Sirius
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1974Production year
1974Premiere
14 November 1975Runtime
49 minDirector
František VláčilCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionmediumOriginal title
SiriusCzech title
SiriusEnglish title
SiriusWorking title
Poslední východisko / Asmar / Zánik velkého psaSummary
Village teenager František does not pay much attention to the hardships that his parents had to endure during the Nazi occupation. Rather, the boy develops a strong friendship with his Alsatian dog Sirius. But František’s life is also set to be disrupted by violence – from the very creatures he considers to be man’s best friend. Gestapo officers are using trained dogs to capture the boy’s escaped father. When Sirius is about to be also seized by the Gestapo officers, František embarks on a futile battle for his best friend’s life. Running at just 50 minutes, this film is a second Gottwaldov Studios (today Zlín) shorter feature from director František Vláčil, following his previous 54-minute Pověst o stříbrné jedli (The Legend of the Silver Fir, 1973). The “normalisation” climate caused the director to give up on any notion of making artistically worthwhile films for mature audiences. Nonetheless, Vláčil was able to stay true to the values espoused in his previous works. Michal Vavruša stars in this harshly poetic picture.
Synopsis
The best friend of a twelve year old village boy František is a small wolf-hound Sirius. The dog is waiting every day for the boy on a hill and then he plays with him. František likes the sky by night and so he swops one day his only pair of shoes for a nightglass. His pregnant mother is angry. There is a war and things are not available. A German tanker train is passing the switchtower where the entire family lives. In several moments there is an explosion, the train is on fire. Gestapo breaks into the switchtower. They find there a mother with a boy, the father escaped through the window. The Germans catch him up soon with the help of trained dogs. Inhabitants from the surrounding villages are called upon to bring their dogs and hand them over to Germans. František does not want to give his Sirius to the Germans. He closes him in a fence in the wood and he brings him food in a tommy. One day the dog runs away. The desperate František asks the gamekeeper for help. But he can do only one thing - to shoot Sirius.
Photos
Cast
Michal Vavruša
František zvaný Fanek
Jana Hlaváčková
Kalašová, Františkova matka
Karel Chromík
hradlař Kalaš, Františkův otec
Vladimír Jedenáctík
Voice by Zdeněk Kryzánek
hajný
Bořivoj Navrátil
gestapák
Karel Hábl
Voice by Jindřich Narenta
důstojník SS
Petr Holcer
poddůstojník Schupo
George Pokrovskij
poddůstojník Schupo
Miroslav Pechar
řidič
Ivo Hepner
poddůstojník SS
Jaroslav Toms
poddůstojník SS
Pavel Jiras
železničář
Milan Rabas
policista
Jan Hrušínský
vesnický chlapec
Milan Jonáš
strojvůdce
Commentary
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Commentary by
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Set Designer
Eva Slívová, Marcel Kříž
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Assistant Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Petr Svozílek
Consultant
Cooperation
Ivana Hanusová, Marta Havlíčková, Pavel Vácha, Vladimír Pospíšil
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Production info
Original Title
Sirius
Czech Title
Sirius
English Title
Sirius
Working Title
Poslední východisko / Asmar / Zánik velkého psa
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1974
Production Year
1974
Production specifications
projection approval 19 March 1975
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1982
Premiere
premiere 14 November 1975 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Laboratories
Distribution
Technical info
Duration typology
medium length film
Duration in minutes
49 min
Original length in metres
1 375 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 14. festival českých a slovenských filmů Brno
1976
Brno / Czechoslovakia
František Vláčil
Vítěz
Event: 14. mezinárodní soutěž filmů pro děti Gijón
1976
Gijón / Spain
Vítěz
Festival: 15. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1975
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
František Vláčil
Vítěz
Festival: 4. festival dětských filmů České Budějovice
1975
České Budějovice / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 15. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1975
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 10. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Teherán
1975
Teherán / Iran
Vítěz
Festival: 15. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1975
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
