Timid Stories

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production year

1982

Premiere

9 July 1982

Runtime

101 min

Category

povídkový film

Genre

detective, short-story

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Plaché příběhy

Czech title

Plaché příběhy

English title

Timid Stories

Working title

Čapkovy povídky

Summary

In 1982, filmmakers selected Karel Čapek's short stories collection Povídky z jedné kapsy (Stories from a Pocket) as a work that would help Czech cinema repay part of its longstanding debt owed to the legacy of the writer. In line with something of a Barrandov film studios tradition, the anthology film Plaché příběhy (Timid Stories) offered an opportunity for no less than three debuting directors. While the story Rekord (The Record) turned out to be the only live-action film Dobroslav Zborník ever made, the author of Vražedný útok (A Lethal Attack), Zdeněk Flídr, went on to make three feature films in the 1980s. The third director, Tomáš Tintěra, made a great job of adapting Čapek’s famous crime story Modrá chryzantéma (Blue Chrysanthemum), but his career did not advance much in the ensuing years. Nevertheless, Plaché příběhy still captivates audiences with a cast that includes such greats as Rudolf Hrušínský, Josef Kemr or Jiří Kodet.

Synopsis

Three short stories.

Note

The film was dedicated to the Czech writer and playwright Karel Čapek.

Commentary

Crew and creators

Based on

Karel Čapek (tři povídky ze sbírky Povídky z jedné kapsy)

Production info

Original Title

Plaché příběhy

Czech Title

Plaché příběhy

English Title

Timid Stories

Working Title

Čapkovy povídky

Category

povídkový film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective, short-story

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1982

Production Year

1982

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1987

Premiere

premiere 9 July 1982 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

101 min

Original length in metres

2 862 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