Two on Horseback, One on a Donkey
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1986Production year
1985—1986Premiere
1 February 1987Runtime
127 minDirector
Jiří SequensCategory
filmGenre
historical, musicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Dva na koni, jeden na osluCzech title
Dva na koni, jeden na osluEnglish title
Two on Horseback, One on a DonkeySummary
Based on an eponymous play by Oldřich Daňek, the film version was brought to the screen in 1986 as the final film from experienced director Jiří Sequens. This musical comedy set in the 14th century, during the reign of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, has a trio of mercenaries as its main characters. Hřbet, Zajíc and Svatý are returning to Bohemia from Aquitania in order to join up with local forces there. During their trip through the Czech countryside, our heroes frequently get mixed up with the wrong side, and consequently repeatedly find themselves on the receiving end of a good thrashing. Yet, in all these battles and scuffles, they retain the moral high ground. The trio are played by actors Jaromír Hanzlík, Svatopluk Skopal and Radoslav Brzobohatý. The roles of the villainous noblemen, with whom the trio become entangled, are played by Josef Vinklář and Jan Čenský. The historical backdrop is enriched via the songs of Vítězslav Hádl, with lyrics by Vladimír Sís, reflecting the contemporary Czech fad for electronic music.
Synopsis
It is the 14th century. Three mercenaries wander through the country. Two of them, nicknamed Chine and Rabbit, travel on horseback, the poorest of them, called Saint, on a donkey called Moses. Chine finds a skeleton of a hand and a bracelet with precious stones in it in a brook. In a roadhouse, the deaf-and-dumb fool Dog's Foot reports to the publican and his pretty wife Perchta by movements of his agile body that guests are coming. The orphaned girl Bezka also works in the boozer. Her father was murdered years ago by the elusive Band of the Cross which marks its victims – rich merchants – with a cross on their foreheads. While Rabbit cannot resist Perchta's seduction, Saint loses all their property and the donkey in a dice game. But Chine bets the bracelet and they get everything back. The wealthy feudal lord Mátoha of Prám hires the threesome to bring him back his daughter Běta, who was kidnapped by the young Chval of Drslavice. The mercenaries get to the kidnapper by a trick, capture him and transport him to the fortress of Prám. But Mátoha is somewhat unwilling to pay them for their service. Běta, who wants to marry Chval, comes in soon, wearing an earring in her ear which matches the bracelet. She starts to quarrel with her father and, outraged, labels him a chief of highwaymen. But Chval teams up with Mátoha, and Dog's Foot lures the two mercenaries out to the rocks to the bodies of several massacred Arabian merchants. People call for the village magistrate who proclaims the soldiers to be robbers and arrests them. The royal district administrator sentences them to be hanged. The people behind the Band of the Cross, however, are in fact Chval, Mátoha and the magistrate. The girl Bezka bribes Dog's Foot by making love to him and gets to the cell. She has grasped who actually killed her father and helps the convicts escape. Instead of the plundering predatory noblemen their faithful innocent servants are hung with sacks on their heads. The disappointed fool Dog's Foot sets Mátoha's fortress Prám on fire out of revenge. The mercenaries, who now all leave on horseback, take Bezka with them. Now, it is the girl who is on the donkey.
Photos
Cast
Radoslav Brzobohatý
Hřbet
Jaromír Hanzlík
Zajíc
Svatopluk Skopal
Svatý
Sylva Sequensová
sirotek Bezka
Dagmar Veškrnová
Perchta
Zora Jandová
Běta
Jiří Sova
Psí noha
Josef Vinklář
Mátoha z Prámu, Bětin otec
Boris Rösner
Píšťalka
Jan Přeučil
rychtář
Jan Čenský
Chval z Drslavic
Václav Sloup
správce Meloun
Stanislav Fišer
putykář, Perchtin muž
Bořivoj Navrátil
královský hejtman
Petr Drozda
Kadeřavý
Karel Engel
Hoňsobě
Václav Höfler
Primo I.
Ernest Valko
Primo II.
Dušan Vobecký
Primo III.
Michal Dymek
Secundo I.
Martin Pacek
Secundo II.
Oldřich Táborský
Secundo III.
Antonín Urbánek
Secundo IV.
Jaromír Růžička
Tertio
Robert Plesný
Quarto
Jana Aitnerová
tanečnice
Aleš Baloun
tanečník
Dana Boušíová
tanečnice
Lenka Bulíčková
tanečnice
Vlastimil Carda
tanečník
Iva Cigániková
tanečnice
Dana Čižinská
tanečnice
Michal Dluhý
tanečník
Jiří Drgáč
tanečník
Rostislav Filgas
tanečník
Danka Floriánová
tanečnice
Tomáš Forejt
tanečník
Marcela Fränzlová
tanečnice
Hana Fridrichovská
tanečnice
Luděk Frydrych
tanečník
Dana Gregorová
tanečnice
Romana Hájková
tanečnice
Iva Hechtbergerová
tanečnice
Alice Hlasová
tanečnice
Michaela Hosnedlová
tanečnice
Simona Chytrová
tanečnice
Vjačeslav Ivanov
tanečník
Dana Jandová
tanečnice
Kamil Jedlička
tanečník
Josef Kalík
tanečník
Jaroslav Kantor
tanečník
Ivana Klemptová
tanečnice
Renata Křížová
tanečnice
Jan Kuchař
tanečník
Miroslava Marešová
tanečnice
Zuzana Mejzlíková
tanečnice
Ivana Michková
tanečnice
Dagmar Morcinková
tanečnice
Luboš Oravec
tanečník
Vojtěch Pavlíček
tanečník
Jiří Pixa
tanečník
František Skalák
tanečník
Zuzana Sýkorová
tanečnice
Vladislav Šebesta
tanečník
Petr Šebestián
tanečník
Helena Šuranská
tanečnice
Jaroslav Šuranský
tanečník
Petr Tesař
tanečník
Michal Tesař
tanečník
Rudolf Tichý
tanečník
Peter Tomašovič
tanečník
Pavel Veselý
tanečník
Karla Vitnerová
tanečnice
Pavel Vokoun
tanečník
Ludmila Vrbická
tanečnice
Jan Weisner
tanečník
Vladimír Maňhal
tanečník
Lenka Mihoková
tanečnice
Milana Mihoková
tanečnice
Eva Jeníčková
sólová tanečnice
Miroslav Grác
důstojník
Michaela Štěpánková
tanečnice
Vladimír Weigner
horolezec
Petr Svoboda (2)
horolezec
Jaroslav Ticháček
horolezec
Dubbing
Miroslav Moravec
hlas Chvalova strážce – zakukleného vyjednavače
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Oldřich Daněk (Dva na koni, jeden na oslu – divadelní hra)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Make-Up Artist
Jiří Šimon, Jana Dolejší, Bohumil Sobotka, Vlasta Brijarová, Jaroslav Šámal
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Special Effects
Václav Kuba (pyrotechnik)
Stunts
Arnošt Böhm, Pavel Cajzl, Vladimír Čumpelík, Roman Eppert, Josef Farkaš, Ivan Furák, Antonín Hausknecht, Josef Hrubý, František Jákl, Petr Jákl, Miroslav Jíra, Jiří Kalenský, Jaroslav Klenot, Jiří Klenot, Ladislav Kocourek, Zbyněk Krákora, Antonín Kramerius, Pavel Krátký, Jiří Kraus, Jaroslav Kubeš (2), Ladislav Lahoda, Zdeněk Matěcha, Jaroslav Palkoska, Václav Plánka, Jindřich Sejk, Petr Sekanina, Oldřich Semerák, Roman Skramuský, Miroslav Smolík, Pavel Svojanovský, František Stupka, Květoslav Štora, Karel Vávrovec, Jaroslav Vlk
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jarmila Tomišková, Eliška Sekavová, Hana Jarošová, Adriena Jirková
Unit Production Manager
Jana Jeřábková, Aleš Týbl
Consultant
František Michálek (jezdectví), Jaroslav Tomsa, Petr Hanuš
Cooperation
Zuzana Koblížková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf), Viktor Čahoj (práce se zvířaty), Petr Hanuš (práce se zvířaty – výcvik koní), V. Svojtka, R. Silverio
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Vítězslav Hádl)
Choreographer
Danced by
Čs.státní soubor písní a tanců, Vysokoškolský umělecký soubor UK, Balet Laterny magiky, Společnský taneční klub DKDP Praha
Songs
Nám toulavým
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Radoslav BrzobohatýJaromír HanzlíkSvatopluk SkopalSylva Sequensová
Zbožných mužů povinnosti
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Sbor Pavla Kühna
Znám jen chvíli
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Jaromír HanzlíkDagmar Veškrnová-Havlová
Čas motýlích her /Drslavské intermezzo/
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Eva Jeníčková [dab]Lída Nopováskupina Bezinky
Kančí hody /Prámské intermezzo/
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Sbor Pavla Kühna
Oslí requiem
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Svatopluk SkopalSbor Pavla Kühna
Bezčina láska
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer Sylva Sequensová
Nám toulavým
Song Composer Vítězslav Hádl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Sís
Singer skupina Golem
Production info
Original Title
Dva na koni, jeden na oslu
Czech Title
Dva na koni, jeden na oslu
English Title
Two on Horseback, One on a Donkey
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
historical, musical
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1986
Production Year
1985—1986
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 5 January 1983
start of filming 4 May 1985
technical Screenplay approved 24 June 1985
end of filming 20 May 1986
projection approval 3 July 1986
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
Premiere
premiere 1 February 1987 /unsuitable 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
127 min
Original length in metres
3 632 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
