The Hungry Seven

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production year

1987

Premiere

1 October 1988

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Sedm hladových

Czech title

Sedm hladových

English title

The Hungry Seven

Summary

A group of overweight people try to shed the pounds under the supervision of dieticians at a medical centre in this tragicomedy from director Karlel Smyczek. The director, who made a number of critical and realistic movies during the 1970s and 80s, cast off this mould for this 1988 comedic romp, written with screenwriters František Ringo Čech and Petr Novotný. Sedm hladových (The Hungry Seven) is ultimately a metaphorical tale, presenting an interwoven comedic tapestry of a varied group of corpulent people. For example, opera singer Maruška disrupts proceedings with her endless singing, while rocker Čudla annoys everyone with his endless smoking. In all the patients, hunger brings forth aggression targeted at the management of the health centre, and specifically embodied by the skinny senior physician (František Husák). Gabriela Wilhelmová, Radim Vašinka and Jitka Smutná are among the acting talent portraying this colourful crop of patients.

Synopsis

The actors of the story are getting ready for their way to a slimming health spa sanatorium. The brewer Sládek drinks his last mug of beer, Růženka gives the last instructions to her family in front of their village cottage, the bachelor and insurance agent Jaroslav entrusts his canary to a neighbour, the opera singer Mrs Maruška sadly leaves the stage over to her younger colleague. The director Havránek passes the temporary management of an enterprise over to his deputy. The sound engineer Čudla says farewell to the members of a rock group. The girl Lucinka is accompanied by her boyfriend Lukᚠand her sister to the railway station. These seven corpulents, along with other fat people, arrive at a dilapidated château to get rid of their excessive weight. Also a new nurse, the slender Kristýnka, begins in the sanatorium. The noticeably thin senior consultant tries to implant discipline in his clients. They have a rigid schedule, very small portions of food, exactly determined places at the tables and regular exercise and jogging. They are not allowed to go outside the park wall where there is the restaurant Koliba. The senior consultant has no idea that the caretaker Ducháč secretly sells the patients food for exorbitant prices. The treatment participants have only their weight problem in common, but they are otherwise totally different, which produces disagreements. Havránek tries to manage the enterprise from a distance by phone and he doesn´t like Čudla smoking. Maruška disturbs Růženka with her constant singing, Jaroslav keeps waking up Sládek by his loud snoring. The shy Jaroslav woos Růženka. Although the patient's portions of food are infinitesimal, they are not getting slimmer. Sládek takes advantage of Ducháč's absence and eats up all the food in his storeroom. The constant hunger elicits aggression in the women during their exercising in the park and it is Kristýnka who gets the worst of it - she is chased into the pond. The functionary responsible for cultural programs talks several people into performing at a party. Maruška sings and Růženka is meanwhile visited by Jaroslav in her room. But before they can get closer, Maruška's voice fails and she runs back to their room. Jaroslav quickly hides. The devastated Maruška, who sensed that losing weight will not do any good to her voice, leaves the sanatorium. Jaroslav falls asleep amidst the amorous playing. The participants of the party bang on the door, looking for the singer. Růženka refuses to open the door and Jaroslav destroys an outside plaster vase when escaping through the window. During the investigation, Čudla takes the blame himself. The ministry of health decides that an institution for malnourished children will be established in the château instead of the slimming sanatorium. The nurse pinches Lukᚠfrom Lucinka, who was the only one to honestly stick to the treatment. The lovelorn girl runs away to Koliba and stuffs herself in an unbridled manner. Havránek learns that the deputy has removed him from his position. On the "reducing" day, the patients get only hot peppers to eat and they run away to Koliba en masse. Overfed and overdrunk, they demolish the gymnasium after their return and they also want to tell something to the senior consultant . But they all except Čudla lose courage in front of the door. The senior consultant expels Čudla the next day. No one knows that a monstrously obese mother is secretly staying with their "tormenter". Čudla, leaving, is accompanied by Kristýnka who has resigned in the meantime. And finally, they are followed by the rest of the patients on their way to freedom.

Note

The text of Terinka´s aria was finished by F. L. Rieger after the death of The Jacobin opera librettist, his daughter Marie Červinková-Riegrová (1854–1895).

