Strange Excursion

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1977

Premiere

10 March 1978

Runtime

91 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Podivný výlet

Czech title

Podivný výlet

English title

Strange Excursion

Summary

Successful, ageing architect Petr Hron is the hero of Podivný výlet (Strange Excursion, 1977), a psychological drama directed by Jiří Hanibal. While fighting in the Beskid mountains during World War II, Petr was involved in dramatic clashes with the fascists but also encountered the great love of his life, a beautiful girl named Věra. When meeting up with old friends and a former lover many years later, his memories of the past recur and distant events are brought vividly back to life. Petr has to accept that he cannot continue his former relationships in his present life. He heads back to his home in Prague alone, but wiser… Jiří Vala is cast in the lead role, while Vlastimil Brodský and Ilja Prachař portray the hero´s friends. Jana Dítětová played the ageing Zuzana. The younger generation, experiencing relationships just as difficult and painful as those of their parents, were represented by Jana Pehrová, Jana Riháková and Oldřich Kaiser.

Synopsis

The architect Petr Hron has successfully completed another project, but he is not so happy in his private life, for his wife has left him years ago and his grown-up daughter Jitka gives priority to her boyfriend Tomek. Oppressed with a feeling of midlife crisis, Hron goes off for a few days to the Beskydy Mountains, where he lived through dramatic times during the war in the fight against the fascists and also experienced his first great love with the local girl Zuzana. He gives a lift to the attractive hitchhiker Věra, but the girl at first rather annoys him. It seems to him that the contemporary young people are ignorant of deep feelings and their easy lives make them superficial. Věra is travelling to see a boy to whom she has recently written a letter ending their relationship. She is upset with herself for not being able to get over the break-up. Petr visits his friend Martin, and they invite the recently retired Čenda to join them in revisiting the places in the mountains where they fought during the war. They celebrate the meeting pleasantly and the trip is going well until Martin tactlessly expresses the suspicion that the Germans killed Zuzana's parents because of Petr, who was hiding with the family. Čenda only just manages to smooth over the dispute. On a visit to a former partisan and friend Růžena, Petr runs into Věra again - her boyfriend turns out to be Růžena's son Vilda. The wreckage of a love affair is just as bitter and hard for two people in the present day as it was in the past, and finally Věra leaves Vilda for good. Petr encounters his old love in the teacher Zuzana. The recently widowed woman greets Petr in a friendly spirit but refuses to renew their relationship. Petr goes home - sad but reconciled.

Cast

Jiří Vala

architekt Petr Hron

Vlastimil Brodský

Čenda Pernický, Petrův přítel

Ilja Prachař

Martin Gajdůšek, Petrův přítel

Jana Pehrová

stopařka Věra

Oldřich Kaiser

Vilda, Věřin přítel

Jana Riháková

Jitka, Hronova dcera

Oldřich Vízner

Tomek, Jitčin přítel

Božena Böhmová

Růžena Půhoná, Vildova matka

Jana Dítětová

učitelka Zuzana Jeřábková

Naďa Konvalinková

Zuzana jako mladá dívka

Marcel Vašinka

Petr Hron jako mladý muž, Zuzanin milý

Jan Faltýnek

Josef, Čendův syn

Zdena Hadrbolcová

Marie, Josefova žena

Alena Augustová

houbařova žena

Václav Neužil

ředitel ústavu Ing. Miloš Navrátil

František Řehák

nový majitel Čendovy chalupy

Bohumír Koukal

děda

Lydie Havláková

dívka

Lena Birková

technička

Dáša Neblechová

technička Matějová

Jiří Untermüller

mladík

Jiří Petkov

tlustý chlapec

Miroslav Lonský

dirigent

Václav Blažej

hudebník

Václav Bor

hudebník

Karel Braniš

hudebník

Jaroslav Hrdina

hudebník

Jindřich Matouš

hudebník

Alois Petráň

hudebník

Josef Rychtařík

hudebník

Antonín Volf

hudebník

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jan Mimra

Assistant Director

Jiří Ostrý

Screenstory

Jiří Hanibal

Screenplay

Jiří Hanibal

Shooting Script

Jiří Hanibal

Director of Photography

Jan Novák

Second Unit Photography

Ivan Wurm

Camera Operator

Ivan Šimůnek

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Pavel Pitner

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Václav Pošta, Jan Petrů

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Alena Losová

Unit Production Manager

Tomáš Baloun

Cooperation

Ivana Nevolová (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka), Jindřich Panáček (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Luboš Fišer

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Kříž /Zabili synka na panských lukách/

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Ilja PrachařVlastimil BrodskýJiří Vala

Beskyde, Beskyde

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer dětský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Podivný výlet

Czech Title

Podivný výlet

English Title

Strange Excursion

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 26 July 1976
technical Screenplay approved 23 December 1976
start of filming 3 January 1977
end of filming 29 July 1977
projection approval 31 August 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 10 March 1978 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

91 min

Original length in metres

2 607 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