Ants Bring Death
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1985Production year
1984—1985Premiere
1 April 1986Runtime
83 minDirector
Zbyněk BrynychCategory
filmGenre
crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Mravenci nesou smrtCzech title
Mravenci nesou smrtEnglish title
Ants Bring DeathSummary
Not even Czechoslovak cinema could go on ignoring the drug issue for ever. Thus in 1985 the experienced Zbyněk Brynych took it upon himself to direct this crime thriller based on the eponymous novel by Vladimír Vítek (a pseudonym for mining engineer Vladimír Popov). Drawing on his experience with the crime genre, the author of the script, Vojtěch Měšťan (among other writing credits, Smrt stopařek (Death of Hitch-Hikers, 1979) constructed the plot around the felonious activities of the international narcotics mafia which Czechoslovak counterintelligence agents successfully halt. Presenting the biggest hindrance to the successful rounding up of the drug dealers and consumers is international contract killer Barták (Rudolf Jelínek). He is sent to Czechoslovakia to liquidate all the collaborators… To this day, this “socially engaged” film manages to draw the interest of viewers due to its numerous implausible and unwittingly comic situations.
Synopsis
Klárka and Zdeněk rob a night walker at a Karlovy Vary natural spring to buy drugs for their friend Petr. Eva Krausová, the leading member of a central European drug gang, arrives at a border crossing from West Germany. But she is in fact a member of the Czechoslovak secret service, just reporting to her superior, Bure, everything about a future drug delivery to Karlovy Vary. Lieutenant colonel Kořán works on an extensive crackdown aimed at drug smugglers, dealers and addicts. The connection of Jan elezný's smugglers is replaced by a double, a policeman called Tomá, while Krausová's role during negotiations with elezný is played by a policewoman called Barbora, who gives the smuggler a false handover time, postponed to two hours later. The real drug is intercepted by Tomá. The spa massseur Černý, the knife thrower Cejp and elezný receive instead an "adulterated" drug from the pretend suppliers. The distribution of the drug follows the usual lines. But the junkie, Petr, dies after taking it. It is only after his death that Klárka and Zdeněk report everything to the police. But Kořán cannot stop the action now. elezný reports the two-hour delay to the resident Moučka and the man immediately contacts the central police. Later, elezný confesses that he met Krausová only after her second phone call. Now, the central of the drug gang grasps that there was a crackdown of the Czechoslovak police. They send a hired killer Barták to Karlovy Vary and ask him to liquidate all the people involved in the business. Barták starts with Černý who, however, survives his attack. He then kills Cejp and the frightened elezný then looks for refuge at a police station. The extensive operation bears fruit: the drug dealers and distributors, as well as the junkies, are arrested. Barták is surrounded, but shoots his way out and escapes hidden in a truck loaded with soda water. But Kořán and his colleagues manage to catch him in the ensuing pursuit.
Photos
Cast
Josef Vinklář
podplukovník VB Kořán
Jan Kanyza
příslušník VB Tomáš/dispečer Jan Železný
Rudolf Jelínek
profesionální zabiják Barták
Jiří Zahajský
kapitán VB Mařák
Zora Jandová
příslušnice VB Barborka
Jana Březinová
Eva Krausová
Rudolf Hrušínský ml.
