The High Blue Wall

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production year

1973

Premiere

13 September 1974

Runtime

91 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, political

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vysoká modrá zeď

Czech title

Vysoká modrá zeď

English title

The High Blue Wall

Summary

The first Czech film to be made with 70mm film technology was created to mark the 30th anniversary of the independent Czechoslovak air force. Directed by Vladimír Čech in 1973, the film is inspired by the novel Osm a půl sestřelu (Eight-and-a-half Shootdowns) by author Vladimír Podzimek. The narrative is played out in 1951, and sees air force commander Jelínek (Jiří Bednář) nostalgically looking back to the formative days of Czech military aviation. Years ago, when first starting out, Jelínek even found himself at odds with his strict commander Dvořák (Martin Růžek). But both soldiers are ultimately joined together by the hope that new Soviet military aircraft will help secure the country’s borders against Western aggression. The film is an unabashed early “normalisation” attempt at rehabilitating the Stalinist era. The Czechoslovak People's Army (ČLA) and Svazarm (the Union for Cooperation with the Army) assisted with the production. Vysoká modrá zeď (The High Blue Wall) benefits from realistically staged aircraft battle sequences.

Synopsis

The young captain Jelínek, the top-ranking executive of the army air force, has been recalling the year 1951 when he joined military unit at the western border. He was a second-in-command responsible for political issues. The commander of the flying unit, general Dvořák who is his superior officer a feared but respected man, was imprisoned in a concentration camp during the World War II. Later he dedicated his family life to his profession. Jelínek has to prepare a lecture for the commanders, being grateful to his older colleague for helping him with choosing an appropriate text. The unit leaders do not let him know that it has been several times they heard the same lecture. Dvořák forbids Jelínek from organizing pilots as volunteers to built new apartments, but he tolerates his rising relationship to a secretary Libuška. The flying unit expects a supply of new Soviet fighters to provide for the "high blue wall" - protection against western armies. Old military aircraft is not capable of preventing the intrusion of leaflets carrying air balloons and American fighters. On the contrary, two Czech soldiers fly over to West Germany. Pilot Netopil though returns back soon. His apology for an emergency landing is accepted, but despite that, he is transferred to ground maintenance and supplies. Dvořák is very unhappy about the death of a nineteen years old pilot of the Aero Club, whose shot down he had to approve. The crash of an air balloon with an airliner causes death of several civilians. Soviet instructors arrive with the new aircrafts, and Czech pilots enthusiastically and successfully undertake the training. In a short time they have an opportunity to demonstrate their skills when forcing an intruding American military aircraft to land on our territory.

