Cheap Labour

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production year

1983

Premiere

1 November 1983

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kluk za dvě pětky

Czech title

Kluk za dvě pětky

English title

Cheap Labour

Summary

Jaromír Bork’s filmography was enriched by this 1983 psychological drama about an apprentice bricklayer, based on a screenplay from Ivo Pelant. Pelant had previously scripted a family drama centred on a children’s yachting group for Bork, namely Muž přes palubu (Man overboard!, 1980). The screenwriter also collaborated (together with Radek John) in the making of Karel Smyczek’s films Jen si tak trochu písknout (Just to Whistle a Bit, 1980), Jako zajíci (Like Rabbits, 1981) and Sněženky a machři (Snowdrops and Daredevils, 1982), all refreshing contributions to the theme of adolescence in genre films. Despite its optimistic ending Kluk za dvě pětky (Kluk za dvě pětky, 1983) reflects the unromantic fate of a 17-year old youth striving in vain to overcome his social disadvantages for the sake of his love for Eliška (Dana Vávrová), born into a socially elevated family. Even though the debut of the then 17-year old Jiří Langmajer lacks the sense of authenticity frequently found in films directed by Smyczek, Bork’s story of Eda Mařák still provides an unusual “social” insight into the reality of Czechoslovakia in the 1980s.

Synopsis

Seventeen year old bricklayer apprentice, Eda Mařák, does not go from his Prague vocational school to his mother - an alcoholic. He spends his weekends on the train. The schoolmistress, Smrčková, learns about this from police after a random check. The house owner, Sedlák, is searching among the apprentices for cheap labor to build an extension. The skilful third year student, Eda, who dreams of buying a motorbike, accepts this offer, although the earnings are only twenty crowns per hour or, colloquially, two fivers, because he likes Sedlák's daughter, Eliška. The boy does not feel the disdain with which the family takes his rather uncultivated behaviour. Eliška is at a school for window dressers, but she plans to study at art school. Her ambitious parents hinder the relation between them. Eda buys expensive winter shoes for Eliška's birthday, but her parents don't allow her to accept them. The Sedláks are gone and Eliška invites Eda to a party. He is surprised that the house is full of Eliška's self-confident friends. He becomes a target of their impertinent jokes. The bunch of her friends find him even at the extension, where the angry Eda had gone to "his right place". In order to get rid of the unwanted suitor, Sedlák wants to hire more expensive bricklayers, who will also probably finish the job sooner. Eda pretends in the vocational school that he is ill and he allegedly goes to cure himself at home. Now he can work at the Sedláks whole days, but at the same time he has to overnight there too. By chance, he overhears a dialogue between the Sedlaks and it finally opens his eyes. Troubles are awaiting him at the boarding house. They disclosed he was lying about his illness. Although the master praises him for his job, he tells him that he will be expelled from the vocational school. But Eda minds more about Eliška, who became cold to him. The schoolmistress tries in vain to have a serious talk with him. The boy is no longer naive. Eliška definitely refused him and he knows that the school lets him finish his education only because society has already invested three years of education in him.

Cast

Jiří Langmajer

zednický učeň Eda Mařák

Dana Vávrová

aranžérka Eliška Sedláková

František Laurin

JUDr. Josef Sedlák, Eliščin otec

Helena Malehová

Sedláková, Eliščina matka

Oldřich Vinklát

mistr Míra Vadas

Jana Vychodilová

vychovatelka Smrčková

Boleslav Skalski

učeň Robert

Bronislav Poloczek

mistr Malina

Václav Mareš

ředitel učiliště Košnar

Václav Sloup

zedník, starý mládenec

Ladislav Šimek

zedník Peřina

Jan Kovář (2)

vlasatý mladík

Václav Šícha

tlouštík Pepan

Petr Čtvrtníček

učeň Bouška

Viktor Král

učeň Ondra

Miroslava Kočková

Zdena

Veronika Vrabíková

Jája

Marek Žoha

Hausner

Tomáš Bobek

Tonda

Miroslav Petrů

Jindra

Aleš Jánský

Martin

Stanislav Aubrecht

student Petr

Vladimír Švabík

děda na stavbě

Kamil Mařík

soused

Jan Kuželka

tlustý zedník

Jindra Kvardová

hlídačka v galerii

Natalie Švabíková

učitelka

Rudolf A. Rosenfelder

příslušník VB v autě

Vlastimila Vlková

žena v metru

Jaromír Borek

host ve vinárně

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Marta Křesinová

Assistant Director

Vít Horálek

Continuity

Eva Kubesová

Screenplay

Ivo Pelant

Shooting Script

Jaromír Borek

Director of Photography

Jiří Šámal

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Dosoudil

Camera Operator

Stanislav Šťastný

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz

Assistent Production Designer

Olga Rosenfelderová

Art Director

Jiří Petráček

Set Designer

Rudolf Beneš, Bedřich Čermák, Jaroslav Lehman, Jiří Libánský

Costume Designer

Šárka Váchová

Make-Up Artist

František Pilný

Assistant Film Editor

Eliška Willigová

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Production Manager

Václav Rouha

Unit Production Manager

Václav Dobeš, Zdeňka Černá, Václav Petr

Cooperation

Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka), Ivan Minář (fotograf), Učební závod stavebních podniků Praha

Music

Music Composed by

Ivan Kašlík

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens), Kroky Františka Janečka

Songs

Žárlíš

Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Machek
Singer Jana Kratochvílová

Production info

Original Title

Kluk za dvě pětky

Czech Title

Kluk za dvě pětky

English Title

Cheap Labour

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1983

Production Year

1983

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1991

Premiere

premiere 1 November 1983 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

3. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Václav Erben (vedoucí 3. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 440 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. filmový festival mladých Trutnov

1984
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia