Time for a Breather

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1977

Premiere

14 April 1978

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Oddechový čas

Czech title

Oddechový čas

English title

Time for a Breather

Working title

Modré cesty

Summary

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.

Synopsis

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.

Cast

Radoslav Brzobohatý

inženýr Jan Ondrák, výrobní náměstek loděnice

Jana Gýrová

inženýrka Katka Čásenská

Nina Divíšková

redaktorka Eva, Ondrákova žena

Petr Svojtka

inženýr Vaněk, Katčin ctitel

Jiří Pleskot

ředitel loděnice Rybín

Ladislav Večeřa

předseda ZO KSČ Karfík

Lubomír Kostelka

inženýr Láďa Holý, Ondrákův kolega

David Prachař

Voice by Vladimír Dlouhý
student Petr, syn Ondrákových

Jiří Průcha

Rajnyš, náměstek v loděnici

Jiří Bednář

Martin, Evin kolega

Václav Vydra

student před komisí

Antonín Hardt

docent Hlávka, člen komise

Eugen Jegorov

Evžen Bureš

Jiří Lír

Bohouš Čihák

Josef Šebek

inženýr Filip

Marie Bartůňková

sekretářka Líba

Jiří Mikota

dr. Horák

Jožka Stoklasa

dělník Huml

Vlastimil Hašek

dělník Lojza

Jiří Zahajský

mistr Janouch

Petr Jákl

holandský obchodník van den Bergen

Miloš Drahota

Voice by Václav Vydra
montér Kopečný

Božena Franková

Havránková

Karel Fridrich

montér Vnouček

Alena Karešová

úřednice Kalábová

Miroslav Nohýnek

montér Mirek

Karel Augusta

skladník Hurych

Miloslav Vajnar

montér Lemon

Jiří Růžička

mladý montér

Jiřina Bílá

starší paní

Zuzana Talpová

Brousilová

Karel Bělohradský

řidič volhy

Antonín Klípa

tlouštík

Naděžda Prchalová

sekretářka Emilka

Hana Čížková

tlumočnice

Jana Hermachová

kreslička Příhodová

Čestmír Válek

Rýdl

Johana Teplá

Nová

Jiří Růžička st.

muž se zdviženou rukou

Zdeňka Rosolová

Ivanka, Ondrákova sekretářka

Zuzana Plichtová

Zdena

Ludvík Knotek

stařík se psem

Karel Fiala

úředník Kostelka

Libuše Bedrnová

úřednice na vysoké škole

Tereza Vinická

dcerka Kopečného

Bohuslav Jíša

člen skupiny ETC

Vladimír Padrůněk

baskytarista ETC

Miloš Pokorný

zvukař skupiny ETC

František Francl

kytarista ETC

Jan Hrubý

houslista ETC

Jan Noha (hudebník)

bubeník ETC

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Zdeněk Flídr

Assistant Director

Jiří Potsch, Věra Justová

Shooting Script

Jiří Svoboda

Director of Photography

Miloš Petrolín

Second Unit Photography

Ladislav Chroust

Camera Operator

Emil Hora

Production Designer

Bohumil Pokorný

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Pištěk

Set Designer

Vladimír Mácha, Václav Kozel, Milan Šteindler

Costume Designer

Eliška Kachyňová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Pavel Jelínek

Production Manager

Karel Vejřík

Unit Production Manager

Dana Dudová, Přemysl Pražský

Unit Production Manager

Helena Hánová

Consultant

Aleš Málek

Cooperation

Marie Hasíková (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf), České loděnice Praha n. p.

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), skupina ETC

Songs

Hledači štěstí

Song Composer Vladimír Mišík
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Mišík
Singer Vladimír Mišík

A já tě nechci, a já tě nemiluju

Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer Petr Svojtka

Cikánka

Song Composer Karel Vacek
Writer of Lyrics Karel Vacek
Singer Radoslav Brzobohatý

Production info

Original Title

Oddechový čas

Czech Title

Oddechový čas

English Title

Time for a Breather

Working Title

Modré cesty

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1977

Production specifications

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

premiere 14 April 1978 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 473 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