Cast

Martin Růžek

generál Dvořák, velitel leteckého svazu

Jiří Bednář

kapitán Luboš Jelínek, zástupce pro věci politické

Jiří Němeček

plukovník Šmíd

Josef Langmiler

major Josef Švestka

Josef Chvalina

major Pekař

Gustav Heverle

major Pecka

Vanda Švarcová

sekretářka Libuška

Jiří Krampol

poručík Zdenek Netopil

Ladislav Trojan

poručík Vašíček

Vladimír Brabec

major Pilař

Oldřich Velen

major Sluka

Josef Beyvl

stavbyvedoucí Nohýnek

Světla Amortová

hospodyně Málková

Hana Čížková

Nehodová, Netopilova bývalá dívka

Jitka Zelenohorská

poručice Boučková, meteoroložka

Miloš Vavruška

nadporučík Vinopal

Miloš Willig

generál z ministerstva národní obr

Zdeněk Braunschläger

staršina Hanák

Jaroslav Mareš

staršina Havlín

Josef Hajdučík

major Přikryl

Vladimír Navrátil

plukovník Hájek

Petr Traxler

nadporučík Němeček

Jiřina Bílá

generálova sekretářka

Jana Hermachová

generálova písařka

Zuzana Talpová

písařka Věra

Ilona Jirotková

sekretářka majora Švestky

Slávka Hamouzová

žena s deštníkem na zastávce

Jindřich Kostinec

důstojník

pplk. Ing. Josef Pavlík

americký pilot L 29

Alice Netíková

tanečnice poručice Petráková

Jan Hotěk

člen zabezpečovací skupiny

Miroslav Pechek

člen zabezpečovací skupiny

Šárka Jerieová

obsluha radiolokátoru

Vladimír Novák

řidič

Emanuel Špánek

řidič

Jaroslav Chrz

řidič

Jaroslav Přáda

člen posádky C 11

Pavel Kocfelda

člen posádky C 11

Ladislav Čáslavka

člen posádky C 11

Zdeněk Skalický

člen posádky Mig 15

Josef Szakoš

člen posádky Mig 15

Jiří Tomeš

člen posádky Mig 15

Bohuslav Úlehla

člen posádky Mig 15

Jaroslav Havlina

člen posádky Mig 15

František Kočí

člen posádky Il 14

Bohumil Raš

člen posádky Il 14

Antonín Růžička

člen posádky Il 14

Radoslav Slezák

člen posádky Il 14

Josef Štěpánek

člen posádky Il 14

Oldřich Beneš

voják

Radoslav Charvát

voják

Josef Martinovský

voják

Jan Morava

voják

Antonín Škovránek

voják

Karel Štamfest

voják

Karel Bezděk

hudebník

František Myšák

hudebník

Vladimír Rejmíš

hudebník

Vratislav Rejmíš

hudebník

Vratislav Rejmíš ml.

hudebník

Luděk Rýva

hudebník

Jiří Smolík

hudebník

Michal Blahout

tanečník

Antonín Dvořák (tanečník)

tanečník

Josef Luňák

tanečník

Blanka Podlešáková

tanečnice

Božena Rejmíšová

tanečnice

Libuše Růžková

tanečnice

Evžen Růžek

sólový tanečník

Václav Veselý

dubl za Jiřího Krampola

Lubomír Kolář

dubl za Vladimíra Brabce

příslušníci letectva Československé lidové armády

členové Aeroklubu, Svazarmu Ostrava

Dubbing

Viktor Maurer

hlas pilota ve vysílačce

Jan Kuželka

hlas pilota ve vysílačce

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Vácha

Assistant Director

Stanislav Ulver

Screenstory

Václav Podzimek

Based on

Václav Podzimek (Osm a půl sestřelu – novela)

Shooting Script

Vladimír Čech

Director of Photography

Václav Huňka, Jiří Krob

Second Unit Photography

Zdeněk Prchlík

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška, Bohuslav Kulič

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Kňákal

Set Designer

Petr Hanousek, Josef Müller, Jiří Žůček

Costume Designer

Adolf Wenig, Marie Wenigová

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Assistant Film Editor

Eliška Willigová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Karel Škop, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Milan Futera

Consultant

pplk. Ing. Josef Pavlík, Jan Hotěk, plk. Jan Kovář, Zbyšek Svoboda

Cooperation

T. Hospodářová (klapka), Josef Janoušek (fotograf), letecký útvar ČSLA Ostrava

Music

Music Composed by

Štěpán Lucký

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Kalinka

Song Composer Ivan Petrovič Larionov
Writer of Lyrics Ivan Petrovič Larionov
Singer Alexandrovci

Production info

Original Title

Vysoká modrá zeď

Czech Title

Vysoká modrá zeď

English Title

The High Blue Wall

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, political

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production Year

1973

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 1 November 1972
start of filming 20 February 1973
technical Screenplay approved 26 April 1973
end of filming 26 October 1973
projection approval 31 October 1973
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989

Premiere

festival premiere 13 June 1974 (25. filmový festival pracujících – červen ´74)
premiere 16 June 1974 /suitable for youths/ (kino Veletrhy a Sportovní hala Parku kultury a oddechu Julia Fučíka, Praha)
premiere 13 September 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

91 min

Original length in metres

2 548 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm, 70mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono, stereo

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu za rok 1974

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vladimír Čech

Vítěz

Event: Literární soutěž k 25. výročí Února

1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Václav Podzimek

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival českých a slovenských filmů Nitra

1974
Nitra / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 25. filmový festival pracujících – červen '74

1974
45 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Event: Literární soutěž k 25. výročí Února

1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vladimír Čech

Revue

Film’s big 70 – 70 mm films and cinemas in Czechoslovakia

Films screened using the original 70 mm copy are something of a holy grail for cinema connoisseurs demanding nothing but...