lázeňský masér Láďa Černý
Vladimír Kratina
rezident Harry Moučka
Ladislav Potměšil
kuchař Vokurka
Ladislav Mrkvička
vrhač nožů Cejp
Dana Homolová
Marie Farkašová, Cejpova partnerka
Jiří Klem
příslušník kontrarozvědky Bureš
Michal Pešek
narkoman Petr Kučera
Nela Boudová
Klára, Petrova dívka
Marek Brodský
Zdeněk, Petrův kamarád
Jiří Vršťala
šéf gangu Marcel Schwoob
Jan Přeučil
člen gangu Grandler
Roman Hemala
člen gangu Kreuzmann
Adolf Filip
kapitán VB Nepevný
Roman Hájek
příslušník VB Petr Půhoný
Jana Andresíková
matka Kučerová
Rudolf Vodrážka
otec Kučera
Oldřich Velen
číšník Aleš
Jitka Zelenohorská
prodavačka v oděvech
Zdeněk David
kuchař
Lena Birková
úřednice
Jan Cmíral
nadstrážmistr VB
Vladimír Salač
lékař
Mirko Musil
oloupený chodec
František Olšovský
prodavač kalíšků
Arnošt Böhm
kriminalista
Zbyněk Krákora
kriminalista
Vladimír Míka
kriminalista
Jindřich Sejk
kriminalista
Jarmila Derková
lázeňská
Milan Mach
Schwoobův spolupracovník Klaus
Arnošt Neubauer
Schwoobův spolupracovník
Václav Stýblo
zedník
Milan Klacek
hlídač
Rudolf Kalina
výčepní
Zuzana Talpová
starší narkomanka
Michaela Talpová
mladší narkomanka
Andrej Brož
narkoman v garsonce
Pavel Cajzl
příslušník VB v převleku
Ladislav Lahoda
příslušník VB v převleku
Petr Skarke
příslušník VB v převleku
Igor Smržík
příslušník VB v převleku
Jaroslav Šanda
příslušník VB v převleku
Jaroslav Tomsa
příslušník VB v převleku
Karel Vávrovec
příšlušník VB v převleku
Jiří Kraus
řidič náklaďáku
Miroslav Krejča
technik/feťák
Jiří Nebeský
technik
Vlasta Dlouhá
recepční
Mariana Eiseltová
barmanka
Růžena Jedličková
ječící žena v hotelu
Marie Prchlíková
ječící žena v hotelu
Olga Salusová
ječící žena v hotelu
Roman Eppert
příslušník VB
Otomar Chobodydes
příslušník VB
Ladislav Kocourek
příslušník VB
Jan Okrouhlík
příslušník VB
Josef Pechanec
příslušník VB
Petr Sekanina
příslušník VB
Oldřich Semerák
příslušník VB
Miroslav Smolík
příslušník VB
Jaroslav Vlk
příslušník VB
Stanislav Petřek
maskér na kriminálce
Miroslav Jíra
dubl za Josefa Vinkláře
František Jákl
dubl za Rudolfa Jelínka
Luděk Jelen
dubl za Rudolfa Jelínka
Olga Lowitová
dubl za Zoru Jandovou
Marie Jungová
dubl za Danu Homolovou
Jaroslav Špáňa
dubl za Rudolfa Hrušínského ml.
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Vladimír Vítek (Mravenci nesou smrt – kniha)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jan Hodný, Bohumil Kadlec, Jan Klíma
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Stunts
Antonín Hausknecht, František Jákl, Luděk Jelen, Miroslav Jíra, Jiří Kalenský, Olga Lowitová
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Bohdan Kysil, Martina Krýslová
Unit Production Manager
Consultant
JUDr. Kamil Klášterský, Jaroslav Tomsa
Cooperation
Jana Pokorná (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Songs
S kým si já vínko dám
Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček
Song Composer Jiří F. Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Václav Babula
Singer skupina Moravanka
Production info
Original Title
Mravenci nesou smrt
Czech Title
Mravenci nesou smrt
English Title
Ants Bring Death
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1985
Production Year
1984—1985
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 21 March 1984
technical Screenplay approved 17 October 1984
start of filming 9 November 1984
end of filming 9 April 1985
projection approval 7 May 1985
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1991
Premiere
premiere 1 April 1986 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
83 min
Original length in metres
2 360 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: 13. celostátní festival zdravotnických filmů Podbořany
1986
Podobřany / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Exhibition: 4. soutěžní přehlídka filmů a televizních pořadů s bezpečnostní tematikou Terezín
1985
Terezín / Czechoslovakia
Josef Vinklář
