The chief engineer Tomanec is a respected professional but also a bachelor and a big killjoy. He conceals his intimate relationship with the hygienist Kateřina. She is, however, the first to congratulate him on his fiftieth birthday. Tomanec recalls his childhood. He was an abandoned illegitimate child and was brought up by the coarse farmer Kuneš who beat him constantly. Hope dawns upon the boy when he is the only one to accept the offer of the recruiter Brabec to work in the mines. Brabec substitutes for his family and Tomanec visits him, now unfortunately dying, in hospital. Then he refuses the birthday party which his colleagues want to throw for him. Finding out that Kateřina is somewhere down in the mine where she went to do an inspection and which is on fire, he joins the lifesavers. The rescue ends well but the following car ride with Kateřina results in an argument. The woman is not satisfied with their relationship; she wants to get married and have children. But Tomanec is too satisfied with his bachelor's life. The offended Kateřina gets out of the car. The congratulators visit the engineer at his place in the evening. And Kateřina is among them.
hlavní inženýr Václav Tomanec
hygienička Kateřina, Tomancova milenka
sedlák Kuneš
hornický náborář Brabec
štajgr Škubal
hlavní inženýr Václav Tomanec jako mladík
číšník Liborek
ředitel
sekretářka Anička
signalista Wimr
horník Lojza Šváb
starý horník
horník-spojař Veselý
gratulující tajemník
zdravotní sestra
zdravotní sestra
Škubalova žena
vrátný v dole
velitel OBZS
učitel
dispečer
matka
sekretářka ředitele
muž v obleku
signalista
signalista
instalatér
záchranář
saxofonista
basový kytarista
hráč na akordeon
altsaxofonista
trumpetista
harmonikář
trombonista
hráč na varhany
trumpetista
bubeník
hráč na bicí
pokladní
bezpečák
Robert Vacík, Pavel Dvorský
František Stavinoha (Figurky ze šmantů – kniha povídek)
Jiří Švejda, Josef Vaculík, Lída Hustolesová, Jaroslav Kopic
Jiří Forst, Milan Šilha
Ivan Helcl, Jana Koubová, Antonín Pražský
Luboš Čížek, Gabriela Kerekešová, František Vláčil ml.
František Bártík, Boris Purkyt
Antonín Kachlík (režijní supervize), Zuzana Čvančarová (klapka), Irena Strachová (klapka), Zdeněk Vávra (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Návraty
Návraty
Returns
povídka
featuretheatrical distribution
short-story, psychological
Czechoslovakia
1987
1985—1986
start of filming 11 December 1985
end of filming 10 January 1986
medium length film
38 min
1 059 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
