During the 1970s, director Juraj Herz’s disposition towards strongly stylised stories had to be interspersed with more mainstream entries. And so, alongside Holky z porcelánu (Girls from a Porcelain Factory, 1974), Holka na zabití (A Girl to Be Killed, 1975) and Den pro mou lásku (The Day for My Love, 1976), we also find this 1979 adaptation of the novel Druhý břeh (Second Shore) by Václav Dušek. The author’s hot-blooded hero Tadeáš Falk finally decides to settle down. Divorcee Bára desires that her marriage to Tadeáš yields a “company apartment” (one provided to the families of certain state company employees) in order to provide a safe home for five-year-old daughter Beruška. But Bára’s ex-husband Sakl places various obstacles in the way of this new family. Nor is developing a relationship with little Beruška as easy as Tadeáš imagined. This successfully delivered story stars Vladimír Kratina and Zora Ulla Keslerová. The role of the disruptive ex, Sakl, is played by Jiří Štěpnička. Tadeáš’s free-thinking driver's mate Harýk is played by Radim Hložek, in what was this actor’s only film appearance.
A young square-built Tadeáš Falk called Táda distributes meat from a slaughterhouse to the Liberec-city environs and to mountain hotels. His jumper Harýk spends all his time hiking in a country and his wearing long hair irritates an older generation. The divorced Bára Saklová must marry her lover Táda as soon as possible to get a company flat and be able to take care of her five-year-old daughter Beruška who lives with her grandmother. Her ex-husband, a hotel manager Sakl, troubles her. Though, in fact, he does not actually care for his daughter, he does not agree Tadeáš would adopt her and give her his name. Sakl deliberately irritates him, as he knows he was put on parole for fist fighting. To share the same name as a family, at the wedding Tadeáš adopts his wife's name. Becoming friends with Beruška is not easy. She is stubborn and addresses her mother's husband "Sir". Bára, unfortunately, gets to hospital because of appendicitis. Tadeáš takes days off and goes with the girl to the mountains. Harýk, though, goes for a winter hiking trip instead of work. In the meantime Táda is looking for him; Sakl takes his daughter from the mountains to his villa. Harýk joins Táda and prevents him from his intention to attack physically Sakl. The girl attracted by a noise, gets to the door and politely asks "the stranger" Sakl if she can keep the puppy. Then she takes Táda by his hand and when leaving the house she addresses him Dad for the first time and wants him to join her to surprise her Mum with the puppy.
řidič Tadeáš Falk
Voice by Jiří Prager
závozník Harýk Kovanda
Voice by Bohumila Dolejšová
Bára Saklová, Tadeášova přítelkyně
Beruška, Bářina dcera
vedoucí autodopravy Ropek
vedoucí hotelu Karel Sakl, Bářin bývalý muž
expedient Knytl
vrchní Honza Šafránek
servírka Stela, Tadeášova bývalá milá
provozní v restauraci Myslivna
řezník Kohout
kuchař Pavel Kraus
řezník Petržílek
ředitel jatek
babička Berušky
starší kuchař v Myslivně
dívka v televizním filmu
Alfred v televizním filmu
vrátný Venca Polák
fotograf na svatbě
matrikářka
kovář Lopéz
Voice by Gustav Bubník
tramp Dyzma
Pajda
dubl za Vladimíra Kratinu
Kateřina Lukášová
Václav Dušek (Druhý břeh – román)
Karel Kracík, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šefrna, Dana Smržová, Pavel Šoltys
Jiří Hurych, Libuše Beranová, Jiřina Bissingerová, Tomáš Kuchta
Jarmila Hanykýřová, Jaroslav Bouček
Miloslav Doležal, Eva Nováková
Jitka Radová (klapka), Oldřich Křesina (vrchní osvětlovač), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)
Petr Hapka (Music Conducted by Petr Hapka)
Song Composer Áda Vodrážka
Writer of Lyrics Áda Vodrážka
Singer sbor
Křehké vztahy
Křehké vztahy
Delicate Relationships
Druhý břeh
film
featuretheatrical distribution
psychological
Czechoslovakia
1979
1978—1979
start of filming 16 November 1978
literary Screenplay approved 20 November 1978
technical Screenplay approved 21 December 1978
end of filming 6 May 1979
projection approval 28 May 1979
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989
premiere 4 January 1980 /unsuitable for youths/
Dramaturgická skupina Drahoslava Makovičky, Drahoslav Makovička (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
83 min
2 396 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,66
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 18. festival českých a slovenských filmů Košice
1980
Košice / Czechoslovakia
Vladimír Kratina
Festival: 17. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1979
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Vladimír Kratina
Festival: 17. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1979
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 17. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1979
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Macháně