Dissolved and Discharged

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production year

1983—1984

Premiere

1 January 1985

Runtime

80 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný

Czech title

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný

English title

Dissolved and Discharged

Summary

Thanks to its two leading creative lights – Zdeňek Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak – during the 1980s, Prague’s Divadlo Járy Cimrman theatre group ended up mounting three “Cimrman-esque“ feature films. The faux-biography Jára Cimrman ležící, spící (Jára Cimrman, Lying Asleep, 1983), detective comedy Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný (Dissolved and Discharged, 1984) and the tragicomedy about the goings-on in a small theatre group Nejistá sezóna (Uncertain Season, 1987). Together, these offer the embodiment of the very Czech phenomenon – a fictional genius of all stripes and talents. The film, in which Smoljak serves as co-writer and director, and Svěrák as co-writer, makes use of numerous motifs from the Cimrman theatrical plays, primarily from the detective comedy Vražda v salónním coupé (Murder in a Parlour Car Compartment, 1970) which, like many plays in this group, also features a section with a formal report presenting the life of Jára Cimrman. Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný (Dissolved and Discharged) works independently of the figure of Cimrman. The lead character in the film is Prague police inspector Trachta (Jiří Zahajský), who along with young apprentice Hlaváček (Marek Brodský) sets out to investigate the premeditated murder of factory owner Bierhanzl. He has literally disappeared without a trace: evidently his body was dissolved in a bathtub, with the remains then simply washed down the drain. The circle of the accused gradually begins to narrow to the victims of one of Bierhanzl’s patents – an anti-baldness lotion, which, in reality, causes total baldness. But the story is not merely about a resolute murderer and vengeance-minded customers. It is also about Trachta’s conceited criminalistics rival Klečka. Many renowned actors appear in this sophisticated comedy, including Rudolf Hrušínský, Petr Čepek, Josef Abrhám and Vlastimil Brodský. But members of the Divadlo Járy Cimrmana theatre also appear in multiple smaller roles. For example, Zdeněk Svěrák plays industrial poet Jelínek in this timeless comedy film. Additionally, Ladislav Smoljak has a cameo as a postman, while Jaroslav Weigel appears as the cobbler Pecháček. The Cimrman theatre group makes do without any females (women characters are portrayed by men), but in the film version the fairer sex is represented by Veronika Jeníková and Valerie Zawadská.

Synopsis

Police inspector Trachta, famed for employing unusual investigation tricks, is withdrawn from investigating the case of a missing factory owner, Bierhanzl, by the police director and the case is entrusted to the arrogant Klečka. Trachta and his intern Hlaváček are only left with looking for a thief who robbed the shoemaker Pecháček. They, however, soon return to the factory owner's case because Klečka was attacked in the magnate's villa. Trachta questions all the witnesses from the villa. The poet Jelínek tells him that Bierhanzl locked himself in a bathroom after visiting a dentist and was probably dissolved and discharged there. The objects found in the bathtub later prove that this has indeed happened. One of the witnesses is the magnate's heir, Arnošt Sýkorka, and Trachta opines that he has finally found the culprit. But everybody convinces him to continue the investigation, and he thus learns that Bierhanzl was producing a baldness ointment. New findings lead the investigators to a hat maker and to the sanatorium run by Professor Žalud, where several of Bierhanzl's customers ended up after finding that the ointment stripped them of the rest of their hair. They also discover a duck farm near the sanatorium where Bierhanzl purchased eggs to produce his ointment. Another lead takes them to the clinic of the dentist Krejza, where they find the factory owner with his head half bald. Krejza thus revenged himself for losing all his hair. Before, he helped Bierhanzl and Žalud with removing the victims of Bierhanzl's product. The repentent Bierhanzl warns Trachta against Žalud. And indeed – a motorcoach without tyres full of bald patients stands on rails and a train is rushing against it. The virtuoso shots of the gamekeeper Hlaváček, the intern's father, puts the train into reverse. Trachta and his assistants succeed in arresting all the scoundrels and also the thief who had stolen from the shoemaker Pecháček. Hlaváček wants to celebrate the success with Trachta in a candy store, but Trachta shows him a newspaper which only mentions Klečka. This fulfilled Trachta's strong belief: "The world is such that some plough and harrow while others just harvest.

