The Catapulte
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1983Production year
1983Premiere
1 August 1984Runtime
87 minDirector
Jaromil JirešCategory
filmGenre
comedyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
KatapultCzech title
KatapultEnglish title
The CatapulteSummary
As well as being a source of inspiration for several adaptations at various levels, novelist Vladimír Páral left his mark on the modern history of Czech cinema as a screenwriter. Alongside Soukromá vichřice (Private Gale) (1967), Radost až do rána (Taking Pleasure Until Broad Day) (1978) and Playgirls (1995) he worked on Katapult (The Catapulte), a 1983 Jaromil Jireš picture inspired by his 1967 novel Catapult: a Timetable of Rail, Sea, and Air Ways to Paradis… The film’s hero, 33-year-old Jacek Jošt (in an appealing performance by Jiří Bartoška) is – like the majority of Páral’s heroes – a rebellious prisoner of the monotony of everyday life. Though he has an apartment, a nice wife and a problem-free daughter he places a classified ad and begins relationships with five women selected by computer. It coldly creates a timetable according to which Jacek has to balance them all. Revenge is sweet, however: Each woman soon starts laying claim to him. The vibrant Tina even gets her lover mixed up in a blackmail plot. The hero’s at first pleasant existence is thus transformed (in the end literally) into a nightmare… The experienced director Jaromil Jireš had filmed Páral’s book Mladý muž a bílá velryba (The Young Man and the White Whale) in 1978. By contrast with the thesis-based picture inspired by the novel from his “white” series, Catapult (regardless of its forced optimistic ending) is faithful to the novelist’s humour-infused “black pentalogy”. Jaromír Šofr’s camera contributed to the persuasiveness of The Catapulte, one of Páral’s most impressive movie titles, as did the casting of period stars. Kateřina Macháčková, Jiřina Jirásková, Barbora Štěpánová, Dana Homolová, Johana Tesařová and Jarmila Urbištová successfully support Bartoška in the parts of Jacek’s women.
Synopsis
Thirty three year old engineer, Jacek Jot, is tired of his stereotyped life: waking up in the morning in the housing estate, breakfast with his daughter and good wife Lenka, regular business trips, watching TV in the evening, chatting with his neighbour, Trot, sleeping. No, not like this, he wants to experience something extraordinary! He puts an ad in a dating agency and from the answers he chooses five women: a teacher Boenka, an older Anna, director of a research institute, exuberant Tánička, Ludmila, widow of a gamekeeper, a waitress, Tina. During his business trips he visits them in turns and he changes according to the demands of his lovers. First Jacek is happy, but after a while he gets into troubles. All women count on him in their life, every woman wants to be with him permanently. Jacek interlocks in their fates and is getting tired. Moreover, the energetic Tina forces him to take pictures and then to blackmail her lovers. Jacek also finds out that his neighbour, Trot, often visits his wife while Jacek is not at home. One day Jacek comes home early, but nobody pays attention to him, although he finally brought the promised white plush for Lenka. Jacek decides to end his life by jumping off of the balcony. He starts running and falls down. Suddenly he wakes up from a terrible dream. With relief, he happily falls into the family stereotype.
Photos
Cast
Jiří Bartoška
inženýr Jacek Jošt
Kateřina Macháčková
Lenka, Joštova manželka
Oldřich Vlach
soused Trošt
Jiřina Jirásková
ředitelka výzkumného ústavu Anna Bromová
Barbora Štěpánová
extravagantní Táňa Hájková
Johana Tesařová
vdova Ludmila Radalská
Dana Homolová
servírka Tina Velová
Jarmila Urbišová
učitelka Boženka Kohoutková
Adriana Wachsmanová
Lenička, dcera Joštových
Pavel Stach
Véna, Boženčin bratr
Kateřina Urbancová
Janička, dcera Lídy
Jakub Šolín
Arnošt, Ludmilin manžel na fotografii
Zdeněk Ornest
cizinec, Tinin zákazník
Jiří Hálek
úředník, Tinin zákazník
Dana Balounová
matka Boženky
Miroslav Vrba
otec Boženky
Jana Viščaková
Troštova žena
Tomáš Halík
psycholog
Zdeněk Dítě
Tinin zákazník
Oldřich Velen
řidič náklaďáku
Jana Leichtová
Jackova kolegyně
Zlata Adamovská
dívčí tvář
Barbara Šalamounová
dívčí tvář
Marie Kadeřábková
dívčí tvář
Ivana Chýlková
dívčí tvář/dívka ve vlaku
Monika Křišťová
dívčí tvář
Ladislav Lahoda
frajer Tony, přítel Tiny
Jaroslav Bouček
starý profesor na rautu
Václav Kukla
Josífek
Václav Kotva
výpravčí
Pavla Rodeslyová
Tánina spolubydlící
Jana Matiášková
Tánina spolubydlící
Mirka Hendrichová
Tánina spolubydlící
Zdeněk Hurník
příslušník VB
František Hausner
pomocník
Václav Wittmann
starší kolega
Stanislav Jelínek
cvičící jogín
Tomáš Jančařík
kolega
Bedřich Lomoz
řidič
Rudolf A. Rosenfelder
strýc Fanouš
Eliška Nejedlá
teta Olga
Edgar Dutka
host na rautu
Jana Robenková
prodavačka v kiosku
Petr Drozda
dubl za Jiřího Bartošku
Oldřich Semerák
dubl – řidič
Kateřina Maýrová
hudebnice
Jana Nováková (4)
hudebnice
Markéta Kabelková
hudebnice
Jana Novotná (3)
hudebnice
Dubbing
Simona Stašová
hlas osmadvacetileté dívky
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Vladimír Páral (Katapult – novela)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Karel Hejsek, Pavel Dosoudil
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jiří Forst, Petr Dostál, Miloslav Dvořák, Vladimír Ježek, Karel Vaňásek
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Ludvík Malý, Trikový ateliér FSB
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jana Koubová, Jarmila Tomišková
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Zuzana Čvančarová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Antonín Dvořák (Rusalka /Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém/ – árie), Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (Svatební pochod), Paul Pearl (Suita pro čtyři zobcové flétny)
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)
Songs
Oliver Twist
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Rostislav Černý
Singer Eva Pilarová
Kávu si osladím
Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott
Ein stückchen Zucker mehr /Kávu si osladím/
Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Fred Gertz
Singer Karel Gott
Ku-ku /The Cuckoo Song – motiv chůze Laurela a Hardyho/
Song Composer Marvin Hatley
Lékořice
Song Composer Jaromír Vomáčka
Writer of Lyrics Vratislav Blažek
Singer Václav Neckář
Proč právě já
Song Composer František JanečekMichal David
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Machek
Singer Michal DavidKroky Františka Janečka
Zrychlený dech
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Žák
Singer Helena Vondráčková
Production info
Original Title
Katapult
Czech Title
Katapult
English Title
The Catapulte
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
comedy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1983
Production Year
1983
Production specifications
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992
Premiere
festival premiere 26 June 1984 (35. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´84 /kino Blaník, Praha/)
premiere 1 August 1984 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
87 min
Original length in metres
2 499 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
Event: 14. ročník čtenářské ankety týdeníku Květy, Československé televize a Ústřední půjčovny filmů
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Bartoška
