Playground

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1975

Production year

1975

Premiere

20 February 1976

Runtime

96 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Hřiště

Czech title

Hřiště

English title

Playground

Summary

Yet another contribution to the list of enthusiastic, post-1968 socialism-building film dramas was Hřiště (Playground, 1975), directed by Štěpán Skalský. The main protagonist is a young civil engineer who upon graduating joins a prestigious design studio. Young Turna is blissfully unaware that his position has been previously arranged by his father, a prominent architect. After the clueless rookie attempts to steal a design created by his Canadian colleague, the truth comes to light. The flawed hero later finds redemption in a motorway bridge construction project... This standard-for-the-times tale about a conceited young intellectual who is set on the right tracks by honest outdoor work is only lifted above mediocrity by a strong performance from Jiří Bartoška in his first leading role. The part of the father comprised the last film performance of Karel Höger. In the 1970s, director Skalský also collaborated with screenwriter Karel Steigerwald in creating a similarly attuned film, environmental drama Čistá řeka (Pure River, 1978).

Synopsis

A fresh graduate, civil engineer Luděk Turna decides on his future. His former girl-friend Jana left him because of his vanity and touchy moods. But Luděk says it was him who left her. Although he has agreed to leave with his fellow students to build a motorway, he accepts a job in a prestigious architecture office. His father, an important architect approves his decision. Soon after he joins the office, Luděk gets an individual task. He shall make a competition project of a sanatorium for miners in the Krušné hory mountains He gets to work eagerly and he refuses advice of his father who leaves to Belgium for work. In the office they expect maliciously his failure, only designer Polda trusts Luděk unconditionally. But Luděk is unequal to this task. When the deadline approaches he finds in his father´s rich documentation a similar project of a Canadian architect. He hands in this draft slightly modified as his own work. The boss is excited and expects that Luděk's project will win. But architect Turna recognizes his son's cheat and he is very disappointed. As chance would have it he learns shortly after that from Polda that he got the job thanks to the influence of his father. He feels humiliated and decides to solve it radically. He confesses to the boss and leaves Prague to build a motorway bridge. He devotes all his power to his work and to an innovation suggestion which can stop wasting of wood. After some time his father visits him and they have it out with each other. Luděk is finally happy and one day he even gets a visit from Jana.

Cast

Jiří Bartoška

stavař Ing. Luděk Turna

Karel Höger

architekt Turna, Luďkův otec

Eliška Balzerová

meteoroložka Jana zvaná Rozmarýna

Vladimír Menšík

stavitel Louda

Zora Božinová

Turnová, Luďkova matka

Jana Riháková

kreslička Polda

Miloš Nedbal

profesor Vinklář

Bedřich Prokoš

ředitel ateliéru Omega

Karel Heřmánek

stavař Míša Anděl, Luďkův kamarád

Vladimír Kratina

stavař a předseda SSM Vladimír

Jan Hartl

stavař Holý, Luďkův spolužák

Jiří Lábus

stavař Vágner, Luďkův spolužák

Eva Čeřovská

stavařka Ivana, Luďkova spolužačka

Josef Langmiler

architekt Werniš, zaměstnanec Omegy

Václav Neužil

architekt Jan Frejka, zaměstnanec Omegy

František Němec

architekt, zaměstnanec Omegy

Karel Šebesta

architekt Hromada, zaměstnanec Omegy

Václav Mareš

inženýr Horák

Miroslav Moravec

inženýr Bázler

Karel Urbánek

stavbyvedoucí Halma

Vladimír Ptáček

dělník Růžička

Vladimír Švabík

dělník Šrámek

Karel Koloušek

dělník Ciboch

Ladislav Trojan

dělník Kápl

Vlastimil Hašek

stavebník Tauchman

Karel Augusta

stavebník

Valerie Chmelová

televizní moderátorka

Eduard Žemla

podporučík VB

Jaromír Spal

správce kurtů

Josef Střecha

otec Holého

Jiřina Bílá

matka Holého

Jindra Kvardová

matka na promoci

Jana Robenková

matka na promoci

Jan Waldmann

řidič Tatry

Zdeněk Hübner

dělník

Martha Elefteriadu

zpěvačka v televizi

Tena Elefteriadu

zpěvačka v televizi

Karel Steigerwald

mladík v baru

Ing. Jaromír Beránek

dubl za Karla Urbánka

Zdeněk Míka

dubl za Jaromíra Spala

Věra Suková

dubl za Elišku Balzerovou

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Lada Vacková

Assistant Director

Václav Křístek, Bohumila Potůčková

Shooting Script

Štěpán Skalský

Director of Photography

Miroslav Ondříček, Jiří Krob (letecké záběry)

Second Unit Photography

Eduard Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jiří Zavřel

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Miroslav Himmer, Marcel Kříž, Eva Slívová

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Bobková, Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Adolf Böhm

Production Manager

Jan Syrový

Unit Production Manager

Vladimíra Kopecká, Věra Lukášová

Unit Production Manager

Václav Eisenhamer

Consultant

Ing. Jaromír Beránek, Věra Suková

Cooperation

Ivana Malíková (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Ředitelství silnic a dálnic Praha, Vojenské stavby Brno, Inženýrské stavby Košice, Stavby silnic a železnic Praha

Music

Music Composed by

Martin Kratochvíl

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Martin Kratochvíl), Jazz Q (Music Conducted by Martin Kratochvíl)

Songs

Noční cesta velkoměsta

Song Composer Aleš Sigmund
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Žák
Singer Martha ElefteriaduTena Elefteriadu

Pes policejní, nad kterého není

Singer Josef Langmiler

Production info

Original Title

Hřiště

Czech Title

Hřiště

English Title

Playground

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1975

Production Year

1975

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 19 February 1976 /suitable for youths/ (kino Letka, Praha)
premiere 20 February 1976 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

96 min

Original length in metres

2 728 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 14. festival českých a slovenských filmů Brno

1976
Brno / Czechoslovakia