1934 Rhythm

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production year

1979—1980

Premiere

28 November 1980

Runtime

92 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Rytmus 1934

Czech title

Rytmus 1934

English title

1934 Rhythm

Working title

Černé světlo

Summary

For 1980s Czech filmmakers, the era of the First Republic became a fictional arena within which official contemporary ideology was reinforced via stories critical of the capitalistic system. Yet it was also an era that provided some opportunities for nostalgia and spectacle. This 1980 film from Jaroslav Balík is a loose adaptation of the Václav Řezáč novel Černé světlo (Black Light). The protagonist is ambitious young man Karel Kubát, who after unfairly being expelled from a Baťa footwear company vocational school, instead starts a career in a musical publishing firm operated by his Prague-based uncle. Kuba begins to use Baťa’s slogans about hard work and remorseless self-furtherance against his contemporaries. Even his uncle’s daughter Bobina becomes just another tool for his pursuit of money and power. Vladislav Beneš – usually a supporting actor during the 1970s and 80s – takes the lead role in this film. Bobina is portrayed by Lucie Žulová.

Synopsis

Year 1934. Karel, a student of Baťa's vocational school in Zlín, is expelled from the school. Somebody turned him in that he had attended a lecture about the Soviet Union. Karel was just looking there for his friend, the pianist Munzar, but he protests in vain. He goes to Prague where his only relative, a rich music publisher Kubát employs him in his shop as an assistant without any salary. Karel does not take a miss from his uncle, he is ambitious and follows Baťa's motto about hard work and a ruthless way to success. The old accountant Mrázek gives him always good piece of advice. The Kubát's only daughter Bobina visits Karel in the attic, in the smallest room of the gorgeous villa but she laughs to his courting. Karel introduces his uncle's family to Munzar and Kubát decides to publish his music. The moody and pampered Bobina falls in love with the handsome poor composer. Kubát published his music, but due to promotion reasons under a more famous name. Munzar refuses an offer from the publisher to give a concert in the Nazi Berlin. The lovers break up. Karel wants to use the chance, but his plan to marry Bobina is strongly opposed by his aunt. Karel will take a revenge. He shows to the sordid uncle a receipt for a contribution to a solidarity fund to which his aunt - formerly a poor shop assistant contributes through Mrázek. The publisher sacks his long-time employee coldly and Mrázek commits suicide. Left oriented newspapers criticize it and Karel is sacked too to avoid any scandal. But the uncle has another offer for this reliable man. Karel shall get an important position in a printing house that Kubát has just bought.

