Jonáš and Melicharová

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production year

1985—1986

Premiere

1 December 1986

Runtime

82 min

Category

film

Genre

music

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Jonáš a Melicharová

Czech title

Jonáš a Melicharová

English title

Jonáš and Melicharová

Working title

Jonáš dejme tomu ve středu / Semafor a jeho tingltangl

Summary

In 1986, writer-director Vladimír Sís – who specialised in musicals – created the sketch-filled number Jonáš a Melicharová. The film is comprised of scenes and songs taken from the theatrical musical Jonáš dejme tomu v úterý (Jonáš, Let’s go for Tuesday), whose events Sís, along with singer-songwriter and actor Jiří Suchý, link together via a very simple story. Within the confines of the reconstructed Semafor theatre, ageing comic Jonáš (Suchý) harks back to a famous past. He is aided in such nostalgia by music-loving cleaning lady Melicharová (Jitka Molavcová – following the death of musician Jiří Šlitr in 1969, Molavcová became Suchý’s permanent on-stage partner). The film also features clips from the military comedy Bylo nás deset (There Were Ten of Us, 1963) and also two Semafor television productions. Also utilised is the theatre’s archive. In 1988, Vladimír Sís filmed a sequel to this story entitled Jonáš II aneb Jak je důležité míti Melicharovou (Jonas 39,5 C, 1988).

Synopsis

While on walk in Prague, the aging comedian, Jonáš, stops by the Semafor theatre, which is under reconstruction. He walks in to the auditorium and then backstage. In the props room he sees the cleaning lady, Melicharová, who adores him. Jonáš finds his old straw hat there and a red vest. When he puts both props on, he changes suddenly into a famous cabaret artist. On the stage he starts singing the "Song about Cabaret show". In the dressing room he recalls his first pitch, his first love, Veronika and other girls from the theatre. When he is singing the Blues about the Song, Melicharová joins him. Jonáš finds out that the cleaning lady has a surprising talent for music. He teaches her the basics of the skills and Melicharová is turned into a singer. She even plays saxophone in a wonderful way. While singing a duet about love, Jonáš offends the woman, but they soon reconcile. Even the singer, Jiří Šlitr, and the actor and writer, Jan Werich, appear in the memories of the past. Melicharová makes a song Requiem for a drowned fish, and she tries to make the comedian propose. After a short hesitation, Jonáš does it. After a drop-scene in the traditional Semafor theatre show they are walking through the Theatre carnival on the Střelecký Island in Prague.

Note

In this film parts from the film There Were Ten of Us (1963, directed by Antonín Kachlík), from the TV films Magnetic Waves Are Curing (1965, directed by Vojtěch Jasný), A Well-Paid Walk (1966, directed by Ján Roháč, Miloš Forman), Recital (1965, directed by Ján Roháč) and also archive recordings from the Semafor Theatre and TV songs are used.

Film online

Cast

Jitka Molavcová

Melicharová

Simona Chytrová

barová tanečnice/mažoretka

Monika Jindrová

baletka/mažoretka

Lucie Setničková

baletka/mažoretka

Eugen Jegorov

hudebník

Vladimír Vandrovec

hudebník

Pavel Greifoner

hudebník

Jiří Hájek (2)

hudebník

Václav Král (hudebník)

hudebník

členové divadla Semafor

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek, Jan Křížek

Continuity

Zdenka Barochová, Alena Sísová (hudební skript)

Based on

Jiří Suchý (Jonáš dejme tomu v úterý – divadelní hra)

Shooting Script

Vladimír Sís

Dramaturg

Pavel Hajný

Director of Photography

Ota Kopřiva

Second Unit Photography

Miroslav Čvorsjuk

Camera Operator

Vladimír Murat

Production Designer

Oldřich Okáč

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Pištěk

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Jiří Libánský, Dana Smržová

Costume Designer

Běla Suchá

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská, Jana Šimonová

Sound Designer

Jiří Lenoch, Ivo Špalj

Production Manager

Jaromír Lukáš

Unit Production Manager

Jiří Synek, Dagmar Pitráková, Jarmila Tomišková

Cooperation

Yvona Limberská (klapka), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf)

Music

Selected Music

Ludwig van Beethoven (Symfonie č. 9 d moll /Óda na radost/)

Music Performed by

Orchestr Ferdinanda Havlíka (Music Conducted by Ferdinand Havlík)

Songs

Balada z mlází

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří Šlitr

Bar Honolulu

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Co ve městě se povídá

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Eva Pilarová

Jo to jsem ještě žil

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchýsbor

Nevyplacený blues

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Vyvěste fangle

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří ŠlitrHana HegerováPavlína Filipovská

Labutí píseň

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýVlasta Kahovcová

Na shledanou

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Krajina posedlá tmou

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJitka ZelenohorskáVlasta Kahovcovásbor

Zčervená

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří Jelínek

Tulipán

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Golem

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJiří Šlitr

To je láska

Song Composer Ferdinand Havlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJitka Molavcová

Nejsmutnější varieté

Song Composer Ferdinand Havlík
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Opona stříbrem pošitá

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJitka Molavcová

Rekviem za utopenou rybu

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jitka Molavcová

Trvalo to rok

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jitka MolavcováJiří Suchý

Vydáme se na tu cestu dlouhou

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJitka Molavcová

Znám tolik písní

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Koukejte, venku leje

Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří SuchýJitka Molavcová

Óda na radost

Song Composer Ludwig van Beethoven
Singer Jitka MolavcováJiří Suchý

Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt

Song Composer Friedrich Holländer
Writer of Lyrics Friedrich Holländer
Singer Jitka Molavcová

Dítě velkoměsta

Song Composer Vladimír Vích
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Jiří Suchý

Už nikdy víc milovat nebudu

Song Composer Bedřich Nikodém
Writer of Lyrics Vilda Dubský
Singer Jiří Suchý

Ostrov Capri

Song Composer Wilhelm Grosz
Singer Jitka Molavcová

Production info

Original Title

Jonáš a Melicharová

Czech Title

Jonáš a Melicharová

English Title

Jonáš and Melicharová

Working Title

Jonáš dejme tomu ve středu / Semafor a jeho tingltangl

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

music

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1986

Production Year

1985—1986

Production specifications

start of filming 20 June 1985
literary Screenplay approved 5 July 1985
technical Screenplay approved 5 July 1985
end of filming 11 February 1986
projection approval 7 March 1986
withdrawal from distribution 31 May 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 December 1986 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

82 min

Original length in metres

2 337 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: Komise pro posuzování a hodnocení technické kvality filmů

1987
Praha / Czechoslovakia