That’s Why

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1979

Production year

1979

Premiere

28 March 1980

Runtime

85 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Tím pádem

Czech title

Tím pádem

English title

That’s Why

Summary

Director Karel Kovář (1944–1987) made three feature films before his untimely death aged just 43. The first of these was the drama Boty plné vody (Shoes Full of Water, 1976); this was followed by the crime thriller Past na kachnu (The Duck Trap, 1978). Kovář’s final film, the unassuming poetic comedy Tím pádem (That’s Why, 1979) is based on a script by Jan Fleischer. The lead character is a village daydreamer, postman Amadeus Macků, who keeps his neighbours constantly on edge with his attempts to construct a man-powered flying machine. The villagers, considerably more interested in receiving their post on time than in tolerating the recurrent accidents of their postman, even establish an association tasked with preventing Amadeus from flying… The lead role in this unfairly neglected motion picture goes to Josef Hrubý. The part of the likeable young female physician, who eventually chooses the “village lunatic” over a more promising urban suitor (Josef Abrhám), is played by Zuzana Cigánová.

Synopsis

A postman Amadeus Macků who lives in a small village wants to construct a self-powered flying machine. The whole village came to watch his attempt. However, it ends up in a fall and bruises as usual. He is attended by a young lady-doctor. Amadeus cannot give up and so the inhabitants must come to the post office to pick their letters up. The doctor, who visits the lone man in his house at the edge of the village, appeals to him very much. The only one, who helps Amadeus with his constructing work, is a game-keeper Joska. The others want to get their letters regularly and establish a club, the aim of which is to prevent Amadeus fly. The doctor has her former school mate Rudla visiting. He offers her a job in the city, wedding and an apartment they can get this way. The romantic lady does not like these reasons. Joska builds Amadeus a launching ramp from wood but the club pulls it down in no time. The postman reproaches his only friend that he has not watched it over. He himself repairs the ramp and is not stopped even by a local chronicler's saying, that everything he has been trying to develop had been invented long ago. The club members at least cover the landing area with hay. And again the whole village gathers. Rudla already knows who his love-rival is, and is taking the doctor to the city instead of going to the ramp. After a row the young lady gets out of the car and rushes to Amadeus who has started off the ramp. An ambulance is going to the city. Inside there is bruised Amadeus, however, not alone. He is accompanied by the doctor.

Cast

Josef Žluťák Hrubý

listonoš Amadeus Macků

Karel Brožek

hajný Joska

Milena Kytýrová

hajná Maruš

Josef Větrovec

předseda MNV

Dana Hlaváčová

Ježdíková

Miroslav Homola

Voice by Dalimil Klapka
kronikář Hanzal

Dana Homolová

kronikářova dcera

Libuše Vaicová

hostinská Karlíková

Hana Čížková

prodavačka

Šárka Štembergová

sekretářka Andulka

Jaroslava Keslová

zdravotní sestra na středisku

Jaromír Kučera

Voice by Mirko Musil
lékař v nemocnici

Jan Kuželka

Hejna, host v hospodě

Milan Klacek

prodavač v oděvech

Rudolf Jelínek (3)

chlap na injekci

Dagmar Zelenková

matka dítěte v čekárně

Milan Lepšík

muž s cigaretou

Commentary

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jan Fleischer, Jiří Ostrý

Screenstory

Jan Fleischer

Screenplay

Jan Fleischer

Commentary by

Jan Fleischer

Shooting Script

Karel Kovář

Dramaturg

Miroslav Vaic

Director of Photography

František Uldrich

Second Unit Photography

Vladimír Smutný

Camera Operator

Jiří Pechar

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Pavel Pitner

Art Director

Vladislav Kaska

Set Designer

Karel Kracík, Dana Smržová, Pavel Šoltys

Costume Designer

Helena Dubová

Film Editor

Eva Bobková

Assistant Film Editor

Štěpánka Stříbrná

Sound Designer

Alexandr Vrbata

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Tomáš Baloun, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Zajdl

Cooperation

Irena Neubertová (klapka), Otta Pšenička (vrchní osvětlovač), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf), Josef Záleský, Jiří Krop, Jiří Šveňha, Karel Uchytil

Music

Music Composed by

Jan Klusák

Selected Music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Houslový koncert A dur)

Music Performed by

Štraus Ivan, FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Tím pádem

Czech Title

Tím pádem

English Title

That’s Why

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1979

Production Year

1979

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 22 January 1979
start of filming 6 March 1979
technical Screenplay approved 3 April 1979
end of filming 5 November 1979
projection approval 10 November 1979
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 28 March 1980 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 8 May 1980 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

85 min

Original length in metres

2 416 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