Monkey’s Playtime
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1977Production year
1976—1977Premiere
10 February 1978Runtime
87 minDirector
Milan MuchnaCategory
filmGenre
comedy, satireTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Hop – a je tu lidoopCzech title
Hop – a je tu lidoopEnglish title
Monkey’s PlaytimeSummary
In the second half of the 1970s a number of comedies were produced that attempted, employing humorous detachment, to criticise the shortcomings of contemporary society, including petit bourgeois mores, bribery and the theft of socialist property. Such pictures, characterised by superficial, untargeted satire, emerged because vigilant censorship made genuine criticism impossible. One example was Hop – a je tu lidoop (Monkey’s Playtime), which was co-authored by Miloš Macourek. 1977 was a particularly productive year for the highly-regarded screenwriter, with three films based on Macourek’s screenplays reaching the screen. Alongside the noteworthy anti-war sci-fi film Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem (I’ll Get Up and Scald Myself with Tea Tomorrow) (dir. Jindřich Polák), he also had a hand in the comedy Což takhle dát si špenát (How About a Plate of Spinach?), by his favoured collaborator Václav Vorlíček – and Milan Muchna’s Monkey’s Playtime. The latter was overshadowed by its two predecessors, mainly due to the person of the director, who was making his feature-length debut. While Mucha had directed one of the stories in Profesoři za školou (Teachers Playing Truant), the demands of a fairy tale-style fantasy full of effects proved beyond his range. Around the fairy tale figure of a genie in a lamp able to grant all wishes, Macourek created the story of crooked provincial butcher Tureček. He rips off his customers and dips into the till but attempts to cover up his cheating with the help of the genie, who allows him to turn adversaries into chimpanzees. The butcher’s daughter Blanka and her schoolmate Ondra put a stop to Tureček’s repeated cheating of the innkeeper Merta… While the older generation is capable of compromises and even fraud, the conscious youth in the film come across as naturally good and determined to make the world a better place. The film remains attractive thanks to its cast: the genie is played by Josef Kemr, while Josef Somr and Josef Vinklář take the roles of the adversaries; the youngsters are played by Vladimír Dlouhý and Monika Hálová.
Synopsis
Grammar school students are finishing last layout of a zoo-park, where the chimpanzee Bonifác is placed soon. The daughter of the butcher Tureček, Blanka is preparing a birthday party. She would like to see Ondra, but he proved in public while shopping that Tureček is cheating. Tureček is nervous, he is awaiting an inspection but he misses fifty thousand crowns in the cash desk. He asks the inn-keeper Merta for a loan in vain. The fisherman Fuksa fishes in the creek an old bottle and he sells it to Merta. When Merta opens it, a djinn appears, who can fulfil all his wishes. Merta does not hesitate and uses the djinn immediately. His son Viktor brings this bottle by mistake to Blanka's birthday party at the Turečeks home. Tureček gets hold of the djinn. He wants more property and money to cover the shortage in the cash-desk. He lets change Merta into a chimpanzee, and he also wants to square accounts with Ondra who accused him of dishonesty. He lays a trap for the boy in the pub and he says he is a thief. In the sudden uproar the old bottle breaks down and the djinn moves to a tonic bottle which Ondra takes. The djinn is happy at Ondra's place because he helps only with good things. On the other hand all goes wrong at the Turečeks. Blanka sees her father all of a sudden from another point of view and she starts to search for other values, which Ondra talked with her about. Ondra changes Tureček into a chimpanzee in order to avoid prison for the occurred shortage. During the festive opening of the zoo-park all chimpanzees get back their human faces and the entire city is laughing at the swindlers. But Blanka and Ondra are happy and therefore the bottle with the djinn disappears. Maybe it will appear one day at some other place...
Photos
Cast
Josef Kemr
Džin
Josef Vinklář
řezník František Tureček
Josef Somr
hostinský Josef Merta
Vladimír Dlouhý
Ondra Pavlík
Monika Hálová
Blanka, Turečkova dcera
Otakar Brousek ml.
