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.
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.
módní návrhářka Marie Tůmová
letecký mechanik Michal, Mariin muž
Honzík, adoptovaný syn Marie a Michala
Robert, Michalův kolega
Voice by Rudolf Jelínek
divadelní režisér Hugo Jílek
Dana, Michalova kolegyně
Hanka, Robertova žena
Lenka, dcera Hanky a Roberta
Franta, Lenčin přítel
psychiatr MUDr. Karel Chrástek
vrátný v kojeneckém ústavu
průvodčí ve vlaku
Voice by Soběslav Sejk
učitel Karas
divadelní herečka
divadelní herec
divadelní herec
divadelní herečka
divadelní herec
divadelní herec
inspicient
děda řezbář
matka
otec
dcera
syn
kumpán Tonda
kumpán Antonín
vedoucí módní přehlídky
návrhářka Růženka
vedoucí komise
člen komise
Voice by Jitka Zelenohorská
pečovatelka v dětském domově
taxikář
odtahovač
těhotná dívka
sestra na psychiatrii
muž na nádraží
muž na nádraží
vrátný
muž u baru
krasavice v baru
řidič nákladního auta
sestra v kojeneckém ústavu
aktivní paní
manekýnka
manekýnka
manekýnka
manekýnka
manekýnka
manekýn
výpravčí
pacientka MUDr. Chrástka
muž ve vlaku
žena ve vlaku
Bohumír Schwarzer
J. Hořejší, Zdeněk Jeřábek, Rudolf Kinský, Miroslav Stibr
Ladislav Beneš, Jana Koubová
Lenka Rambousková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Song Composer Joe AllisonAudrey Allison
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Grossmann
Singer Eva Olmerová
Útěky domů
Útěky domů
Escapes to Go Home
film
featuretheatrical distribution
psychological
Czechoslovakia
1980
1979—1980
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 17 October 1980 /suitable for youths/
Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
84 min
2 413 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech