Escapes to Go Home

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production year

1979—1980

Premiere

17 October 1980

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Útěky domů

Czech title

Útěky domů

English title

Escapes to Go Home

Summary

Director Jaromil Jireš and Jana Brejchová had previously worked together on the adaptation of Vladimír Páral’s novel Mladý muž a bílá velryba (The Young Man and the White Whale, 1978), in which the popular actress brought to life the role of the manipulative Edita. Two years later, Jireš and Brejchová teamed up again for relationship drama Útěky domů (Escapes to Go Home, 1980). The heroine of the story is fashion designer Marie, who, along with her husband Michal, decides to adopt a son. The boy, little Honzík, has no idea that he is adopted – that is, until his ambitious young mother, under work pressure, reveals the truth. Honzík runs away from home, but his radical journey in search of his biological mother serves as something of a curative tonic for the insecure Marie and her husband. This refined film also features Jan Kanyza and the popular child star Tomáš Holý.

Synopsis

Marie, a fashion designer, and her younger husband Michal have recently adopted a boy called Honzík. Honzík does not know that Marie and Michal are not his biological parents and enjoys a happy childhood. After ten years, the family gets into crisis provoked by Marie's professional ambition. For the first time, Marie works for a theatre, where she wants to make a good start. Her designs, however, do not seem good enough for her and she falls into depression. She feels that she does not manage anything and everything is tiring her, including her family. She starts blaming Honzík for the situation. During one quarrel with Michal she even suggests that they should return the boy to the children's home in Brod. Honzík overhears the quarrel and decides to find his biological mother. Every day, instead of going to school, he travels around all Bohemian towns called Brod. Honzík's teacher, called Karas, tells Marie that Honzík misses school allegedly goes to Brod to see her every day. Marie gathers that Honzík heard the quarrel. It seems that the family is to break up soon. Marie decides to visit a psychologist, who openly blames her for the situation. When Marie finds out that Honzík has run away again, she follows him to the place they have originally brought him from. In the meantime, Honzík manages to get into the archive of the children's home in the right Brod and strives to find his mother's address. At the last moment, however, he returns the documents without looking at them and disappears. On his way home he, by chance, stops Marie's car. The tension in the family dies down and the three family members want to live with one another again.

Film online

Cast

Jana Brejchová

módní návrhářka Marie Tůmová

Jan Kanyza

letecký mechanik Michal, Mariin muž

Tomáš Holý

Honzík, adoptovaný syn Marie a Michala

Vlastimil Hašek

Robert, Michalův kolega

Evald Schorm

Voice by Rudolf Jelínek
divadelní režisér Hugo Jílek

Andrea Čunderlíková

Dana, Michalova kolegyně

Karolina Slunéčková

Hanka, Robertova žena

Markéta Fišerová

Lenka, dcera Hanky a Roberta

Petr Bednář

Franta, Lenčin přítel

Miloš Kopecký

psychiatr MUDr. Karel Chrástek

Václav Lohniský

vrátný v kojeneckém ústavu

Karel Augusta

průvodčí ve vlaku

Milan Riehs

Voice by Soběslav Sejk
učitel Karas

Jiřina Jirásková

divadelní herečka

Ilja Racek

divadelní herec

Zdeněk Hodr

divadelní herec

Lída Vostrčilová

divadelní herečka

Svatopluk Skládal

divadelní herec

Karel Hovorka

divadelní herec

Vladimír Hlavatý

děda řezbář

Jiří Fejfar

syn

Karel Heřmánek

kumpán Tonda

Pavel Zedníček

kumpán Antonín

Raoul Schránil

vedoucí módní přehlídky

Hana Jelínková

návrhářka Růženka

Jan Cmíral

vedoucí komise

Mnislav Hofmann

člen komise

Jaroslava Schallerová

Voice by Jitka Zelenohorská
pečovatelka v dětském domově

Tereza Pokorná

těhotná dívka

Zdena Burdová

sestra na psychiatrii

Bohuslav Ličman

muž na nádraží

Ladislav Krečmer

muž na nádraží

Karel Novák

vrátný

Jiří Kodet

muž u baru

Eva Lorenzová

krasavice v baru

Robert Vrchota

řidič nákladního auta

Lena Birková

sestra v kojeneckém ústavu

Dana Balounová

aktivní paní

Marie Dudáková

manekýnka

Irena Hahnová

manekýnka

Marie Kadeřábková

manekýnka

Milada Štědroňová

manekýnka

Oldřich Velen

výpravčí

Vlastimila Vlková

pacientka MUDr. Chrástka

Eugen Jegorov

muž ve vlaku

Alena Procházková

žena ve vlaku

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Miroslav Kubišta

Assistant Director

Josef Ryzec

Screenstory

Pavel Fiala

Shooting Script

Pavel Fiala, Jaromil Jireš

Director of Photography

Jaromír Šofr

Second Unit Photography

Karel Hejsek

Camera Operator

Bohumír Schwarzer

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Rudolf Stahl nejml.

Set Designer

J. Hořejší, Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský, Miroslav Stibr

Costume Designer

Svatava Sophová

Film Editor

Josef Valušiak

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Ladislav Beneš, Jana Koubová

Unit Production Manager

Adriena Váchová

Cooperation

Lenka Rambousková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Vadim Petrov

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Songs

Čekej tiše

Song Composer Joe AllisonAudrey Allison
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Grossmann
Singer Eva Olmerová

Production info

Original Title

Útěky domů

Czech Title

Útěky domů

English Title

Escapes to Go Home

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production Year

1979—1980

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 6 June 1979
start of filming 19 July 1979
technical Screenplay approved 13 August 1979
end of filming 20 February 1980
projection approval 13 March 1980
withdrawal from distribution 30 April 1986

Premiere

premiere 17 October 1980 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 413 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