Cast

Vladislav Beneš

Karel Kubát

Ota Sklenčka

nakladatel Otakar Kubát, Karlův strýc

Iva Janžurová

Kubátová, strýcova žena

Lucie Žulová

Bobina, Karlova sestřenice

Jitka Malíková

kadeřnice Dáša Šustrová

Daniel Dítě

klavírista František Munzar

Lubomír Kostelka

hudebník Lojza Šustr, otec Dáši

Václav Neužil

účetní Josef Mrázek

Hynek Kubasta

vedoucí osobního oddělení

Marcela Večeřová

Věra, Karlova dívka

Vlastimil Zavřel

redaktor Kapler

Jana Leichtová

konferenciérka

Karel Krasnický

dr. Jonáš

Michaela Koliandrová

Jiřina

Blažena Slavíčková

služebná Bára

Jana Koubková

zpěvačka

Marcela Famfulová

členka pěveckého tria

Alena Fehrerová

členka pěveckého tria

Jitka Jesenská

členka pěveckého tria

Petr Jákl

svalovec

Tomáš Jančařík

prodavač losů

Jan Trkovský

Jarda

Miloslav Mejzlík

dílovedoucí

Karel Vítek

polykač skla

Jan Večeřa

číšník

Jaroslav Vejdovský

elév

Vlasta Aplová

tanečnice

Erna Březinová

tanečnice

Karla Celerová

tanečnice

Jana Čižinská

tanečnice

Aja Farkačová

tanečnice

Dana Horáková

tanečnice

Daniela Jeriová

tanečnice

Marie Kadeřábková

tanečnice

Helena Karasová

tanečnice

Naďa Krucká

tanečnice

Alena Kuncová

tanečnice

Stanislava Martínková

tanečnice

Veronika Orlíčková

tanečnice

Jana Ostrá

tanečnice

Helena Štěrbová

tanečnice

Kateřina Štorkánová

tanečnice

Dagmar Vlčková

tanečnice

Zdenka Červenková

dáma

Ela Květoňová

dáma

Hana Horáková

členka dívčí kapely

Vlasta Krasnická

členka dívčí kapely

Eva Moulisová

členka dívčí kapely

Helena Skopová

členka dívčí kapely

Hana Svobodová-Lejčková

členka dívčí kapely

Jan Hrábek

dirigent

Vlastislav Horák

hudebník studiového orchestru

Jan Jírů

hudebník studiového orchestru

Jan Nepomuk Köhler

hudebník studiového orchestru

Ivan Pazour

hudebník studiového orchestru

Helena Vaňková

hudebnice studiového orchestru

Ladislav Habart

dirigent barového orchestru

Antonín Kysilka

hudebník v baru

Ladislav Odstrčil

hudebník v baru

Otto Sattler

barový houslista

Stanislav Šimek

tanečník v baru

Božena Šimková

tanečnice v baru

Pavel Arazim

hudebník

František Bártík

hudebník

Pavel Burda

hudebník

Petr Čech (2)

hudebník

Břetislav Čepelka

hudebník

Jana Fousková

hudebnice

Ludvík Hašek

hudebník

Zdeněk Ladislav Hertl

hudebník

Petr Hornych

hudebník

Helena Hůlová

hudebnice

Tomáš Jírovec

hudebník

Michal Kasalický

hudebník

Josef Krásný

hudebník

Josef Lakatos

hudebník

Václav Marek

hudebník

Antonín Musil

hudebník

Petr Novobilský

hudebník

Jan Pačes

hudebník

Ladislav Pačes

hudebník

Ivan Počinek

hudebník

Břetislav Slouka

hudebník

Oldřich Smola

hudebník

Petr Smolík

hudebník

Václav Stoupa

hudebník

Jan Trojan

hudebník

Josef Zámečník

hudebník

Ondřej Zícha

hudebník

Otakar Sedláček

konferenciér

Petr Jákl

svalovec

Jiří Kraus

svalovec

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milena Kropáčková

Assistant Director

Petr Makovička

Continuity

Hana Kozlová

Screenstory

Václav Řezáč

Based on

Václav Řezáč (Černé světlo – román)

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Balík

Director of Photography

Viktor Růžička

Second Unit Photography

Vojtěch Kuthan

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Brabec

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Assistent Production Designer

Pavel Pitner

Set Designer

J. Dušek, Ivan Ernyei, Jan Petrů

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Eva Bobková

Assistant Film Editor

Štěpánka Stříbrná

Sound Designer

Jiří Kříž

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Karel Kochman

Unit Production Manager

Věra Lukášová, Petr Prejda, Eliška Sekavová

Unit Production Manager

Eliška Sekavová

Cooperation

Zora Winkelhöferová (klapka), Jiří Kučera (fotograf), Jan Sládek

Music

Music Composed by

Karel Mareš

Selected Music

Jaroslav Ježek (Bugatti step)

Music Performed by

Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Jan Hrábek)

Choreographer

Josef Koníček

Songs

Těch tónů pár

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Marcela FamfulováAlena FehrerováJitka Jesenská

Když večer nad Prahou /Tango/

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav MottlKarel Melíšek
Singer Setleři

By By Baby

Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kopta
Singer Jana Koubková

Já viděl Helenu v bazénu

Song Composer Friedrich Raimund Vesely
Writer of Lyrics Ruda Jurist
Singer Karel Krasnický

Dájo, nevolej

Song Composer Vladimír Eddy Fořt
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Eddy Fořt
Singer Lubomír Kostelka

Život je jen náhoda

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek

Houpy hou

Song Composer Bedřich Nikodem
Writer of Lyrics Karel Růžička
Singer Jana KoubkováMarcela FamfulováAlena FehrerováJitka Jesenská

Koupím ti párek poštovních holubů

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav MottlKarel Melíšek
Singer Lucie Žulová

Čím, čím...?

Song Composer Roman Blahník
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hrnčíř
Singer Lubomír Kostelka

Preussens Gloria /píšťaly a bubny/

Song Composer Johann Gottfried Piefke

Production info

Original Title

Rytmus 1934

Czech Title

Rytmus 1934

English Title

1934 Rhythm

Working Title

Černé světlo

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1980

Production Year

1979—1980

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 31 March 1979
start of filming 1 October 1979
technical Screenplay approved 2 January 1980
end of filming 4 July 1980
projection approval 21 July 1980
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 28 November 1980 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

92 min

Original length in metres

2 629 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: 19. festival českých a slovenských filmů Kladno

1981
Kladno / Czechoslovakia