Summer Spent with a Cowboy

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production year

1975

Premiere

15 October 1976

Runtime

89 min

Director

Ivo Novák

Category

film

Genre

comedy, romantic

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Léto s kovbojem

Czech title

Léto s kovbojem

English title

Summer Spent with a Cowboy

Summary

The most popular picture in Ivo Novák’s filmography was the holiday comedy Léto s kovbojem (Summer Spent with a Cowboy), which the experienced director made in 1976 on the basis of a book and screenplay by novelist Jaromíra Kolárová (1919–2006). She had previously worked on an adaptation of her book Holky z porcelánu (Girls from a Porcelain Factory) directed in 1974 by Juraj Herz and later collaborated with him on Zastihla mě noc (Caught by Night) (1985), a biographical drama about communist journalist Jožka Jabůrková. Within the framework of Kolárová’s three screenplays, the romance between young psychologist Doubravka and co-op cowherd Honza naturally has more in common with the narrative about the joys and sorrows of female employees at a porcelain warehouse. The screenwriter succeeded in combining the demands of Barrandov’s dramaturges for an engaged romance with a pure genre spectacle, giving rise to one of the few 1970s romantic comedies that still finds an audience today thanks to its intelligent hyperbole, laid-back summer atmosphere and impeccable casting. Unlike in later comedies of the style of Troška’s Slunce, seno… (Sun, Hay…) series, the Czech countryside did not serve Kolárová and Novák as a source of populist humour and bizarrely singular “bumpkin” characters. If anything, rather than the young man Honza (demoted from tractor driver to cowherd due to a drunken lapse), it is the visitors from the city who are subject to ironic distancing: the stiff, bespectacled Doubravka, her conservative family and her erratic, weak boyfriend Boba. Director Novák laconically comes to terms with the normalisation-era summer house syndrome, of necessity presenting the socialist countryside as a kind of flawless idyll. Honza’s vivacious directness and positivity thus come across as values that revive normal, ordinary relationships. Novák boosted the quality of his picture by cultivating the comedic potential of the duo of Jaromír Hanzlík and Daniela Kolářová. In other roles Oldřich Vízner impresses as Boba, as do Slávka Budínová as Honza’s peculiar mother and Marie Rosůlková and Dana Medřická as slightly dotty grandmothers.

Synopsis

A young psychologist Doubravka swimming in a pool meets Honza Macháček who summers co-op cows nearby. Honza likes the racy girl at the first sight and his directness imposes on Doubravka too. They start to date. Honza comes from a big family, he was degraded to a cowboy when he had a tractor accident caused by alcohol and lost his driving licence. In the summer cabin, Doubravka takes care of Bobo - a student of medicine who prepares for an one exam for the third time. He is selfish and in his uncertainty he behaves to Doubravka uninterestedly and outrageously. Honza supposes Doubravka looks after a crazy person, yet soon he learns that Bobo is Doubravka's boy-friend. On the other hand, Doubravka finds a girl's name tattooed on Honza's arm and troubles come. Bobo does not pass the exam again, but his manipulating mother makes friend with the family of the professor Bobo failed with. She invites them to the cabin and Bobo starts to flirt with the professor's daughter. Doubravka goes home; Honza sets out to follow her. In her family where there are a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a father, Honza pops the question. He is rejected by all the women, though. They, however, do not count on Honza's persistence and Doubravka's love. In the village, a wedding of Honza's brother and Honza's ex-girlfriend is celebrated and on the Honza's cottage roof Honza and Doubravka are standing in a hug.

Cast

Daniela Kolářová

psycholožka Doubravka zvaná Dorka

Jaromír Hanzlík

traktorista Honza Macháček

Oldřich Vízner

medik Boba Karásek

Marie Rosůlková

Doubravčina prababička

Dana Medřická

Doubravčina babička

Libuše Švormová

Doubravčina matka

Jiří Pleskot

Doubravčin otec

Bohuš Záhorský

Honzův děda

Slávka Budínová

Honzova matka

Květa Fialová

Karásková, Bobova matka

Josef Somr

profesor Studnička

Valentina Thielová

Studničkova manželka

Lenka Kořínková

Klára, dcera Studničkových

Hana Čížková

Jitka, Honzova bývalá dívka

Míla Myslíková

Koutná, Jitčina matka

Hana Pastejříková

Honzova nevlastní matka

Jan Skopeček

Honzův nevlastní otec

Eva Vlachová

prodavačka Smolková

Josef Hlinomaz

předseda MNV

Václav Trégl

stařík-pacient

Karel Hábl

kosmetik

Evžen Illín

Mirek, Honzův bratr

Ivana Maříková

Andula, Honzova sestra

Igor Nachtigal

Míša, Honzův bratr

Michal Dlouhý

Láďa, Honzův bratr

Jana Homolková

Mařka, Honzova sestra

Mahulena Bočanová

Lenka, Honzova nevlastní sestra

Roman Čada

Roman, Honzův nevlastní bratr

Luděk Šnajdar

Pepík, Honzův nevlastní bratr

Petr Marek (2)

chlapec Standa

Věra Kolářová

zákaznice

Věra Laňková

zákaznice

Václav Matějíček

zákazník

Ela Poznerová

zákaznice

Renáta Homérová

zákaznice

Jitka Nováková (2)

zdravotní sestra

Josef Palacký

kombajnér

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Novák

Second Unit Director

Zdenek Zaoral

Assistant Director

Stanislav Veselka

Shooting Script

Ivo Novák

Director of Photography

Rudolf Milič

Second Unit Photography

Michal Kulič

Camera Operator

Vladimír Murat

Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Assistent Production Designer

Michal Krška

Set Designer

Josef Calta (vedoucí výpravy), Rudolf Beneš, Jaroslav Chytrý

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Costumes

Eva Lackingerová (vedoucí kostymérka), Eva Vacková

Make-Up Artist

Ladislav Bacílek

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Production Manager

Jiří Pokorný

Unit Production Manager

Jan Milič, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslava Semrádová

Cooperation

Stanislava Kadlecová (klapka), Josef Janoušek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Já se znám

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Marie Rottrová

Jak se tak toulám světem

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Karel ČernochOlga BlechováValerie Čižmárová

Production info

Original Title

Léto s kovbojem

Czech Title

Léto s kovbojem

English Title

Summer Spent with a Cowboy

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, romantic

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1976

Production Year

1975

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1991

Premiere

festival premiere 24 June 1976 (27. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´76 /kino Kotva, Praha/)
premiere 1 July 1976 /suitable for youths/ (kino Flóra, Praha)
premiere 15 October 1976 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

89 min

Original length in metres

2 490 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: 15. festival českých a slovenských filmů Bratislava

1977
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Daniela Kolářová

Vítěz

Festival: 27. filmový festival pracujících – léto '76

1976
48 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 14. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Jaromír Hanzlík

Vítěz

Festival: 27. filmový festival pracujících – léto '76

1976
48 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 14. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 14. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Petr Hapka

Vítěz

Festival: 14. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 27. filmový festival pracujících – léto '76

1976
48 měst / Czechoslovakia
Daniela Kolářová

Vítěz

Festival: 14. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica

1976
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Daniela Kolářová