Let Him Face the Music!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1977

Premiere

7 July 1978

Runtime

88 min

Director

Ladislav Rychman

Genre

music, comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jen ho nechte, ať se bojí

Czech title

Jen ho nechte, ať se bojí

English title

Let Him Face the Music!

Summary

The second of popular actor Luděk Sobota’s “ingenious fools” is Aleš Brabec in the 1978 musical comedy Jen ho nechte, ať se bojí (Let Him Face the Music!). Like František Koudelka in comedy Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (Joachim, Put Him into the Machine!) (1974), he is a young man who seems utterly inept but, with the right influence, manages to outdo himself. A timid folk art school substitute teacher, Brabec is engaged to write songs for Prague’s Theatre in the Basement. However, he falls in love with the company’s singer Marcela and is unable to concentrate on song-writing. The theatre head’s wife, the psychologist Jitka, concludes that needs to be shocked into composing. Her prognosis is correct: under pressure the young composer produces one hit after the other. However, the main song remains unwritten – it is clear that Aleš requires a powerful shot in the arm to get the job done… Ladislav Rychman, who had helmed the musical Starci na chmelu (Hop-Pickers) (1964), Dáma na kolejích (The Lady of the Lines) (1966) and Hvězda padá vzhůru (The Star Is Falling Upwards) (1974), was tasked with directing the comedy. Employing a screenplay by František Vlček and V. P. Borovička, Rychman shot an undemanding spectacle featuring the songs of Jiří Malásek and Jiří Bažant. The film, in which Helena Vondráčková takes the role of the singer Marcela, is notable for the casting of new stars from the Semafor theatre: alongside Sobota and Miloslav Šimek (the theatre’s director), another member of the comedy theatre trio, Petr Nárožný, appears in the role of Marcela’s former husband Mydloch. For his part, Sobota attempted to break free from the stereotype of the goodhearted naïf in Petr Schulhoff’s satire Já to tedy beru, šéfe! (O. K., Leave it to Me, Boss...!) (1977). However, viewers wished to see “their” comic actor in his typical role so he remained trapped in the stereotype, reinforced by his appearing alongside Šimek and Nárožný.

Synopsis

The song "Ribwort and Rosemary" by Aleš Brabec, a shy supply teacher of musical school, wins the music festival in Krumlov. The song interpreter Marcela from a Prague Theatre in Underground realizes that such songs would be exactly what their theatre needs. Soukup, the theatre general manager, invites Aleš to Prague. Aleš firstly hesitates, but finding out that his fiancée has just left him, he decides to grasp the chance and leave with Marcela. The theatre needs several songs to be ready for a new play, so Aleš has all the possible conditions and comfort to compose, he falls in love with Marcela instead, staring vacantly and doing nothing. Soukup's wife Jitka, a student of psychology, is convinced that what Aleš needs to compose good songs is not peace and silence, but fear. Soukup, principal Čermák and Marcela's ex-husband Mydloch decide to turn Aleš's life into horror. They succeed in doing so - Aleš starts to compose the longed-for songs. Despite they try hard, the final song is still missing. This makes them decide to make Aleš a murderer. Marcela reveals their plans and hides the composer in an old forlorn house. However, Soukup and Mydloch discover him soon. On entering the house, Soukup throws out a cigarette butt, and the house is ablaze in a few minutes. Aleš is involved in his work, not realizing the house is on fire. It is not before the very last minute that he comes round, demonstrating unexpected courage. He rescues both unconscious men throwing them out of the window into the fire canvas and only then he rescues himself. He delivers the longed-for final song, leaving the scene with his beloved Marcela.

Film online

Photos

rogalista

Crew and creators

Unit Production Manager

Ladislav Beneš

Cooperation

Dagmar Jonášová (klapka), Jitka Bylinská (fotografka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Malásek, Jiří Bažant

Selected Music

Julius Fučík (Marinarella)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Václava Hybše (Music Conducted by Václav Hybš)

Music Advisor

Ladislav Rychman

Choreographer

Josef Koníček

Songs

Jitrocel a rozmarýn

Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří Bažant
Writer of Lyrics Ivan Mládek
Singer Helena Vondráčkovádětský sbor

Svatba naruby

Song Composer Jiří MalásekJiří Bažant
Writer of Lyrics Ivan Mládek
Singer Helena VondráčkováLuděk SobotaPetr Nárožnýsbor

Když má láska zelenou /Láska má zelenou/

Song Composer Jiří BažantJiří Malásek
Writer of Lyrics Jan Vodňanský
Singer Helena VondráčkováPetr NárožnýLuděk Sobota

Létání

Song Composer Jiří BažantJiří Malásek
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Helena Vondráčková

Production info

Original Title

Jen ho nechte, ať se bojí

Czech Title

Jen ho nechte, ať se bojí

English Title

Let Him Face the Music!

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music, comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 31 December 1976
start of filming 7 March 1977
technical Screenplay approved 25 May 1977
end of filming 6 December 1977
projection approval 21 December 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 May 1993

Premiere

preview 4 March 1978 (kino Světozor, Praha)
premiere 7 July 1978 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Studio

Barrandov

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

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

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

88 min

Original length in metres

2 538 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: 29. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´78

1978
61 měst / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 29. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´78

1978
61 měst / Czechoslovakia
Helena Vondráčková

Let Him Face the Music!

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Summary

Synopsis

Film online

Photos

Cast

Karel Hluchý

Helena Postránecká

Jaroslava Janovová

Ivana Kuchařová

Pavel Římovský

Libuše Vojáčková

Pavel Rubeš

Miloslav Vojnar

Bohumil Bayer

Jiří Barčák

Jan Burian (2)

Jan Čapoun

Ludvík Černý

Miloslav Helcl

Jiří Hnyk

Marcel Janecký

Marcel Janecký ml.

Emil Kameš

Václav Král (hudebník)

Jindřich Libeš

Václav Michálek

Luboš Nývlt

František Peml

Arnošt Richter

Rudolf Růžička (hudebník)

Míla Růžek

Antonín Seiner

Karel Slavík

Pavel Vitoch

Pavla Zítková

Vladimír Anderle

Marie Bartáková

Vladimír Batěk

Pavel Běhounek

Vladimír Brož

Marie Epsteinová

Jiří Fára

Gerhard Gregor

Jindřich Hartman

Alice Hovorková

Luboš Kandrys

Vladimír Kubín

Jiří Málek

Antonín Mendl

Jaroslava Mendlová

Jiří Miler

Petr Petrička

Pavel Pihrt

Pavel Rück

Viktor Solařík

Helena Solaříková

Jaroslav Vála

Petr Zábranský

Zdeněk Hovorka

Ing. Karel Kalina

Jiří Nováček

Karel Třešňák (2)

Jan Volf

Břetislav Brodský

Václav Cihla

Ing. Jaroslav Čech

Václav Chvála