Songs Should Never Die

Country

Czechoslovakia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Copyright

1983

Production year

1983

Premiere

1 February 1984

Runtime

87 min

Director

Georgij Kalatozišvili

Genre

biography

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Písně by neměly umírat

Czech title

Písně by neměly umírat

English title

Songs Should Never Die

Co-production title

Gmadlobt Ratili

Working title

Díky Ratili

Summary

It is 1907 and, having embarked on the final stage of his life in Tbilisi, Georgia, Czech singer and choirmaster Josef Navrátil recalls his professional career. The protégé of the great composer Bedřich Smetana is forced to seek work abroad having fallen out of favour with the Prague Provisional Theatre’s director. Using the assumed name of Ratili, he and his family eventually find a new home in Georgia. Once in the country, Navrátil devotes his efforts to writing down and performing folk songs… The film, directed by Georgi Kalatozishvili, was made in 1983 in a Czech-Georgian coproduction with Vít Olmer playing the lead. Several other parts also went to Czech actors: the main protagonist’s exhausted wife was Jana Březinová while the role of Smetana went to Otto Budín. Viewers are treated to the beauty of the Georgian landscape as well as the folk songs performed by an ensemble of dudukists.

Synopsis

It is 1907, and in the Georgian capital Tiflisu (what is today Tbilisi) a male choir comes to greet the fatally ill Czech Josef Navrátil, called Ratili, by singing a song for him under his hospital window - and it was actually Navrátil who established the choir years ago. His thoughts return to Prague, 1874. He is a young and gifted opera singer, performing in the choir of the so-called Provisional Theatre (Prozatímní divadlo) at the premiere of the famous Czech opera by Smetana, The Bartered Bride. The composer Smetana is rather favourable towards him, but the director Maýr refuses to cast him as a soloist due to nothing but personal aversion. Josef sings in Czech theatres and the critics are very amiable towards him. His stand-in in Teplice is highly admired by the Italian diva Masacci. She not only loves his singing but also him. The handsome guy is, however, married. Masacci arranges an engagement for him in Helsinki and also invents his pseudonym, Ratili. Navrátil's wife is jealous but she is the main support for Josef and moreover brings up their two children. It turns out after some time that the Finnish opera has no money to pay. Ratili leaves for a Russian tour. He can hear a folk choir singing in various places from the Georgian border. He settles in Tiflisu for some time. During his visit to Prague in 1882, Maýr refuses to admit him to the new National Theatre, and Josef moves to Georgia with his family for good. He transcribes music notations, adapts folk songs and establishes choirs, also feverishly looking for patrons, thus helping to anchor the folk music as the firm foundation of Georgian culture. He thus becomes an inseparable part of Georgian history.

Note

Josef Navrátil was born on March 13, 1840, in the village of Dobšice, house land-registry No. 16, as the youngest son of farmer Jan Navrátil and Rozálie, born Pošíková from Budměřice. He was active as a teacher in Městec Králové and sang in the choir of the so-called Provisional Theatre in Prague for ten years as an outstanding tenor. The present film captures his life in the years to follow. Navrátil returned three times from Russia to give a guest performance in the Prague National Theatre; he was, however, never engaged there.

Photos

Cast

Vít Olmer

Josef Navrátil, uměleckým jménem Ratili

Jana Březinová

Marie, Navrátilova žena

Svetlana Toma

Voice by Alena Procházková
italská pěvkyně Enriche Masacciová

Imeda Kachiani

Voice by Miroslav Moravec
zpěvák a folklorista Filiomon Koridze

Žanri Lolašvili

Voice by Ladislav Županič
novinář Tumanov

Otto Budín

skladatel Bedřich Smetana

Václav Helšus

Václav, Josefův bratr

Jiří Holý

ředitel Národního divadla Jan Nepomuk

Luděk Kopřiva

finský impresário Kaarlo Bergboom

Jiří Lír

lékař v Tiflisu

Adolf Filip

lékař v Praze

Eka Vibliani

Maiko Amilachvari

Jan Cmíral

poštovní úředník

Pavel Zajíc

Josef jako chlapec

Martin Kravka

Josefův syn

František Ringo Čech

přítel

Pavel Hiřman

přítel

Milan Klacek

asistent

Zdeněk Skalický

hospodský

Jan Kotva

inspicient

Karel Pospíšil

impresário

Mario Klemens

hudebník

Arnošt Moulík

vedoucí orchestru

Kachi Kavsadze

kníže Eristov

Gija Badridze

Varlam Culadze

Merab Donadze

Lia Gudadze

Tengiz Majsuradze

Kira Andronikašvili (2)