Cast

Jiří Zahajský

inspektor Trachta

Marek Brodský

policejní praktikant Jindřich Hlaváček

Rudolf Hrušínský

hajný Hlaváček, praktikantův otec

Blažena Holišová

matka Hlaváčková

Josef Abrhám

profesor Žalud, šéf psychiatrického sanatoria, 6. podezřelý, později 7.

Veronika Jeníková

cukrářka Růženka Kubíková

Jaroslava Adamová

majitelka nevěstince

Petr Čepek

policejní ředitel

Vlastimil Brodský

kloboučník Alois Oulík

Rudolf Hrušínský ml.

univerzální dědic Arnošt Sýkorka, 11. podezřelý

Jiří Kodet

továrník Karel Bierhanzel

Jaroslav Weigel

švec Emanuel Pecháček

Jaroslava Kretschmerová

Lojzička, Pecháčkova žena

Zdeněk Srstka

Žaludův poskok Bedříšek

Zdeněk Svěrák

průmyslový básník Jelínek, 7. podezřelý, později 1.

Valerie Zawadská

Vilma Böhmová

Jan Hraběta

agent Ječný

Jan Kašpar

agent Ziegler

Valerie Kaplanová

Hedvábná, 1. podezřelá, později 6.

Alena Karešová

zdravotní sestra v psychiatrickém sanatoriu

Milan Klacek

dentista Antonín Krejza, vlastním jménem Bursík

Jiří Knot

blázen-průvodčí

Pavel Vondruška

blázen-úředník Jaroušek

Boris Hybner

blázen-grošák Ferda

Jaroslav Vozáb

sluha Pazdera, 9. podezřelý, později 2.

Václav Král

cukrář J. Kubík, otec Růženky

Jan Cmíral

Vedral, 3. podezřelý

Zdena Lingerová

Lída Vedralová, 4. podezřelá

Radúz Chmelík

Ing. Hloušek, 2. podezřelý, později 9.

Libuše Matějová

Hloušková, 5. podezřelá

Petr Brukner

Kreibich, 8. podezřelý

Miloslava Kykalová

Kreibichová, 10. podezřelá

Karel Peyr

dr. Pátý, 14. podezřelý

Milena Glogarová

Svatava Pátá, 15. podezřelá

Zdeněk Skalický

továrník Doudleba, 12. podezřelý

Břetislav Slováček

reportér z Národní politiky

Jaroslav Roud

policejní sluha

Karel Kachyňa

prokurátor

Mirko Musil

venkovan s kachnou na nádraží

Genadij Rumlena

sňatkový podvodník Franta Jetel

Jan Kuželka

nemocniční zřízenec

Vítězslav Sutr

obhájce

Petr Šícha

vrchní inspektor Klečka

Jana Altmannová

Jelínková

Kateřina Smoljaková

holčička na ulici

Alžběta Smoljaková

holčička na ulici

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Petr Šícha

Assistant Director

Jiří Moravčík

Based on

Ladislav Smoljak (Vražda v salónním coupé – divadelní hra), Zdeněk Svěrák (Vražda v salónním coupé – divadelní hra)

Shooting Script

Ladislav Smoljak

Director of Photography

Andrej Barla

Second Unit Photography

Stanislav Kautský

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek

Production Designer

Zbyněk Hloch

Assistent Production Designer

Michael Poledník

Set Designer

Miroslav Čermák, Josef Müller, Petr Matouš, Karel Karas, Petr Průša, Richard Staněk, Ondřej Trojan

Costume Designer

Šárka Váchová

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Production Manager

Karel Škop

Unit Production Manager

Ivo Pitrák, Vlasta Synkulová, Juraj Zach

Unit Production Manager

Gabriela Kerekešová, Jiří Potsch, Rudolf Jelínek

Cooperation

Marika Wasserbauerová (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf), J. Látal, J. Psohlavec, J. Ždimera

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Skoumal

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)

Production info

Original Title

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný

Czech Title

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný

English Title

Dissolved and Discharged

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1984

Production Year

1983—1984

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 11 July 1983
start of filming 11 July 1983
technical Screenplay approved 20 July 1983
end of filming 8 February 1984
projection approval 9 March 1984
withdrawal from distribution 31 July 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 January 1985 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

80 min

Original length in metres

2 318 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