The Case of the Dead Man
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1974Production year
1974Premiere
30 May 1975Runtime
99 minDirector
Dušan KleinCategory
filmGenre
crime, spyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Případ mrtvého mužeCzech title
Případ mrtvého mužeEnglish title
The Case of the Dead ManWorking title
Stará stopaSummary
Director Dušan Klein made a sequence of popular crime dramas during the 1970s. However, Případ mrtvého muže (The Case of the Dead Man, 1974) stands apart from Jeden z nich je vrah (One of Them Is the Murderer, 1970), Zatykač na královnu (A Warrant Against the Queen, 1973) and Sázka na třináctku (A Bet on Thirteen, 1977) in that it was set during the 1950s and draws on the decade’s heightened Cold War themes. The film was also inspired by a real murder case which had not been solved. This spy-crime thriller centres on efforts by police to uncover the identity of a Western spy. Among the suspects is a deaf-mute man with amnesia, as doubts emerge that Karel Neumann is feigning his impairments... An actor of Slovak descent Július Vašek stars in this mostly unremarkable feature. The role of the investigator trying to uncover Neumann’s true identity was a familiar one for Jaroslav Moučka.
Synopsis
The year is 1955. An agent in a balloon trespasses the West frontier, immediately afterwards shoots dead the driver of a lorry awaiting him in the woods, and takes to flight. The body buried under the stones and the gondola balloons is soon found. The finger prints at the bottle belong to the waiter Voráč who fled last year to Austria. The investigators Major Sojka and Captain Erba are tipping of the persons, detained last time at the frontier, a deaf-and-dumb man. The man puts down at the slip of paper his name Karel Neumann and also the statement that he suffers loss of memory. The doctors after thorough examination do not eliminate deafness and amnesia. Neumann is released and takes up work in the sand-pit. There is successfully arrested Voráč but he has nothing to do with murder. Neumann becomes friends with nurse Vacková. An other trace leads to the town of Carlsbad. In the meantime a badly braked car almost runs over Neumann and the endured shock returns him speech and hearing. His photograph, printed due to the accent of his speech in Polish newspapers, brings to the police Mrs Sosnowská. Nevertheless, face to face to the old woman Neumann denies that he is her son missing since the war. He marries Vacková and assumes her surname. The barman at Carlsbad, cooperating with the police, invites the agent for a meeting. To the dining car in a train there comes Neumann and after grasping he is disclosed he jumps out of the train during journey and he shoots himself dead.
Photos
Cast
Július Vašek
agent-dělník Karel Neumann, později Karel Vacek, vlastním jménem Florek Sosnowski
Jaroslav Moučka
major VB Sojka
Václav Mareš
kapitán VB Erba
Libuše Švormová
zdravotní sestra Vacková, později Karlova žena
Karla Chadimová
agentka-artistka Sylva Neuwirthová
Josef Somr
agent-číšník Ladislav Voráč
Bohumil Šmída
agent-řidič Hanzi Carona, Sylvin asistent
Jaroslav Satoranský
kriminalista poručík VB Tesař
Miroslav Moravec
kriminalista poručík VB Konrád
Jan Schánilec
kriminalista podporučík VB Klimeš
Zita Kabátová
Polka Sosnowská, Florkova matka
Leon Niemczyk
polský kriminalista plukovník Tokarz
Jaroslav Cmíral
barman Kaiser
Miroslav Vladyka
Voice by Gustav Bubník
Jarek, syn Vackové
Zdena Burdová
dělnice Zdena
Karel Vochoč
dělník Máček
Vladimír Hrabánek
dělník Standa
Jan Kuželka
tlustý dělník
Tomáš Töpfer
Voice by Jan Faltýnek
dělník Fred
Viktor Maurer
dělník Kondr
Vladimír Leraus
profesor MUDr. Sládek, lékař v ústavu pro hluchoněmé
Miloš Willig
MUDr. Bauer
Milan Riehs
MUDr. Jahn
Pavel Jiras
řidič náklaďáku
Josef Hajdučík
celník
Petr Skarke
poručík letectva
Miloš Zavřel
kriminalista z pohraničí
Václav Hladík
kriminalista z Karlových Varů
Věra Vlčková
Jaroslava, Voráčova žena, rozená Nývltová
Jiří Wohanka
montér Jiří, Voráčův bratr
Milan Sandhaus
lesník
Jan Krafka
Žorž
Gustav Heverle
garážmistr
Václav Kotva
Soukup
Zdeněk Hess
poručík Pohraniční stráže
Jarmila Šmídová
Voice by Luba Skořepová
úřednice na poště
Antonín Soukup
domovník
Jiřina Bílá
Voice by Luba Skořepová
matrikářka
Magdalena Rychlíková
zdravotní sestra
Vladimír Gacík
Voice by Mirko Musil
řidič sedanu
Václav Hrůza
fotograf
Josef Koza
Voice by Mirko Musil
vlakvedoucí
Ladislav Šimek
lesník
Naděžda Bachnerová
servírka
Josef Starosta
tanečník
Judita Martínková
tanečnice
Stanislava Martínková
tanečnice
Stanislava Tomšovská
tanečnice
Daniela Vondráčková
tanečnice
Stanislav Novotný
kapelník
Václav Král
hudebník
Wolfgang Hauer
hudebník
Pavel Štemberk
hudebník
Jan Vacek
hudebník
Jiří Plachý
dubl za Júlia Vaška
Ludvík Wolf
dubl za Josefa Somra
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Jiří Prokeš
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Jindřich Kühnel, Dušan Klein, Václav Šašek, Karel Cop (spolupráce na dialozích)
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Zdeněk Jeřábek (vedoucí výpravy), Rudolf Kinský, Pavel Šťastný
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jana Koubová, Ladislav Beneš
Unit Production Manager
Miloslav Černohlávek
Consultant
František Blanař
Cooperation
Marcela Žížalová (klapka), Vladimír Souček (fotograf), Tiskový odbor Ministerstva vnitra ČSSR
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Songs
Lavička v jasmínu
Song Composer Miloslav Ducháč
Writer of Lyrics Miroslav Zikán
Singer Yvetta Simonová
Dva modré balónky
Song Composer Bedřich Nikodem
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Hořec
Singer Josef Zíma
Production info
Original Title
Případ mrtvého muže
Czech Title
Případ mrtvého muže
English Title
The Case of the Dead Man
Working Title
Stará stopa
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime, spy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1974
Production Year
1974
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 8 January 1974
start of filming 2 May 1974
technical Screenplay approved 21 June 1974
end of filming 3 December 1974
projection approval 20 December 1974
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989
Premiere
festival premiere 21 February 1975 (13. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha /kino Světozor, Praha/)
premiere 8 May 1975 /suitable for youths/ (kino 64 U Hradeb, Praha)
premiere 30 May 1975 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Laboratories
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
99 min
Original length in metres
2 781 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, Polish
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
