The Edisons
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1987Production year
1986Premiere
1 December 1987Runtime
72 minDirector
Vít OlmerCategory
filmGenre
children, comedyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Páni EdisoniCzech title
Páni EdisoniEnglish title
The EdisonsSummary
In 1987, director Vít Olmer had every reason to be satisfied: he had created two feature films. The first, Bony a klid (Big Money), won public praise. In the shadow of the success of that film’s story about Prague’s underhand moneychangers, this family feature relayed a story of young enthusiasts devoted to modern technologies – electronics and computers. Orphaned Jakub, living in a village with his grandfather, involves a friend with a literary talent – his schoolmate Jirka – in making his inventions. Apart from the electronic gadgets, the boys are interested in human relations, which they also try to “improve”… Experienced child actor Jiří Strach stars as Jirka. Olmer’s effort to offer his young audience a sympathetic cast was underlined by the engagement of actors Jiří Schmitzer and Jitka Molavcová.
Synopsis
Jakub Máa lost both his parents and now lives with his grandfather Kůrka in the village of Hudenice. The spectacled and rather chubby boy has a great talent for technology and keeps inventing new devices. All kinds of bells and sensors constantly ring in the house and the conservative grandfather destroys them with great pleasure. The boys' gang, headed by the blond Hnauk, is keen on pyrotechnic experiments, but Jakub is not interested in these. Jirka, the son of the young and divorced livestock specialist Majda, is a future writer. The two reclusive boys soon befriend each other, and even though Jirka is far from being dexterous, he turns into Jakub's helper. Both the two boys are fond of their classmate Jana, but it seems that the girl has already given preference to Hnauk. The local inseminator Hubička fell for Jirka's mom, to the boy's displeasure. Jirka is thus glad when the programmer Vaek, the son of the old Roubánek who is Kůrka's best friend, returns to the village. Vaek's shy wooing of Majda is supported by the boys in every way. Jakub's only invention - a tonal board intended for the music lessons - gradually starts winning awards in various competitions. When the old Kůrka suffers from a heart attack and is taken to hospital, Jakub must leave for his only remaining relative - the coarse and unpleasant aunt Marjána. Jakub travels to Hudenice from her place to attend his amateur computer club which is headed by Vaek. And it is Vaek and Majda who eventually take the boy in as soon as they find out how bad his aunt is to him. The granddad recovers and the boys make a wedding present for Majda and Vaek: electronic devices for their entire little house.
Note
The computer games and electronic toys were provided by the Youth and Electronics Centre of the Czechoslovak Socialist Youth Movement in Beroun. The actor Vladimír Hrubý died during the filming, and the originally planned scenes with the two old men Kůrka and Roubánek must have been unfortunately omitted from the film.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Jakub Wehrenberg
Jakub Máša
Jiří Strach
Jirka Čada
Jitka Molavcová
zootechnička Majda Čadová, Jirkova matka
Jiří Schmitzer
programátor Vašek Roubánek
Viktor Nejedlý
Voice by Dalimil Klapka
děda Kůrka
Vladimír Hrubý
Voice by Dalimil Klapka
děda Roubánek, Vaškův otec
Anna Ferencová
učitelka Hustolesová
Taťana Puttová
teta Marjána
Aleš Palásek
Hnaťuk
Lukáš Machalínek
Vekoň
Jana Kynclová
Jana, Jakubova spolužačka
Lenka Voldřichová
Káťa
Franta Kocourek
inseminátor Hubička zvaný Motorovej bejk
Karel Smyczek
učitel fyziky Uhlíř
Eva Holubová
učitelka v Černém Přívoze
Marcela Augustová
moderátorka televizního pořadu
Jana Altmannová
listonoška
Leopold Běhan
účetní
Michal Antoš
Zrzek
Zdena Lukášová
zootechnička
Karel Engel
traktorista
Antonín Hausknecht
řidič pekařského vozu
Vladimír Tišer
požárník/závozník
I. Poláková
účetní
Jana Petráňová
dívka
Luboš Diviš
horňák
Petr Hájek
horňák
Jiří Kučera (2)
horňák
Miroslav Lochman
horňák
Ondřej Mikšíček
horňák
Karel Rada
horňák
Robert Hybler
dolňák
Filip Jančík
dolňák
Filip Novák
dolňák
Martin Šenberger
dolňák
Filip Švarc
dolňák
Hana Militká
venkovská žena
Johana Tesařová
venkovská žena
Eva Zapletalová
venkovská žena
J. Kačírek
hudebník
F. Kout
hudebník
M. Kroupa
hudebník
J. Poláček
hudebník
Jan Adámek
Filip Olmer
býk Matěj
býk
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Zora Vondráčková
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Milan Bábik, Jindřich Rada, Eva Slívová, Karel Vaňásek
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Jiří Synek, Jarmila Tomišková, Dagmar Pitráková
Unit Production Manager
Marcel Průcha
Consultant
Miroslav Háša, Daniel Dočekal, Štefan Kratochvíl, Jiří Štefan
Cooperation
Jitka Lendrová (klapka), Zdeněk Mihle (vrchní osvětlovač), Alena Červená (fotografka), Jan Křížek (práce se zvířaty – slepice), JZD Rozvoj Drahonice
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Jiří Stivín, Collegium Quodlibet (Music Conducted by Jiří Stivín)
Songs
Ferda jede na kole
Song Composer Jiří Schmitzer
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Schmitzer
Singer Jiří Schmitzer
Production info
Original Title
Páni Edisoni
Czech Title
Páni Edisoni
English Title
The Edisons
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
children, comedy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1987
Production Year
1986
Production specifications
start of filming 14 April 1986
literary Screenplay approved 21 April 1986
technical Screenplay approved 11 June 1986
end of filming 10 December 1986
projection approval 5 January 1987
the first film copy approved 7 January 1987
withdrawal from distribution 31 March 1994
Premiere
premiere 1 December 1987 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
72 min
Original length in metres
2 053 meters
Distribution carrier
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
Festival: 27. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1987
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Exhibition: 19. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov
1987
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
