Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production year

1973—1974

Premiere

30 August 1974

Runtime

98 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

Czech title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

English title

Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Working title

Vysoká fáze

Summary

In August 1974 Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak established themselves as screenwriters with the timeless tragicomedy Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!). They later worked with directory Oldřich Lipský on the student comedy „Marečku, podejte mi pero!“ (“Mareček, Please Pass Me a Pen!”). With the help of the writing duo, from 1976 associated with the Jára Cimrman Theatre, Lipský, then 50, found a way to come to terms creditably with the realities of the normalisation period. The king of Czech cinema parody after the escapist Slaměný klobouk (Straw Hat) (1971), children’s comedy 6 medvědů s Cibulkou (Six Bears and Cibulka) (1972) and agrarian agitprop Tři chlapi na cestách (Three Men Travelling) (1973), he shot his very first distinctively “casual” comedy bereft of fantasy elements. The story of timid young tractor driver František Koudelka, who moves from the country to Prague, revolves around a normalisation-era fad – the “conditiogram”. The makers succeeded in going beyond the standards of the period and created an “existential” comedy about man being the master of his own destiny. The shy, indecisive František organises his life completely on the basis of computer-generated plans specifying “happy” and “crisis” days for all activities. While on bad days the goodhearted naïf becomes a passive victim of his usual ineptness and misfortune, on “good days” he impresses the girl of his dreams, the sales assistant Blanka (Marta Vančurová), triumphs over an arrogant barman and wins a judo bout and motor race. Jam-packed with ideas, the picture is a Czech comedic gem, thanks to numerous charming scenes, enduring dialogue and above all perfect casting. Luděk Sobota, then a 29-year-old theatre actor, particularly stands out in his first sizable film part. The titular computer technician Jáchym is played by Petr Brukner in a cameo that lasts mere seconds.

Synopsis

A sincere provincial young man, František Koudelka leaves to work in Prague. For the trip he buys a computer made horoscope with biorhythms charts, marked according to his date of birth, there are trappy, precarious, unsuccessful and even critical days and few successful days. The clumsy luckless person František has finally a guidance for his life. In Prague he takes up work in a car repair service and he stays with his widowed aunt Mrs Sýkorová who definitely prefers her beloved dog Gregor. The company psychologist warns František. The car mechanics get big bribes from customers and it happens often that this flow of money makes many of them crazy. In a snack-bar, at the toast department works Blanka, the girl of his dreams. Despite his shyness he starts dating her after all. Barman Karel from the snack-bar is not happy to see that and he insults his competitor in love. The young man joins a judo club. He plans a revenge on Karel on the twenty-seventh - the nearest successful day. He goes to cinema repeatedly and he trains the punches according to the sheriff from the film. On the twenty-seventh František wins unexpectedly a judo match and a car race. He is forced to open an exhibition dressed up in the judo kimono. Full of energy he calls attention of the company psychologist. He calls attendants from a psychiatrist clinic. But they catch somebody else. In the end they save František from the revengeful Karel. After years František and Blanka live with their children in the countryside. An apology from the company which used to send him for years wrong horoscopes with biorhythms comes too late. František is happy and everything goes well. Just the new car which the company sent as a compensation went down to the nearest pond.

