At the start of his career, psychological dramas were also part of the focus of director Jiří Svoboda. Among them is his film Oddechový čas (Time for a Breathe, 1977), set in an unusual environment – a factory producing suction dredgers. The story’s protagonist, however, is unexceptional: he’s a workaholic supervising manager named Jan Ondrák (played by the flawless Radoslav Brzobohatý) who is in over his head. He has become so immersed in solving work problems that he starts to overlook the needs of his employees, students and his own family. Ondrák’s eyes are opened to this fact at the moment when the factory workers, in the course of a single night, fix a broken excavator made for some Dutch customers... Debuting in the role of Ondrák’s son Petr, who helps his insensitive father become more humane, is the then 18-year-old actor David Prachař.
Engineer Jan Ondrák is a hard-working and tenacious man. His work means everything to him and he devotes all his time to it. His colleagues respect him as an expert but they don't really like him because of his strict and uncompromising ways. Ondrák also teaches at the faculty, where his reputation is the same as at the factory. One evening, he meets some friends of his son Petr and suddenly becomes aware of the enormous barrier that has grown up between him and the young generation. He is also having mounting difficulties at the factory. The most serious is the breakdown of an excavator produced for Dutch customers. The workers, however, repair everything during the night and the next day the machine is delivered with great ceremony. This event likewise causes Ondrák to look around and begin to appreciate the other people's cares and worries. He sees that he must think more about the others if he doesn't want to remain entirely alone.
inženýr Jan Ondrák, výrobní náměstek loděnice
inženýrka Katka Čásenská
redaktorka Eva, Ondrákova žena
inženýr Vaněk, Katčin ctitel
ředitel loděnice Rybín
předseda ZO KSČ Karfík
inženýr Láďa Holý, Ondrákův kolega
Voice by Vladimír Dlouhý
student Petr, syn Ondrákových
Rajnyš, náměstek v loděnici
Martin, Evin kolega
student před komisí
docent Hlávka, člen komise
Evžen Bureš
Bohouš Čihák
inženýr Filip
sekretářka Líba
zpěvák
dr. Horák
dělník Huml
dělník Lojza
mistr Janouch
holandský obchodník van den Bergen
Voice by Václav Vydra
montér Kopečný
Havránková
montér Vnouček
úřednice Kalábová
montér Mirek
skladník Hurych
montér Lemon
mladý montér
starší paní
Robert
Brousilová
Pavel
Synek
Pepa
řidič volhy
prodavačka
Jarda
Šafařík
tlouštík
sekretářka Emilka
tlumočnice
kreslička Příhodová
Rýdl
Nová
vrátný
muž se zdviženou rukou
Ivanka, Ondrákova sekretářka
Zdena
stařík se psem
úředník Kostelka
Mikešová
úřednice na vysoké škole
dcerka Kopečného
člen skupiny ETC
baskytarista ETC
zvukař skupiny ETC
kytarista ETC
houslista ETC
bubeník ETC
Jiří Potsch, Věra Justová
Zdeněk Braunschläger, Josef Vaculík, Jiří Svoboda, Karel Cop
Vladimír Mácha, Václav Kozel, Milan Šteindler
Helena Hánová
Aleš Málek
Marie Hasíková (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf), České loděnice Praha n. p.
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), skupina ETC
Song Composer Vladimír Mišík
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Mišík
Singer Vladimír Mišík
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer Petr Svojtka
Song Composer Karel Vacek
Writer of Lyrics Karel Vacek
Singer Radoslav Brzobohatý
Oddechový čas
Oddechový čas
Time for a Breather
Modré cesty
film
featuretheatrical distribution
psychological
Czechoslovakia
1977
1977
literary Screenplay approved 17 December 1976
start of filming 16 February 1977
technical Screenplay approved 14 April 1977
end of filming 25 October 1977
projection approval 11 November 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986
premiere 14 April 1978 /suitable for youths/
Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
86 min
2 473 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,66
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech