Close ties between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union are reflected in this ideologically coloured romantic drama that follows a Soviet engineer on his trip to Prague to assist local colleagues in the construction of metro tunnels. The top-tier expert, Vladimir Kuznetsov, had last been in the city 30 years earlier as a Red Army soldier – a liberator. Though seriously wounded, he had also had a passionate wartime love affair with a Czech teacher named Věra. The likeable Russian is accompanied on his walks though the city (and down memory lane) by Lenka, a Metrostav secretary… In the lead role of this 1978 film directed by Ladislav Rychman was the popular Soviet actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov, known for the film Májové hvězdy (May Stars, 1959), the mini-series Vojna a mír (War and Peace, 1965–7) and the TV series Sedmnáct zastavení jara (Seventeen Moments of Spring, 1976). Jelena Šebestová plays Lenka and Jaroslava Schallerová performs the role of Věra.
Soviet engineer Kuzněcov is coming to Prague as an expert on work with the tunnelling shield in construction of the metro. He is returning after more than thirty years. In May 1945 as a young soldier in the Red Army he was seriously injured in the liberation of Prague and while recovering experienced a great love with a young teacher called Věra. His lodgings and leisure programme are to be arranged for him by Lenka, a young and vivacious secretary from the Metrostav concern. She isn't very keen on the assignment, because she had been looking forward to a very promising date in the evening. Her friend Tom is a tunneller for the metro and a member of a music band, and he had invited her to its premiere concert. Lenka takes her guest with her to the club, but Tom refuses to listen to her explanations and is jealous of the "old man". The girl soon comes to like the clever and sympathetic engineer and goes with him to visit the hospital where he convalesced all those years ago. She also finds his old friend Kovář, whose life was saved by Kuzněcov in a fight at Klárov in Prague. Problems arise in the drilling of a tunnel under the River Vltava. The tunnelling shield gets stuck in the difficult terrain and an auxiliary tunnel has to be drilled. Tom takes a risk when he himself finally manages to remove the blockage. Kuzněcov praises his work, everything is now explained, and the two men now have great respect for each other. Lenka is unsuccessfully looking for Věra. The house where she lived is demolished because of the metro. A week goes by and Kuzněcov is about to go home. On Petřín Hill Lenka declares her feelings for him. He tactfully refuses her with a proverb - Do not pin a rose to an old tree.
inženýr Vladimir Kuzněcov
sekretářka Jelena zvaná Lenka a Vanilka
inženýr Fanta
razič Tom
razič Jarda
učitelka Věra Havlová
Kuzněcov jako mladý voják
Kovář
Kovářova žena
Majka Bártová, zdravotní sestra v důchodu
listonoška
recepční
školník
zdravotní sestra Zuzana
pacient
výtahář Málek
vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu
vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu
vedoucí pracovník Metrostavu
technik
technik
Tomův pomocník
Tomův pomocník
Tomův pomocník
ženich
nevěsta, dcera Kovářových
reportér
reportér
sovětský technik
sovětský technik
novinář
novinář
novinář
novinář
mechanik štítu
mechanik štítu/nabíječ
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
mladá žena
starší žena
barikádnice
barikádnice
barikádnice
Blanka
sovětský poradce
ozbrojený civilista
ozbrojený civilista
ozbrojený civilista
ozbrojený civilista
dívka
dívka
sovětský samopalník
sovětský samopalník
sovětský samopalník
sovětský samopalník
příslušník SS
příslušník SS
příslušník SS
příslušník SS
velitel SS
řidič tanku
velitel děla
kulometčík SS
mladý řidič tanku
barikádník
dubl za Vjačeslava Tichonova
Vladimír Ježek, Jiří Pavlásek, Ladislav Winkelhöfer
Tomáš Baloun, Vlasta Synkulová
Miloš Zajdl
Ing. Karel Matzner, Ing. Ladislav Kroft
Irena Neubertová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Metrostav n. p.
Jiří Malásek, FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Song Composer Vasilij Solovjev-Sedoj
Song Composer lidová ruská píseň
Píseň o stromu a růži
Píseň o stromu a růži
The Song about a Tree and a Rose
film
featuretheatrical distribution
social
Czechoslovakia
1978
1978
literary Screenplay approved 31 October 1977
start of filming 10 February 1978
technical Screenplay approved 14 March 1978
end of filming 13 October 1978
projection approval 18 October 1978
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989
premiere 26 April 1979 /suitable for youths/ (kino Jalta, Praha)
premiere 27 April 1979 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Dramaturgická skupina Miroslava Hladkého, Miroslav Hladký (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
87 min
2 425 meters
35mm
1:1,66
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech, Russian
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové
1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Bažant
Festival: 17. festival českých a slovenských filmů Hradec Králové
1979
Hradec Králové / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Malásek