Hostage at Bella Vista

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production year

1978—1980

Premiere

18 July 1980

Runtime

129 min

Category

film

Genre

adventure

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Rukojmí v Bella Vista

Czech title

Rukojmí v Bella Vista

English title

Hostage at Bella Vista

Summary

The popular “normalisation” era TV series 30 případů majora Zemana (30 Cases of Major Zeman, 1974) made its way to the silver screen in 1979 via the stitching together of two episodes: “Rukojmí v Bella Vista” (“Hostage at Bella Vista” episode 27) and “Poselství z neznámé země” (“Message from an Unknown Land”, episode 28). Directed by Jiří Sequens and written by Jiří S. Kupka, in these cases the protagonist of the story is not the quick-witted socialist criminologist Zeman, as played by Vladimír Brabec, but rather his secret police friend and colleague Major Jindřich Hradec (Rudolf Jelínek). A murder investigation leads all the way to Chile, where our hero is held hostage by a former Nazi (Jiří Adamír). The hostage-taker wants to gain access to a bank account in which money from the days of the 1930s Protectorate has been stashed away. This spy adventure with a strong tinge of regime politics makes use of exotic “South American” exteriors, which were, in fact, shot in Cuba.

Synopsis

Prague 1972. A policeman finds a mortally wounded man on a seat of a parked Chrysler. His last words were: "On Morava...". The police finds out it is Karel Štefka, who intended to flee abroad together with his lover Sachlová. The police also identify a man who was around shortly before Štefka was murdered. It is a sailor Barkl from the Morava ship. Major Zeman together with his colleagues finds out that this case is very complicated and it takes them to West Germany and further to Chile. The ship Morava sails off and Barkl is on board, but there is also Major Hradec, a member of Czechoslovak Intelligence service. Hradec discloses on the ship sabotage on Czechoslovak machines intended for nationalized copper mines in Chile. Barkl shows unintentionally to Hradec the way from the harbour to the Bella Vista hotel. There the boss of a suspicious company UTC, Mestrey discloses Hradec's incognito, and he lets Hradec take to his residence in the jungle. When it comes up that Barkl did not manage to destroy the machines on the ship, the young sailor is killed without mercy. Mestrey's secretary Inge takes care of Hradec. Hradec tries to find out in vain where he is. One day he finds thanks to the Morse code an ally in a wireless operator who is a Cuba spy. Mestrey tries in the meantime to swop Hradec for a document containing a number of a thick Nazi bank account in Switzerland. Hradec gets from Mestrey's safe evidence on the contra-revolutionary activity of the UTC Company and money. He manages to escape with the Cuban Rodrigo to the prepared helicopter. Mestrey's men follow them up and they wound Hradec. Rodrigo carries him to the helicopter. They manage to fly away and to deliver the documents to the point of destination.

Note

This feature film, released for cinema was based on TV series Thirty Cases of Major Zeman (1974–1979) in two parts. Parts Nos. 27 and 28 were made in the year 1978 and called the Hostage in Bella Vista, and Message from an Unknown Country. The plot took place in 1970 and 1971, but the film took place in 1972.

Film online

Cast

Rudolf Jelínek

major kontrarozvědky Jiří Hradec

Vladimír Brabec

kriminalista major Jan Zeman

Jiří Adamíra

Albert Mestrey, šéf United Transport Comp.

Hana Maciuchová

sekretářka Inge Schellerová

Radovan Lukavský

William Correns, vedoucí pobočky Intercontinental Airways

František Němec

plukovník Žitný, náčelník kontrarozvědky

Milan Klásek

radista Rodrigo zvaný Henry, kubánský rozvědčík

Jan Pohan

americký archeolog James D. Spellman, milenec Inge

Jiřina Petrovická

servírka Heda Štefková

Helga Čočková

kreslička Lenka Sachlová

Emil Horváth ml.

kriminalista poručík Martin Gajdoš

Jan Kanyza

námořník Josef Barkl

Václav Postránecký

hoteliér Josef Charouz alias Wunder-Pepi

Dalimil Klapka

JUDr. Benda, vedoucí pracovník Československé námořní plavby

Miroslav Rous

kapitán Frýba

Martin Štěpánek

bocman Janda

Jaroslav Tomsa

řidič Antonio

Vladimír Ráž

MUDr. Veselý, soudní lékař

Jiří Lír

kapitán kontrarozvědky Jindřich Hejduk, náčelník šifrérů

Ivo Niederle

kriminalista poručík Láďa

Rudolfo Jimenéz

strážce holohlavý

Cerezo Salazar

strážce šikmooký

Ruth Dubois

zpěvačka

Maritza Peréz

dívka v hotelu zvaná Vrabčák

Daniel Rous

mladý strážmistr VB Holý

František Jákl

příslušník VB na lavičce

Libor Žídek

příslušník VB na ulici

Tomáš Sedláček

příslušník VB v mysliveckém

Dubbing

Miroslav Moravec

hlas Karla Štefka v nahrávce

Jindřich Narenta

hlas německého archeologa

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jiří Mikeťuk

Assistant Director

Viktor Walter

Dramaturg

Věra Kalábová (Filmové studio Barrandov), Vladimír Bor (Filmové studio Barrandov), Jiří Procházka (Československá televize Praha), Leoš Jirsák (Československá televize Praha)

Director of Photography

Václav Hanuš, Josef Hanuš

Second Unit Photography

Jan Kváča, Rudolf Jokl

Camera Operator

Antonín Mařík

Production Designer

Karel Černý

Assistent Production Designer

Michal Krška

Set Designer

Karel Kočí, Jan Hodný

Costume Designer

Lída Novotná

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Production Manager

Josef Císař

Unit Production Manager

Olga Mimrová, Petr Čapek, Josef Hudlička, Jaroslava Pražská, Jiří Radil

Unit Production Manager

Bohumil Vlach

Consultant

Adolf Gruber, PhDr. Vlastislav Kroupa, Jiří Čermák, František Kruml

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška, František Belfín (dodatečná hudba)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Kučerova instrumentální skupina

Songs

Španělská píseň

Singer Ruth Dubois [dab]Alice Fabianová

Kávu si osladím

Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott

An de Eck steiht’n Jung mit’n Tüdelband

Singer ženský hlas

Production info

Original Title

Rukojmí v Bella Vista

Czech Title

Rukojmí v Bella Vista

English Title

Hostage at Bella Vista

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

adventure

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production Year

1978—1980

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 18 July 1980 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov, Československá televize Praha (původní zadavatel 1978), Ústřední redakce armády, bezpečnosti a brannosti (Československá televize Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

129 min

Original length in metres

3 688 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, German, Slovak, Spanish

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 19. festival českých a slovenských filmů Kladno

1981
Kladno / Czechoslovakia
Zdeněk Liška

Vítěz

Festival: 31. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´80

1980
63 měst / Czechoslovakia
Rudolf Jelínek

Vítěz

Festival: 31. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´80

1980
63 měst / Czechoslovakia