Fifty-Six Hours of Truancy

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1976—1977

Premiere

21 October 1977

Runtime

84 min

Director

Ivo Novák

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Šestapadesát neomluvených hodin

Czech title

Šestapadesát neomluvených hodin

English title

Fifty-Six Hours of Truancy

Working title

Sedmnáct kilometrů svobody / 17 km svobody

Summary

In 1977, director Ivo Novák returned to the era of the early 1960s to tell the story of a group of young lovers of Dixieland music who try to illegally leave Czechoslovakia. Seventeen-year-old Honza and his friend Ivoš decide to cross the border into Poland and from there seek freedom across the ocean. Planning such an ill-advised trip is far more important than the execution, which ends in semi-farcical failure. Honza then realises everything he would have to sacrifice back home by fleeing abroad... This film, written by Jan Fleischer, can chiefly boast of quality acting performances. The troubled Honza is portrayed by Vladimír Dlouhý, while Oldřich Kaiser delivers a compelling performance as friend Ivoš.

Synopsis

It is the year 1961. Seventeen-year-old Honza loves jazz and Lenka, his classmate from the grammar school. His friends Arnošt and Ivoš ask him to join them and run away abroad; they plan to cross the tightly sealed border into Poland and go overseas. Blithely, Honza agrees. Their classmates take all this to be just a gag. Meanwhile, Honza's strict father, who is irritated by his son's late arrivals and lamentable study results, throws his son out of the flat. Honza temporarily stays with his friend Jiří, whose mother is tolerant of her son's visitors and their idleness. Honza sells his bicycle in order to get some money for the trip. A conversation with the headmaster, who threatens to expel Honza, leaves him totally underwhelmed. Howerer, he does not have the courage to tell Lenka about his feelings. Because of his love for his parents, Arnošt eventually decides to stay in the country. The farewell party with friends is carefree and unconcerned with the boys' departure. Honza spends his last night with Helena, who has been secretly in love with him. Ivoš and Honza get on the train with a banjo and a clarinet. They walk through the woods and cross a brook to Poland. When Ivoš goes off into the bushes to relieve himself, Honza is detained by border patrol. Playing the banjo, he manages to persuade them that he went hiking and lost his way. The father comes to pick up his son; they start talking and finally find their way through to each other. Honza then finds Ivoš at his mother's place. Honza knows that he is going to be expelled, but that he will be allowed to continue his studies at another school. In the evening, nobody is surprised when Honza arrives to join his friends at a café.

Cast

Vladimír Dlouhý

student Honza Řezníček

Oldřich Kaiser

Ivoš Sobotka, Honzův kamarád

Jiří Vala

Richard Řezníček, Honzův otec

Věra Tichánková

matka Ivoše

Václav Vydra

student Jiří Štuka

Dana Medřická

Štuková, matka Jiřího

Dagmar Patrasová

Voice by Alena Procházková
studentka Lenka Molavcová

Jan Kraus

Arnošt, Honzův kamarád

Jiří Lír

otec Arnošta

Petr Pospíchal

muzikant Šadík

Monika Hálová

studentka Helena

Jana Dítětová

profesorka zvaná Linda

Miroslav Homola

profesor dějepisu

Jiří Hálek

ředitel školy

David Schneider

student Pavka, Honzův spolužák

Witold Rybicki

polský lesník

Rudolf Moliński

polský řidič

Kazimierz Siedlaczek

polský pohraničník

Karol Tyrlik

polský vyšetřovatel

Jan Skopeček

hostinský

Markéta Muchová

blondýnka na Národní třídě

Květa Křížová

Šárka

Eva Ježková

Stáňa

Jindřich Hrdý

světlovlasý spolužák

Jiří Knot

spolužák přednášející báseň

Martin Kolár

brýlatý spolužák

Martin Velda

spolužák

Veronika Bočanová

sestra Lenky

Karel Lexa

hudebník

Stanislav Novotný

hudebník

Jan Vacek

hudebník

Eva Svobodová

žena před bazarem

Jitka Nováková (2)

číšnice

Martin Mládek

hudebník

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Novák

Second Unit Director

Zdenek Zaoral

Assistant Director

Jana Vohryzková

Screenstory

Jan Fleischer

Screenplay

Jan Fleischer

Shooting Script

Ivo Novák

Director of Photography

Rudolf Milič

Camera Operator

Michal Kulič

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Pavel Pitner

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Josef Vlček

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jaroslav Solnička

Unit Production Manager

Milan Štěch, Ladislav Beneš

Unit Production Manager

Lucie Hertlová

Cooperation

Irena Sedláčková (klapka), Josef Janoušek (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Classic Jazz Collegium

Songs

Pan Pic znal mého otce

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Petr Rada
Singer Jiří Schelinger

La Paloma

Song Composer Sebastian de Yradier
Singer Vladimír Dlouhý

Production info

Original Title

Šestapadesát neomluvených hodin

Czech Title

Šestapadesát neomluvených hodin

English Title

Fifty-Six Hours of Truancy

Working Title

Sedmnáct kilometrů svobody / 17 km svobody

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1976—1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 June 1976
start of filming 23 June 1976
technical Screenplay approved 22 July 1976
end of filming 22 February 1977
projection approval 4 April 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 21 October 1977 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 398 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Polish

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech