Foals in the River

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1975

Production year

1975

Premiere

11 June 1976

Runtime

90 min

Director

Hynek Bočan

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Plavení hříbat

Czech title

Plavení hříbat

English title

Foals in the River

Summary

The successful collaboration between director Hynek Bočan and Moravian writer Jan Kostrhun took off with the drama Plavení hříbat (Foals in the River, 1975). The film, inspired by the writer’s novella Prázdniny (Holidays), was then followed by Tvář za sklem (The Face behind the Glass, 1979), Pytláci (Poachers, 1981) and Vinobraní (The Grape Harvest, 1982). The protagonist of Plavení hříbat, set in an idyllic South Moravian village over the summer holidays, is agricultural college student Vinca Adámek. Though he is offered a post as an assistant lecturer at his alma mater, his summer stay in his native village leads him to consider opting for a “real” job instead. While the role of Vinca was given to Bočan’s preferred actor Ivan Vyskočil, the director cast an older generation of members of the acting elite as the villagers (Jiří Sovák, Vlastimil Brodský and Vladimír Menšík, among others). Vladimír Dlouhý took on the part of the protagonist’s unfortunate friend Olin.

Synopsis

After his final exams Vinca Adámek, a student at the Agricultural University in Prague, gets an offer to stay on at the faculty as a junior lecturer. His fellow student Ilona invites him to a trip to Orava in Slovakia in the vacation, but Vinca refuses. Once he courted Ilona, but she only offered him friendship. Now he has a serious relationship with the teacher Marie, and in any case his father expects him to work on the cooperative farm during the vacation. On his return to his native village, however, he finds that his father has an even bigger surprise than usual in store for him. He has to stand in for an livestock specialist who is going off with his band for two weeks to the famous folklore festival in Strážnice. Vinca acquits himself well in the job. He knows all the other members of the standard farming cooperative very well and understands their worries, but he also knows how to put his foot down. He is, however, shocked by the death of young Olin, thrown during a storm by his beloved horse Lukava. The grieving Vinca goes to see Marie, but other people's sufferings do not interest her. The livestock specialist comes back from Strážnice with first prize. He is enthusiastically telling Vinca all about it when suddenly Vinca's father comes running up. The boy has a visitor - a "bride". It is not Marie, but Ilona. Vinca's parents take a liking to Ilona, especially when she immediately makes friends with a goat that is the father's particular pride. The next day the two young people go off on their last university vacation and it is almost certain that after his studies Vinca will be returning to work at home.

Note

The story Vacation first came out in Zemědělské noviny (Agricultural News) and then in 1978 in the collection I Know All about Horsehoes, published by Mladá Fronta press.

Film online

Cast

Ivan Vyskočil

student Vincenc Adámek zvaný Vinca

Jiří Sovák

Adámek, Vincův otec

Helena Kružíková

Adámková, Vincova matka

Vlastimil Brodský

předseda JZD

Kateřina Macháčková

Ilona Marková, Vincova spolužačka

Jana Švandová

učitelka Marie Konečná, Vincova dívka

Vladimír Menšík

kočí Chrástek

Jiřina Třebická

Božka, Chrástkova žena

Václav Babka

nápadník Božky

Josef Somr

zootechnik Ludva Dvořáček

Míla Myslíková

dojička, Dvořáčkova žena

Otto Budín

Konečný, Mariin otec

Jana Dítětová

Konečná, Mariina matka

Vladimír Hlavatý

vrátný Vavruch

Mirko Musil

hostinský Franta

Vladimír Dlouhý

Olin, Vincův kamarád

Miloš Nedbal

profesor Rýdl

Miroslav Homola

Kolman, správce jízdárny

Ladislav Suchánek

Janda

Milada Janderová

brigádnice Marta

Alice Třísková

brigádnice Marika

Kateřina Vlková

brigádnice

Jiří Holeček

předseda komise

Václav Roštlapil

člen komise

Rudolf Chromek

družstevník

Vítězslav Jandák

ošetřovatel býků

Václav Michna

velitel požárníků

Václav Bahník

student

Vlastimil Slezák

praporčík VB

Martin Stropnický

strážmistr VB

Petr Hudeček

hudebník

Václav Kašpárek

hudebník

Antonín Patočka

hudebník

Josef Patočka (2)

hudebník

Pavel Skopal

hudebník

Zdeněk Trlida

hudebník

Petr Oplustil

tanečník

Crew and creators

Director

Hynek Bočan

Second Unit Director

Květa Lehovcová

Assistant Director

Antonín Kopřiva

Continuity

Helena Pokorná

Based on

Jan Kostrhun (Prázdniny – povídka)

Screenplay

Václav Šašek

Shooting Script

Hynek Bočan

Dramaturg

Pavel Hajný

Director of Photography

Jiří Šámal

Second Unit Photography

Zdeněk Prchlík

Camera Operator

Jan Hanzal

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

František Vokřál

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

Adolf Nacházel

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Jiří Holeček, Jaroslav Smola, Ctibor Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Petr Neuwirth

Cooperation

Hana Hebrová (klapka), Josef Vítek (fotograf), Vysoká škola zemědělská v Suchdole, MNV ve Vrbici, JZD 9. květen v Brumovicích, JZD Rudý říjen v Rakvicích, Lidový soubor Zavádka Čejkovice

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Je čas luk

Song Composer Zdeněk Liška
Writer of Lyrics Miloň Čepelka
Singer Pavel Liška

Velické zvony

Singer sbor

Šohaju, šohaju

Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Plavení hříbat

Czech Title

Plavení hříbat

English Title

Foals in the River

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1975

Production Year

1975

Production specifications

start of filming 30 June 1975
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 3 June 1976 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž, Praha)
premiere 11 June 1976 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Věry Třeškové, Věra Třešková (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

90 min

Original length in metres

2 529 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. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Václav Šašek

Vítěz

Event: Literární soutěž k 25. výročí združstevnění naší vesnice

1976
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jan Kostrhun