on in a new revolutionary party.

Cast

Karel Šebesta

poslanec JUDr. Karel Jandák

Petr Hanus

posluchač práv Jaroslav, Jandákův syn

Vladimír Kostovič

maďarský revolucionář Sándor Kerekes

Josef Langmiler

sekční šéf ministersta vnitra Hradský

Ota Sklenčka

MUDr. Brock

Květoslava Houdlová

Zdena, Karlova žena

Vladimíra Pospíšilová

Marta, dcera Jandákových

Jaroslav Rozsíval

Plecitý, bývalý rudoarmějec

Miroslav Vlček

hrabě Emerich Bélaffy

Milan Riehs

obchodník Machač, svědek u soudu

Viktor Maurer

sociální demokrat Mařík

František Velecký

kriminálník István Turay

Vladimír Stach

pekař Jan Jandák, Karlův bratr

Pavel Spálený

novinář Kolman z Národní politiky

Čestmír Válek

prokurátor

Jan Lorman

radikál

Václav Luks

radikál

Josef Koníček

tanečník

Bohumil Šmída

policejní rada Pochop

Svatopluk Šíp

předseda

Miroslav Samek

novinář z Práva lidu

Miroslav Mokošín

prodavač u novinového stojanu

František Kubíček

tajný policista

Zlata Jeřábková

přísedící

Soňa Žofie Kresáková

klavíristka

Luděk Kindl

Kosař

Václav Jeřábek

sazeč Dvořák

Lenka Fišerová

žebračka s dcerkou

Naděžda Zátková

sestřenice Dadla

Jan Sieber

barman

František Marek

majitel obchodu

Eva Lorenzová

číšnice

Martin Liška

státní žalobce

Karel Houska

poslanec

Vlastimil Čaněk

muž v uniformě

Václav Král

hostinský

Zdeněk Procházka (2)

funkcionář

Miloslav Novák

funkcionář

Miroslav Rous

funkcionář

Roman Holát

novinář

Karel Fiala

novinář

Václav Hladík

přísedící

Luděk Nešleha

muž u šibenice

Jaromír Tobola

muž u šibenice

Renáta Fröhlichová

tanečnice ohlašující čísla

Eva Boubelíková

tanečnice

Marcela Hrušková

tanečnice

Jana Kopecká

tanečnice

Dagmar Najdenová

tanečnice

Květa Střížková-Paulová

tanečnice

Helena Šafránková

tanečnice

Josef Endršt

hudebník

Karel Novák (hudebník)

hudebník

Josef Patroch

hudebník

Josef Pech

dirigent

Čestmír Preclík

hudebník

Slávka Hamouzová

divačka u soudu

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Lada Vacková

Assistant Director

Karel Brchel, Jana Vohryzková

Screenstory

Václav Šašek

Based on

Ivan Olbracht (Anna proletářka – román)

Director of Photography

Ivan Šlapeta

Second Unit Photography

Richard Valenta

Camera Operator

Oldřich Kovář

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Assistent Production Designer

Josef Kraus

Set Designer

Jaroslav Česal, Karel Kočí, Stanislav Krejča

Costume Designer

Zdena Kadrnožková

Make-Up Artist

František Čížek

Sound Designer

Jiří Pavlík

Production Manager

Jan Balzer

Unit Production Manager

Zdeňka Černá, Oldřich Mach

Unit Production Manager

Alena Lípová

Cooperation

Helena Matušková (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Vladimír Sommer

Selected Music

Bedřich Smetana (Večerní písně /Nekamenujte proroky/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Choreographer

Josef Koníček

Songs

Stivín se točí /Ježíšmarjá/

Writer of Lyrics Eduard Bass
Singer Václav Vondráček

Production info

Original Title

Zločin v Modré hvězdě

Czech Title

Zločin v Modré hvězdě

English Title

Crime in the Blue Star

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production Year

1973

Production specifications

projection approval 29 November 1973
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989

Premiere

premiere 21 February 1974 /suitable for youths/ (kina Sevastopol a Kosmos, Praha)
premiere 22 February 1974 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 469 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Hungarian

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Cena Antonína Zápotockého

1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Antonín Kachlík