Viktor, Mertův syn
Josef Větrovec
soused Vondra
Karolina Slunéčková
Svatava, Vondrova žena
Světla Amortová
babička Vondrová
Zdena Hadrbolcová
Julie, Turečkova žena, Blančina matka
Gabriela Vránová
Věra, Mertova žena, Viktorova matka
Marie Rosůlková
matka Mertové
Karel Vochoč
pracovník MNV Jindřich Kulich
František Blahoňovský
Láďa Kulich
Josef Dvořák
listonoš Pepa Homola
Václav Lohniský
rybář Fuksa
Ivan Vyskočil
holič René Kutílek
Jiří Lábus
Mařík
Jan Teplý
Ing. Dvořáček
Miloslav Šimek
profesor Bouček
Jaroslava Tichá
Kulichova žena
Miriam Hynková
Pavlíková, Ondrova matka
Jiří Hálek
Jan Pavlík, Ondrův otec
Ferdinand Krůta
číšník
Karel Augusta
ředitel továrny na hračky
Jan Kuželka
Voice by Lubomír Bryg /pouze v jedné scéně/
prodavač v řeznictví
Jitka Zelenohorská
zákaznice v řeznictví
Ludmila Roubíková
Voice by Věra Kalendová
zákaznice v řeznictví Mádlová
Jiří Růžička
otylý mladík
František Ringo Čech
diskžokej
Mnislav Hofmann
děda Kostečka
David Schneider
Honza
Tereza Pokorná
Zuzana
Patricie Limberská
Zuzanka
Libor Loder
Koňas
Roman Hájek
Králík
Ljuba Krbová
servírka Božena
Michal Pešek
Petr
Mirko Musil
hlídač
Jiří Cerha
instruktor
Roman Hemala
Voice by Jiří Císler
kontrolor v řeznictví
Vladimír Pospíšil
Voice by Miloslav Štibich
kontrolor v řeznictví
Zuzana Schulzová
Eliška
Zuzana Skalická
Lenka
Jiřina Zemanová
stará drbna
Helena Brichová
dívka manekýnka
Petra Skálová
dívka manekýnka
Magdalena Suchá
dívka manekýnka
Waldemar Linder
hromotluk
Ludvík Wolf
hromotluk
Miroslav Vydlák
Petříček
Karel Bodnár
mladý zákazník
Josef Braun
tlouštík
Miluše Hošková
učnice
Marie Hrdličková
kadeřnice
Vladimír Hrabánek
zákazník
Gabriela Najmanová
stará zákaznice
Naděžda Očenášková
fešná zákaznice
Vít Pešina
muž s knírem
Zdeněk Skalický
host v hospodě
Karel Smrž
host v hospodě
Angelo Michajlov
host v hospodě
Josef Střecha
muž se psem
Zdeněk Srstka
nadstrážmistr VB
Jaroslav Vlk
strážmistr VB
šimpanz Carmen
lidoop
šimpanz Jimi
lidoop
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Josef Jarolímek, Kateřina Lukášová
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jiří Rulík, Miloš Osvald, Ivo Černý
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Stunts
Libuše Kosová, Alois Kříž, Gustav Svoboda
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Miroslav Dousek, František Jaderník
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Kateřina Koňasová (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Songs
Hop – a je tu lidoop
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics František Ringo Čech
Singer Jiří Schelinger
Jen tak
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Aida Brumovská
Singer Hana Zagorová
Kolem mne je lidí
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics František Ringo Čech
Singer Jiří Schelinger
Láska zůstává
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Writer of Lyrics Aida Brumovská
Singer Hana Zagorová
Proč ten jetelíček roste u vody
Singer sbor
Už troubějí na horách jeleni
Singer sbor
Čtyři koně ve dvoře
Kam chodí skrýt se láska
Song Composer Angelo Michajlov
Singer Karel Gott
Production info
Original Title
Hop – a je tu lidoop
Czech Title
Hop – a je tu lidoop
English Title
Monkey’s Playtime
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
comedy, satire
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1977
Production Year
1976—1977
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 26 July 1976
start of filming 3 December 1976
technical Screenplay approved 13 January 1977
end of filming 8 September 1977
projection approval 12 September 1977
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
Premiere
premiere 10 February 1978 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Miroslava Hladkého, Miroslav Hladký (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
87 min
Original length in metres
2 508 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
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 16. filmový festival mladých Banská Bystrica
1978
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Milan Muchna
