The Death on the Black Market

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production year

1976

Premiere

13 May 1977

Runtime

88 min

Director

Ivo Toman

Category

film

Genre

crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Smrt na černo

Czech title

Smrt na černo

English title

The Death on the Black Market

Summary

This attempt at a crime feature set around the post-war black market was filmed in 1976 by director Ivo Toman. A duo of thieves robs a secret warehouse operated by the merchant Čačala, but are then forced to rid themselves of the loot. Inspector Koutouč, a former professor of commodity sciences, is hot on Čačala´s trail. The thieves try to blackmail their merchant victim, but the relentless Kotouč decides to expose the profiteer – and with him the right-wing politicians conspiring to thwart the inevitable victory of the communist left. This tendentious and ponderous feature benefits from a strong cast. Vlastimil Brodský plays the part of Kotouč; Slávka Budínová stars as the lover of one of the thieves. Josef Langmiler once again displays his talents for embodying dapper, sleazy villains, in this case playing trade ministry section chief Jůzl.

Synopsis

It is the hot summer of 1947. The post-war shortage of goods, both real and artificial, fuels profits on the black market. A robber called Dudy and his helper Pivo steal fabrics from a hidden warehouse of the wholesaler Čačala. They are transporting them at night in a lorry they have also stolen. After a minor accident, they abandon the lorry with the loot in the centre of Prague. In a nearby music-hall, operations manager Drdácká, Dudy's good-looking, but much older lover, attends to their wounds. Criminal investigator Kotouč, formerly a commodities expert, cannot understand why no one has come forth to claim the stolen goods. Dudy seizes the opportunity and starts blackmailing Čačala - the sentence for withholding goods is harsh. However, the wholesaler has an influential friend at the Ministry of Trade. Section Head Jůzl does his best to retrieve the fabrics for Čačala from the police depository and advises him to move his warehouse. Kotouč, meanwhile, is relentless and his patient investigation puts him on the track of theblack marketeers in fabrics, blackmailing as well as Jůzl's politically motivated support of the black market. Moving the warehouse is no good. Dudy goes on blackmailing Čačala, who dies of a heart attack with the telephone in his hand. When Drdácká finds out that her lover has cheated on her with a prostitute named Jiřina, she stops covering up for him. Jůzl is arrested. He and the other right-wing politicians have lost. The government turns down the help of the West - the Marshall Plan - and the Communist Left wins.

Cast

Vlastimil Brodský

kriminální inspektor Kotouč

Slávka Budínová

provozní varieté Jitka Drdácká

Josef Langmiler

sekční šéf ministerstva vnitřního obchodu Jůzl

Jan Kanyza

Šindelář zvaný Dudy, Jitčin přítel

Josef Větrovec

velkoobchodník s textilem Václav Čačala

Robert Vrchota

vrchní strážmistr Pexider

Jiří Lábus

lupič Kotlán zvaný Pivo

Jiří Ornest

příručí Milan

Jan Kuželka

mladší strážmistr Bohumil Štoček

Bronislav Poloczek

strážmistr Kuncíř

Stanislava Bartošová

prostitutka Jiřina Matlochová

Jaroslava Obermaierová

sekretářka Stáňa Beránková

Libuše Jiskrová

Čačalova žena

Raoul Schránil

předseda obchodní komory Zachystal

Milena Steinmasslová

Blanka, Jůzlova dcera

Bohumil Šmída

kasař Hemala zvaný Hečky

Luděk Kopřiva

kouzelník Alfonso

Jan Přeučil

komisař Mertlík

Miroslav Krejča

strážmistr Válek

Otto Lackovič

kasař Ouda

Josef Beyvl

karbaník Suk

Vlastimil Bedrna

disponent Hanč

Milan Mach

obchodník Josef Kuneš

Jindra Šolcová

majitelka módního salonu

Jarmila Beránková

bytná Roubalová

Viktor Maurer

agent detektivní kanceláře Orion Ladislav Špidla

Jitka Zelenohorská

servírka Jitka

Karel Augusta

zelinář Alois Brok

Zdeněk Dítě

elegantní zákazník Matlochové

Ivo Niederle

obchodník Jelínek zvaný Číla

František Kubíček

řidič u Jůzla

Karel Bělohradský

rváč Šalanda

Dana Kyznarová

tanečnice

Helena Šafránková

tanečnice

Daniela Vondráčková

tanečnice

Ema Slezáková

manekýna/tanečnice

Ivana Beranová

manekýna

Jitka Nováková (2)

manekýna

Karel Hanzlík

služba SNB

Václav Hladík

hráč karet

Václav Kotva

hráč karet

Josef Střecha

hráč karet

Jaroslav Voigst

strážmistr Kunc

Josef Starosta

mladík

Karel Hovorka

šmelinář

Vladimír Linka

šmelinář

Miloš Vavruška

šmelinář

Vladimír Pospíšil

hráč kulečníku

Jaroslav Synák

hráč kulečníku

Miroslav Janeček (2)

žokej

Helena Schneibergová

toiletářka

Wolfgang Hauer

hudebník

Eugen Jegorov

hudebník

Václav Král (hudebník)

hudebník

Stanislav Novotný

hudebník

Pavel Štemberk

hudebník

Jan Vacek

hudebník

Pavel Greifoner

hudebník

Jiří Hájek (2)

hudebník

Václav Král (2)

hudebník

Olga Navrátilová

lehká žena

Petr Jákl

sekretář majitelky salonu

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Toman

Second Unit Director

Josef Sandr

Assistant Director

Josef Loučím, Magdalena Davidová

Shooting Script

Ivo Toman

Director of Photography

Josef Pávek

Camera Operator

Michal Hvozdák

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

František Vokřál

Set Designer

Josef Calta, Jaroslav Chytrý, Petr Matouš, Rudolf Beneš

Costume Designer

Jan Bulka

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Karel Škop, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslava Semrádová

Consultant

plk. Jan Kovář , plk. Josef Janůrek

Cooperation

Stanislava Kadlecová (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Ferdinand Havlík

Music Performed by

Ferdinand Havlík, FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Choreographer

Josef Starosta

Songs

Hřebík v botě

Song Composer Jiří BaurVlastimil Hála
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Moravec
Singer Jan Hammer

Production info

Original Title

Smrt na černo

Czech Title

Smrt na černo

English Title

The Death on the Black Market

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production Year

1976

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 13 May 1977 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 750 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