Cast

Luděk Sobota

automechanik František Koudelka

Marta Vančurová

prodavačka Blanka

Věra Ferbasová

tetička Marie Sýkorová

Josef Dvořák

automechanik Béda Hudeček

Ladislav Smoljak

vedoucí servisu Karfík

Zdeněk Svěrák

podnikový psycholog Klásek

Václav Lohniský

psychiatr docent Chocholoušek

Karel Novák

výčepní Karel

Eva Fiedlerová

Voice by Jaroslava Adamová
majitelka renaulta Nevyjelová

František Husák

zřízenec na psychiatrii Arnošt Holna

Josef Hlinomaz

zřízenec na psychiatrii Arnošt Malota

Miroslav Homola

vyvolávač

Lubomír Lipský

vrátný v servisu Prouza

Petr Nárožný

závodník Stanislav Volejník

Eva Svobodová

Františkova maminka

Josef Beyvl

vrátný v tělocvičně

Václav Kotva

uklízeč Karlík Šimák

František Peterka

vedoucí judistického oddílu Tumpach

Tetsuchi Sassagawa

japonský malíř Uko Ješita

Oldřich Velen

ředitel podniku Katoda Olomouc

Karel Augusta

mechanik Toník

Jan Vala

mechanik Maňas

Jiří Wimmer

mechanik Růžička

Jan Kuželka

mechanik

Oldřich Musil

předseda autoklubu

Vladimír Krška

ředitel výpočetního střediska

Josef Koza

vedoucí traktorové stanice Pechar

Jan Hartl

nový zaměstnanec Šofr

Antonín Navrátil

tajemník oddílu judo Otík

René Přibil

Voice by Vladimír Pospíšil
šerif ve filmu

Jaroslav Tomsa

Voice by Miroslav Saic
Mack ve filmu

Karel Peyr

pořadatel na startu závodu

Pavel Vondruška

hlasatel na utkání juda

Jaroslav Vozáb

hlasatel na výstavě psů

Jaroslav Weigel

zahajovatel výstavy japonských miniatur

Oldřich Unger

předseda výstavního výboru

Mirko Musil

výčepní v Koruně

Josef A. Stehlík

skladník Maršálek

Antonín Soukup

vítěz výstavy psů Janda

Karel Smrž

dědek z pohádky

Luisa Kollingerová

čarodějnice z pohádky

Josef Skrčený

chodec na silnici

Marie Prokešová

dívka v kimonu

Jana Posseltová

sestra na psychiatrii

Michal Pospíšil

traktorista Josef

Vladimír Hrabánek

prodavač v samoobsluze

Ivan Pokorný

adept juda Janeček

František Petiška

hlasatel na závodech automobilů

Ivan Martin

pán

Vilém Lipský

dveřník na Konopišti

Zdeněk Křeček

manžel dámy

Jana Drastíková

elegantní dáma

Dana Klossová

elegantní dáma

Olga Hrzánová

elegantní dáma

Petr Hájek

snaživý mechanik

Petr Brukner

manipulátor Jáchym

Alena Augustová

slečna pokladní v servisu

Josef Brozman

adept s pochroumanou rukou

Jiřina Bílá

pokladní kina

Miloň Čepelka

tlumočník do japonštiny

Josefa Pechlátová

Voice by Eva Svobodová
sousedka Nevyjelové

Vlastimila Vlková

uvaděčka Mrázková

Petr Jákl

judista/rozhodčí judistických závodů

Jiří Mašín

judista

Zdeněk Hrdlička

judista

Karel Vítek

rváč v restauraci

Jaroslav Klenot

rváč v restauraci

Václav Kejha

dubl za Petra Hájka

Václav Syřiště

dubl za Petra Nárožného

pes Andy

boxer Gregor

Dubbing

Lubomír Lipský

hlas stařečka s kosou

Antonín Jedlička

hlas vypravěče pohádky v televizi

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Aleš Dospiva

Assistant Director

Jiří Býček

Shooting Script

Oldřich Lipský

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Kučera

Second Unit Photography

Oldřich Hubáček

Camera Operator

Jiří Pospíšil

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Vokr

Set Designer

Ladislav Winkelhöfer, Antonín Chloupek, Vladimír Ježek, Krištof Žižka

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Frimlová, Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Přemysl Pražský, Milana Melcerová

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslava Semrádová

Cooperation

Kateřina Koňasová (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Nepátrej ve snáři

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Singer mužský hlas

Production info

Original Title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

Czech Title

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje!

English Title

Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!

Working Title

Vysoká fáze

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1974

Production Year

1973—1974

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 16 July 1973
start of filming 24 July 1973
technical Screenplay approved 4 September 1973
end of filming 20 March 1974
projection approval 26 March 1974
withdrawal from distribution 28 February 1983
withdrawal from distribution 31 May 1993

Premiere

preview 27 June 1974 (kino Blaník, Praha)
premiere 30 August 1974 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 2 September 1974 /suitable for youths/ (kino Blaník, Praha)
renewed premiere 1 October 1984 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 26 August 2021 /suitable for all ages without limit/

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1974 a obnovená 1984), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2021)

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 674 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Japanese

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 13. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Lipský

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Marta Vančurová

Vítěz

Event: Prémie Českého literárního fondu za rok 1974

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Kučera

Vítěz

Event: Múzy pražských diváků

1975
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Lipský

Vítěz

Exhibition: 3. mezinárodní přehlídka humoristických filmů La Coruña

1975
La Caruña / Spain

Vítěz

Exhibition: Přehlídka českých a slovenských filmů 74 Sorrento

1974
Sorrento / Italy
Oldřich Lipský