My Daughter’s Surgery

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production year

1985—1986

Premiere

1 February 1987

Runtime

81 min

Director

Ivo Novák

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Operace mé dcery

Czech title

Operace mé dcery

English title

My Daughter’s Surgery

Summary

The books for young people written by novelist Stanislav Rudolf served to inspire filmmakers on a number of occasions. Besides writing the screenplay for Údolí krásných žab (The Valley of Beautiful Frogs, 1973), Rudolf partook in one other film adaptation of one of his novels, namely Operace mé dcery (My Daughter’s Surgery, 1986). But this psychological tale strays somewhat from the author’s usual subject matter of adolescent young girls. Instead it tells the story of a father whose relationship with his 16-year-old daughter is shaken by a major revelation. After his daughter Milena is involved in a car accident, engineer Dušan Roček learns that he cannot donate one of his kidneys to the injured youngster because he isn’t her biological father. As he investigates the cause behind his wife’s act of infidelity of many years ago, Dušan discovers that past mistakes cannot be rectified... In this last film from director Ivo Novák, Vlastimil Harapes and Jana Šulcová take the lead roles.

Synopsis

The fifteen-year old Milena Ročková - the only child of the computer programmer Magda and the construction engineer Dušan - is a courageous and able-bodied girl fond of sports. She tries flying with a parawing with her loving father, even though the mother is very afraid for both of them. Then the family has a car accident on their return from flying. The father suffers only some scratches but the mother and Milena are taken to hospital. An X-ray reveals that the girl was born with only one kidney, but doubled, and moreover it is now heavily damaged. She will thus need a transplant from a suitable donor otherwise she will be on dialysis for the rest of her life. Doctor Krajíček tells the facts to the father who immediately offers his own kidney. Magda wants to donate, too, but she herself would not be strong enough even after her recovery. Dušan Roček undergoes the blood tests and then accidentally overhears a conversation between two nurses: it is totally impossible that he could be the biological father, and he thus does not represent an appropriate donor. Magda recalls her first meeting with Dušan. She was working as a clerk in a savings bank then and they married after a brief acquaintance. The shocked Dušan traces back what happened years ago. He was imprisoned for a year and a half because he was responsible for a crane crash at work and the subsequent death of a worker. Magda's sister Eliška disclaims to Dušan that his wife has ever had a lover. She, however, recalls that eighteen thousand Crowns disappeared from Magda's cashbox at her work shortly before his return from prison. At that time, she was helped by the deputy director, Burian. He uncovered the thief who had used Magda's moment of distraction, and forced him to return the money. Magda spent a night with Burian then, out of pure joy and gratitude. Burian learns only now from Dušan about her subsequent pregnancy and the child. He, nevertheless, refuses to donate one of his kidneys to his injured biological daughter. Magda attempts to commit suicide in the hope that her daughter would thus receive her kidneys. But she is saved and Krajíček tells the news to Dušan on the phone. Doctor Bureš fortunately finds the required body organ through an international network. Although Dušan "does not care about a girl who is not his own", he rushes to the hospital, arriving just in time to encourage Milena on her way to the operating theatre. The girl, drifting off, replies: "Don't worry, dad!"

Film online

Cast

Klára Pollertová

studentka Milena Ročková

Jana Šulcová

Magda, Milenina matka

Vlastimil Harapes

Voice by František Němec
Ing. Dušan Roček, Milenin otec

Jan Kačer

primář docent Krajíček

Oldřich Vízner

MUDr. Bureš

Jiří Kodet

MUDr. Rudolf Cholenský

Zora Ulla Keslerová

Voice by Jorga Kotrbová
MUDr. Stejskalová

Svatopluk Beneš

ředitel spořitelny František Bahen

Květa Fialová

manželka Bahenského

Vladimír Kudla

MUDr. Fric

Jana Dítětová

vrátná v nemocnici

Jan Přeučil

náměstek Vladimír Burian

Dagmar Čárová

pacientka Jarunka

Stanislava Bartošová

Eliška, sestra Magdy

Adolf Kohuth

František, Eliščin manžel

Hana Packertová

zdravotní sestra Tichá

Hana Čížková

zdravotní sestra

Valentina Thielová

zdravotní sestra

Libuše Geprtová

ředitelka školy

Daniel Šedivák

instruktor Béďa

Krystyna Wanatowiczová

Kristina, dcera Elišky

Marcela Martínková

vrchní sestra

Blanka Lormanová

zdravotní sestra

Zuzana Skalická

zdravotní sestra

Bibiana Šimonová

zdravotní sestra

Běla Jurdová

zdravotnice

Václav Kotva

podvodník z Liberce

Pavel Nový

Burianův kamarád

Michal Pavlata

novopečený otec/nadporučík VB

Pavel Myslík

řidič Jenda

Jana Altmannová

sekretářka na stavbě

Vladimír Pospíšil

stavbyvedoucí

Petr Šimák

spolužák

Filip Menzel

spolužák

Vladko Ctibor

rogalista

Jaromil Fráňa

rogalista

Ivana Holková

rogalistka

Jindřich Hloušek

rogalista

Alena Kubíčková

rogalistka

Leo Sekanina

rogalista

Josef Straka

rogalista

Hana Forejtová

dubl za Kláru Pollertovou

Crew and creators

Director

Ivo Novák

Second Unit Director

Věra Ticháčková

Assistant Director

Milan Špinka

Based on

Stanislav Rudolf (Operace mé dcery – novela)

Shooting Script

Ivo Novák

Director of Photography

Jiří Macák

Second Unit Photography

Jan Hanzal

Camera Operator

Michal Vlček

Production Designer

Jaromír Švarc

Assistent Production Designer

Olga Rosenfelderová

Set Designer

Karel Kracík, Miloš Sršeň, Milan Šebo, Milan Šefrna

Costume Designer

Olga Jedličková

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Kravková, Květa Švábová

Stunts

Hana Ludvíková

Production Manager

Petr Čapek

Unit Production Manager

Josef Štambach, Hana Jarošová

Unit Production Manager

Anna Tomoszová

Consultant

MUDr. Petr Pavel

Cooperation

Yvona Limberská (klapka), Jitka Bylinská (fotografka)

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)

Songs

Mít svůj kout

Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Rytíř
Singer Jitka Zelenková

Production info

Original Title

Operace mé dcery

Czech Title

Operace mé dcery

English Title

My Daughter’s Surgery

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production Year

1985—1986

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 26 June 1985
start of filming 8 October 1985
technical Screenplay approved 18 November 1985
end of filming 26 February 1986
projection approval 12 September 1986
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 1 February 1987 /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

81 min

Original length in metres

2 309 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: 17. ročník čtenářské ankety týdeníku Květy ve spolupráci s Československou televizí a Ústřední půjčovnou filmů

1988
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vlastimil Harapes

Vítěz

Festival: 14. festival zdravotnických filmů Podbořany

1987
Podobřany / Czechoslovakia