Ruslan Mikaberidze

Michail Kobachidze

Tengiz Culaja

C. Mamaladze

Michail Joffe

Leonid Pjarn

Voldemar Gruzec

Davit Čchikvadze

Temur Kvechišvili

R. Cagarejšvili

Pjotr Minejev

T. Tkvavašvili

R. Danělija

Ivan Sakvarelidze

V. Mkrtičjan

Vasil Kočlamazašvili

Merab Vačnadze

M. Darčija

J. Šrámek

hudebník

Josef Valenta (2)

hudebník

Crew and creators

Director

Georgij Kalatozišvili

Second Unit Director

Drahomíra Králová, Guram Mgeladze, Miša Kalatozišvili

Assistant Director

Karina Sardlišvili, Karina Ovanova, Vasilij Mindiašvili, Zdeněk Fiala

Shooting Script

Georgij Kalatozišvili

Dramaturg

Vladimír Bor, M. Modebadze /ž/

Director of Photography

Jiří Hošek, Dudar Margijev

Camera Operator

Lubomír Moravec, Jiří Vitvar, Šota Nikoladze, Robert Pogosov

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz, Revaz Mirzašvili

Assistent Production Designer

Olga Rosenfelderová

Set Designer

Petr Dostál, Miloslav Dvořák, Jiří Forst, Karel Vaňásek

Costume Designer

Šárka Hejnová

Costumes

Aša Teršová, Michaela Nedvídková, Petra Jáchimová, T. Mamaladze

Make-Up Artist

František Pilný, Ladislav Bacílek, Zdenka Prchlíková, Jana Jarolímková, Guram Barnabišvili, B. Margišvili

Film Editor

Dalibor Lipský

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Alena Chvojková

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka, Imeri Mandžgaladze

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá, Guram Chundadze

Unit Production Manager

Michail Naneišvili, Gedeon Balančivadze, Jana Koubová, Jarmila Tomišková

Unit Production Manager

Zdeněk Hurník, Aleš Komárek

Cooperation

Zuzana Čvančarová (klapka), Vladimír Souček (fotograf), Neli Devnozašvili, M. Hellmuthová, D. Puchašvili, G. Mčelidze

Music

Music Composed by

Gija Kančeli, Džansug Kachidze

Selected Music

Giuseppe Verdi (Aida), Giuseppe Verdi (Trubadúr), Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta /Dobrá věc se podařila/), Bedřich Smetana (Libuše /fanfáry/), Gaetano Donizetti (Nápoj lásky /L'elisir d'amore; árie Una furtiva lagrima/ ), Charles François Gounod (Faust a Markéta)

Music Performed by

Státní symfonický orchestr Gruzie (Music Conducted by Džansug Kachidze), Gruzínský lidový národní pěvecký sbor Rustavi (Music Conducted by A. Erkomaišvili), Mužský folklórní soubor gruzínské televize a rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Temur Kvechišvili)

Songs

Sborové písně

Singer Lidový soubor dudukistůMužský folklórní soubor gruzínské televize a rozhlasuGruzínský lidový soubor Rustavi

Já bych rád k Betlému

Singer Pavel Zajíc

Operní árie

Singer Medeja AmiranašviliAlexandr Chaneriki

Production info

Original Title

Písně by neměly umírat

Czech Title

Písně by neměly umírat

English Title

Songs Should Never Die

Co-production Title

Gmadlobt Ratili

Working Title

Díky Ratili

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

biography

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Copyright

1983

Production Year

1983

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1989

Premiere

premiere 1 February 1984 /suitable for youths/

Production

Filmové studio Barrandov, Kinostudia Gruzia-film Tbilisi

Copyright Holders

Státní fond kinematografie

Studio

Hostivař

Distribution

Ústřední půjčovna filmů

Creative Group

1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Sales

Národní filmový archiv, Obchodní oddělení

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

87 min

Original length in metres

2 488 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

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 22. festival českých a slovenských filmů Banská Bystrica

1984
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
kolektiv tvůrců filmu

Songs Should Never Die

Country

Copyright

Production year

Premiere

Runtime

Director

Category

Genre

Typology

Original title

Czech title

English title

Co-production title

Working title

Summary

Synopsis

Note

Photos

Cast

Svetlana Toma

Imeda Kachiani

Žanri Lolašvili

Eka Vibliani

Pavel Zajíc

Martin Kravka

Kachi Kavsadze

Gija Badridze

Varlam Culadze

Merab Donadze

Lia Gudadze

Tengiz Majsuradze

Kira Andronikašvili (2)

Ruslan Mikaberidze

Michail Kobachidze

Tengiz Culaja

C. Mamaladze

Michail Joffe

Leonid Pjarn

Voldemar Gruzec

Davit Čchikvadze

Temur Kvechišvili

R. Cagarejšvili

Pjotr Minejev

T. Tkvavašvili

R. Danělija

Ivan Sakvarelidze

V. Mkrtičjan

Vasil Kočlamazašvili

Merab Vačnadze

M. Darčija

V. Kobulašvili

Lado Tatišvili

L. Nižaradze

G. Gabašvili

V. Grigorjan

O. Kasajan

Z. Adam

K. Beran

J. Čížek

L. Davídek

D. Dvořáková

Bohuslav Hájek

Otto Havel

J. Hercl

J. Hlinka

A. Kadeřábek

D. Kadeřábková

A. Křiklánová

V. Kubánek

M. Laube

A. Loudová

M. Macháček

J. Machálek

J. Mazáček

J. Navrátil

J. Novák

M. Ožanová

K. Pavlíček

J. Razim