Film online

Cast

Antonín Bubeník

pojišťovací agent Jaroslav

Jitka Smutná

pacientka Růženka

Gabriela Wilhelmová

operní pěvkyně Maruška

Lucie Schneiderová

pacientka Lucinka

Emil Kosír

Voice by Marián Labuda
ředitel Havránek

Tomáš Josífko

Voice by David Matásek
Čudla, zvukař rockové kapely

František Husák

primář léčebny pro otylé

Miloslav Štibich

správce Ducháč zvaný Ducháček

Petronela Vančíková

Voice by Sylva Sequensová
zdravotní sestra Kristýnka

Marie Durnová

kulturní referentka v léčebně

Jiřina Jelenská

pacientka Fanča

Radim Vašinka

vousatý pacient Hanousek

Blanka Lormanová

pacientka Baculka

Pavel Havránek

pacient Tenisák

Pavel Brümer

pacient pivovarník Sládek

Dáša Neblechová

pacientka Anča

Jan Hraběta

pacient Moravák

Bohumil Vávra

Liborek, přítel Marušky

Martin Faltýn

Nesvadba, zástupce ředitele Havránka

Michal Suchánek

Lukáš, přítel Lucinky

L. Macháčková

sestra Lucinky

Valentina Thielová

hluchoněmá masérka Dana

Růžena Rudnická

zdravotní sestra Hana

Eva Lecchiová

vrchní sestra

Marcela Martínková

matka Kristýnky/kuchařka

Eugen Jegorov

úředník z ministerstva

Martina Menšíková

operní pěvkyně

Karel Hoffmann

pacient Bačkora

František Švihlík

korepetitor Jiří

Věra Kalendová

sousedka Pimpárová

Petr Novotný

vrchní v kolibě

J. Němcová

pacientka Kucka

S. Sýkorová

pacientka Pucka

Růžena Smolíková

Voice by Ludmila Roubíková
primářova matka

J. Cihlář

pacient

A. Klímová

pacientka

Štefan Kršňák

pacient

J. Kudláček

pacient

V. Olšavská

pacientka

H. Pištěková

pacientka

A. Sosnovec

pacient

J. Tlustý

pacient

Olga Vohryzková

pacientka

J. Zajacová

pacientka

Karel Smyczek

číšník

Věra Laňková

svatebčanka

Igor Stránský

svatebčan

S. Balická

Dubbing

Karel Smyczek

hlas rozhlasového cvičitele

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Petr Hartl

Assistant Director

Jan Menšík, Jarmila Čajová

Shooting Script

Karel Smyczek

Dramaturg

Vladimír Bor

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Brabec

Second Unit Photography

Ladislav Chroust

Camera Operator

Michal Škoda

Production Designer

Boris Halmi

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka ml.

Set Designer

Ivan Břešťák, Jaroslav Česal, Petr Průša

Costume Designer

Petr Kolínský

Film Editor

Jan Svoboda

Assistant Film Editor

Anna Mejtská

Sound Designer

Jiří Moudrý, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Václav Eisenhamer

Unit Production Manager

Zdeňka Černá, Hana Štefanová

Unit Production Manager

Vít Horálek, Luboš Čížek, Ladislava Kašáková

Cooperation

Irena Strachová (klapka), Jitka Bylinská (fotografka), H. Ecksteinová

Music

Music Composed by

Michal Pavlíček

Selected Music

Antonín Dvořák (Jakobín – árie Na podzim v ořeší)

Music Performed by

skupina Stromboli, FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens)

Songs

Zapomenout

Song Composer Michal Pavlíček
Writer of Lyrics Zuzana Michnová
Singer Zuzana Michnováskupina Marsyas

Na podzim v ořeší

Song Composer Antonín Dvořák
Writer of Lyrics František Ladislav Rieger
Singer Martina Menšíková [dab]Gabriela Wilhelmová [dab]

Myška tanečnice

Singer Jiřina Jelenská

Život je jen náhoda

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Sedm hladových

Czech Title

Sedm hladových

English Title

The Hungry Seven

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production Year

1987

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 29 May 1986
technical Screenplay approved 30 July 1987
start of filming 20 September 1987
end of filming 11 November 1987
projection approval 23 March 1988
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992

Premiere

premiere 1 October 1988 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 407 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