Sonata for a Red-Haired Girl

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production year

1980

Premiere

19 June 1981

Runtime

78 min

Director

Vít Olmer

Category

film

Genre

children

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Sonáta pro zrzku

Czech title

Sonáta pro zrzku

English title

Sonata for a Red-Haired Girl

Working title

Koncert pro zrzavou holku

Summary

Actor Vít Olmer made his feature-film directorial debut with the 1970 romantic feature Takže ahoj (So Bye-bye). The 1960s silver-screen idol resumed his directing career 10 years later, with the sports-themed teenage feature Sonáta pro zrzku (Sonata for a Red-Haired Girl, 1980) based on a book by Vojtěch Vacke. The film tells the story of 15-year-old Petra, a girl with two very different talents: she is both a promising piano player and a successful goalkeeper with the school football team. When Petra falls in love with handsome, but fickle schoolmate Pavel, she is forced to make some difficult choices. Fortunately, grandpa and faithful friend Michal are there to offer help… Vít Olmer cast experienced child actor Stainslava Coufalová in the lead role. Non-actor Josef Lebánek portrays grandpa in this upbeat family feature.

Synopsis

The fifteen-year-old red-haired Petra is an excellent goalkeeper on the football team of her schoolmates. Her mother would rather see her practising her piano playing; Petra is definitely talented, but lacks the diligence. She also is a scoutmistress for a group of young scouts - the Marmots. The teacher at the music school, Knipl, complains about Petra's repeated absences from piano lessons. When she is grounded, her classmate Michal gets her out by making up a story about a school event to salvage scrap paper. Michal likes Petra, but she obviously fancies their self-confident schoolmate Pavel, who has recently moved to town from Prague. Led by the pharmacist and scoutmaster Tom, members of the school clubs leave for their log cabin. In the countryside, they compete for the Great Prize of the Frog Brook. Petra is the best amongst the girls in the difficult cross country run through the woods with a number of trials. Pavel also competes, but he only wins in the boys' category by having skipped the crawling event. Petra knows that he cheated and when the offence comes out, she and Pavel are punished by having to wash pots. Back in town, however, Pavel starts favouring the class beauty, Markéta. Petra's wise grandfather persuades her to devote more time to music. Petra starts working hard to rehearse a difficult piece. She is to play at a football tournament a couple of days before the concert, but in the end, the tournament is rescheduled to the day of the concert. Petra misses the last bus after the football game. She makes a motorcyclist give her a ride, but the mischievous man then refuses to stop for her at the crossroads. Petra jumps off the motorcycle and is seriously injured. With her leg broken, she now cannot leave for summer camp. The devoted Michal, however, stays in town with her and drives her to the railway station in a pram so that she can wave goodbye to her friends.

Cast

Stanislava Coufalová

Petra Polášková

Laďka Kozderková

Marie, Petřina matka

Božek Tomíček

Petřin otec

Lubor Tokoš

učitel hudby Knipl

Michal Dvořák

Michal, Petřin spolužák

Vladimír Vondra

Pavel Daněk, Petřin nový spolužák

Markéta Valentová

Markéta

Zuzana Kroupová

Eliška

Marek Ajgl

Tomášek

Antonín Navrátil (2)

Voice by Jiří Zahajský
lékárník Tom

Josef Lebánek

dědeček Petry

Simona Kočková

Jana

Tomáš Podroužek

Jožin

Michal Kocourek

Honza, Petřin spolužák

Viktor Král

kluk na střeše

Božena Blahušová

učitelka v tělocvičně

Jan Gogola

ochotník

Antonín Panenka

on sám, fotbalista ve snu

Crew and creators

Director

Vít Olmer

Second Unit Director

Ladislava Sieberová, Ivan Frič

Assistant Director

Adéla Koudelková

Based on

Vojtěch Vacke (Sonáta pro zrzku – kniha)

Director of Photography

Juraj Fándli

Second Unit Photography

Vladimír Kolář

Camera Operator

Josef Ryšánek

Production Designer

Vladislav Kucharski

Set Designer

Ivo Formánek, František Santarius

Assistant Film Editor

Marie Vrlová

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)

Special Effects

Ludvík Malý

Production Manager

Zdeněk Stibor

Unit Production Manager

Dušan Schaffer, Jiří Zemanec

Cooperation

Otto Kamenský (fotograf), Jan Gogola, Josef Záleský

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Ulrych

Selected Music

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (Hochzeitstag auf Troldhaugen), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)

Songs

Holky někdy přepadají nápady

Song Composer Petr Ulrych
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Pergner
Singer Stanislava Coufalová

Nejkrásnější období je podzim

Song Composer Ivan Mládek
Writer of Lyrics Ivan Mládek
Singer Ivan Mládek

Zelený pláně

Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer Vladimír Vondra

Ide forman dolinú

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer Josef Lebánek

Mister Rock a mister Roll

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr

Production info

Original Title

Sonáta pro zrzku

Czech Title

Sonáta pro zrzku

English Title

Sonata for a Red-Haired Girl

Working Title

Koncert pro zrzavou holku

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production Year

1980

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1991

Premiere

preview 30 April 1981 (kino Hvězda, Uherské Hradiště)
premiere 19 June 1981 /suitable for youths/

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

78 min

Original length in metres

2 222 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

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: 2. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Madrás

1981
Madrás / India
Stanislava Coufalová

Vítěz

Exhibition: 13. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří

1981
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Stanislava Coufalová

Vítěz

Exhibition: 13. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří

1981
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia

Vítěz

Festival: 21. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov

1981
Zlín / Czechoslovakia