I’ll Be Good, Old Man!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production year

1978

Premiere

27 July 1979

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

„Já už budu hodný, dědečku!“

Czech title

„Já už budu hodný, dědečku!“

English title

I’ll Be Good, Old Man!

Summary

A grandfather with magic powers drives the action of Já už budu hodný, dědečku! (I’ll Be Good, Old Man!, 1978), a modern fairytale by screenwriter and director Petr Schulhoff. Popular actor Ladislav Pešek plays the grandfather and the fairytale is little more than a device for meting out well-deserved retribution on Theodor Bergner, a pompous and intolerant actor from Prague. Although Bergner is successful and presents himself as a model of human courtesy, he insults everyone around him with gusto (especially women) and deliberately arouses altercations. After the magical grandfather intervenes, however, the wrongdoings that Bergner has committed in the past begin to haunt him – assisted by the reappearance of characters he has previously hurt. Humiliated and defeated the actor finally promises to behave himself... Besides Ladislav Pešek the other starring role in this comedy of morals was played by Miloš Kopecký. The parts of the offended women went to Dagmar Veškrnová, Nelly Gajerová and Alena Vránová.

Synopsis

To the intolerant and bloody-minded Prague actor Bergner is the lead in Moliere's Misanthrope which he is studying now as tailor-made. On top of that he is malicious and he advises to the new actress Helenka in such a way that she upsets the theatre director. If Bergner accuses somebody of a mischief and he is wrong, he never apologizes. When he almost crashes an older elegant lady by his car on the zebra crossing, instead of an apology he calls her an old ballet dancer... But in Brno's TV he takes part in a discussion on manners and he gives himself as an example of good manners and grace. In the train he meets a magic old man who warns him and admonishes him to change his behaviour. After he arrives to Prague the old man's threat comes true. A jealous neighbour of his lover beats him up by mistake. His wife's aunt came for the first time from abroad to visit them and she brought him a longed-for tape-recorder. But she takes the tape-recorder again when she sees that Bergner is the mucker who almost run her over. Bergner is attacked by troubles always related to people which he hurt before. Then he wakes up in the train - everything was just a dream... At home his wife blindfolds him and she takes him to the room where he shall wait for a present to his name day and she leaves to the kitchen. Bergner doesn't know that the room is full of his colleagues from theatre and he shifts to his pyjamas in front of the astonished congratulants. In the end everybody covers the flub by laughter. The laughing Bergner is shouting to the street: I will be good, old man!

Film online

Cast

Miloš Kopecký

herec Theodor Bergner zvaný Dóďa

Alena Vránová

Olga, Bergnerova žena

Ladislav Pešek

kouzelný dědeček

František Filipovský

psychiatr MUDr. Maudr/metař

Svatopluk Beneš

herec Bašta

Josef Větrovec

ředitel divadla Josef Kábrt

Dagmar Veškrnová

herečka Helenka Tichá

Jiří Lír

inspicient Kubíček

Míla Myslíková

kostymérka Anička

Jorga Kotrbová

sekretářka Marcelka

Vlastimil Fišar

divadelní režisér

Jaroslav Heyduk

soused Pikl

Luba Skořepová

Piklova žena

Václav Štekl

růžolící muž na nádraží

Dana Hlaváčová

Máňa, manželka růžolícího muže

Kateřina Lírová

Alena Šulcová, dcera Bergnerových

Miroslav Vydlák

Emilek, vnuk Bergnerových

Vladimír Hrubý

opilý muž v tramvaji

Václav Sloup

mladý muž u telefonní budky

Anna Štrosová

žena u telefonní budky

Vladimír Hrabánek

průvodčí ve vlaku

František Peterka

žárlivec Bambas

Milan Mach

moderátor brněnské televize

Václav Lohniský

filmový režisér

Ivo Hrdina

pomocný režisér

Milan Pěkný

asistent režie

Jana Viščaková

zdravotní sestra u psychiatra

Marta Richterová

laborantka, kolegyně Aleny

Josef Havel

revizor

Josef Houba

revizor

Oldřich Velen

strážmistr VB

Milada Ježková

žena u tramvaje

Věra Tichánková

nájemnice v paneláku

Ela Šilarová

nájemnice v paneláku

Mirko Musil

nájemník v paneláku

Miroslav Čermák

nájemník v paneláku

Eva Trunečková

nájemnice/družstevnice

Eva Vlachová

žena s nákupem

Olga Michálková

žena v županu

Jindra Kvardová

žena v zástěře

Milena Velíšková

uklízečka v bistru

Karel Augusta

předseda JZD

Jiří Flíček

družstevník

Karel Kropík

družstevník

Karel Smrž

družstevník

Karel Vavřík

družstevník

Dagmar Sellnerová

herečka

Libuše Vojáčková

herečka

Jan Jelínek

muž v džínovém oblečení u přechodu

František Jákl

dubl za Miloše Kopeckého

Jiří Vojta

dubl za Miloše Kopeckého

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Jana Vohryzková

Continuity

Eva Kolářová

Screenstory

Petr Schulhoff

Screenplay

Petr Schulhoff

Shooting Script

Petr Schulhoff

Dramaturg

Karel Cop

Director of Photography

Jiří Vojta

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Nečesal

Camera Operator

František Kučera

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz

Assistent Production Designer

Jaromír Švarc

Set Designer

Josef Dvořák, Oldřich Halaza, Richard Staněk

Costume Designer

Jitka Polednová

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Chvojková, Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

Roman Hloch

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Titles Designed by

Adolf Born, Jaroslav Doubrava

Production Manager

Ladislav Novotný

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Smola, Jiří Radil

Unit Production Manager

Boris Nakladov

Cooperation

Hana Hebrová (klapka), Vladimír Souček (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Milan Dvořák

Selected Music

Ludwig van Beethoven (Symfonie č. 9 d moll /Óda na radost/), Franz Lehár (Paganini /Líbám, ženy, vás tak rád/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Songs

Líbám, ženy, vás tak rád

Song Composer Franz Lehár
Singer Miloš Kopecký

Production info

Original Title

„Já už budu hodný, dědečku!“

Czech Title

„Já už budu hodný, dědečku!“

English Title

I’ll Be Good, Old Man!

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1978

Production Year

1978

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 18 November 1977
start of filming 6 February 1978
technical Screenplay approved 1 March 1978
end of filming 12 July 1978
projection approval 25 July 1978
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 27 July 1979 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Drahoslava Makovičky, Drahoslav Makovička (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 350 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 30. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´79

1979
62 měst / Czechoslovakia