A Good Pal

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production year

1987

Premiere

1 August 1988

Runtime

72 min

Category

film

Genre

crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Kamarád do deště

Czech title

Kamarád do deště

English title

A Good Pal

Summary

In the 1980s director Jaroslav Soukup delivered several attractive titles with young heroes to mainstream audiences. These included Vítr v kapse (Wind in the Pocket) (1982), Láska z pasáže (Love from the Arcade) (1984), Discopříběh (Discostory) (1987) and above all 1988’s Kamarád do deště (A Good Pal). The film, which a decade later received a follow-up entitled Kamarád do deště II – Příběh z Brooklynu (A Good Pal II – Brooklyn Story), built on the subject matter and casting of Soukup’s earlier pictures. In A Good Pal Lukáš Vaculík and Sagvan Tofi, who Soukup first cast in Wind in the Pocket, portray a pair of buddies that together make it through a variety of trying life situations. They are in professions which in the late communist period were associated with the opportunity to make extra money, not necessarily legally: Michal is a waiter and Tomáš is a taxi driver. When Michal’s takings are stolen by a masked thief, Tomáš borrows money for a week from an illicit moneychanger. His friend is on probation and the police can’t be involved. The pair have seven days to repay the debt, inflated by a usurious interest rate. What’s more, they learn that the robbery was initiated by Michal’s colleague Kadlec and his son-in-law, the fence Bureš. The young men decide to lay a sophisticated trap for Kadlec. They also teach Adamec a lesson, and hand their two adversaries over to the police… In the screenplay, which Soukup penned with favoured collaborator Miroslav Vaic, the “moral behaviour” of the heroes in a world full of conmen and thieves is accented. However, the unsuspecting art historian Syřiště also becomes part of their scheme. The heroes can’t inform the judicial authorities of their problems as they wouldn’t believe them (and they in turn don’t trust them). The only alternative is to take justice into their own hands. Vaic and Soukup deftly transpose a classic concept (evidently inspired by the 1973American crime comedy The Sting) to late 1980s Czechoslovakia.

Synopsis

While delivering the day's cash, a waiter, Michal, is robbed by a man in mask. The waiter is on probation and thinks nobody will believe him, so he does not report the robbery. The taxi driver, Tomáš, his best friend, borrows sixty thousand because of him from an underhanded moneychanger, Adamec. The interest is usurious, but it is just for a week. Michal fails to get the money. His girl-friend, a photographer, Magda, offers to sell her parents car, who are now abroad. Michal does not agree with that. Adamec refuses to prolong the deadline and Tomáš is beat up by his gorillas. Tomáš hides in the flat of Magda and Michal. Michal's colleague, Kadlec, loses a slip evidencing that he paid a hundred and twenty-five thousand to a building company. From this, Michal understands that the initiator of the robbery was his colleague. Kadlec is building a villa with his son-in-law, Bureš. And it seems that the robber was Bureš – the garage master, also allegedly a middleman. Michal, as an alleged witness to the robbery, threatens him with an anonymous call and tries to get the money back. The garage master promises to pay for his silence, but instead of money, he puts newspapers in the envelope. The friends think out a new plan. They visit professor Syřiště, a grumpy scholar of fine art, with Magda, under the false-pretense that they are searching out exclusive interiors for film shooting. The girl shoots valuable antiquities and furniture in his flat. Michal shows the pictures to Kadlec as an offer for sale. Kadlec smells an advantageous business and offers a deposit of seventy thousand. But he wants to see the antiquities with his own eyes. Michal's friend sneaks in to the professor as a production manager. When she lures the professor out of his flat, the friend shows Kadlec as a false widow, the professor's "things for sale". Tomáš brings the gained money to Adamec. He stops by a bistro, but an intentional fire destroys the taxi with the money. Adamec recovers the debt. The friends kidnap his uncommon greyhound and they demand ransom. The packet with money put in the toilet reservoir in a department store contains money, but in Icelandic crowns, which have a much lower value. Adamec has another chance to make it up. Behind the windscreen wiper he finds an envelope with a contact to a shop assistant who will tell him where his dog is. This time Adamec sends the correct currency, but he experiences an unpleasant surprise. The attractive shop assistant, who finds some porn pictures in the envelope, sends her friends the storekeepers after the alleged pervert. The beaten up Adamec then finds his dog at the car. Michal lures the greedy Kadlec to profitably buy a stolen car. He brings Magda's car to Bureš in the garages. In the meantime, Kadlec comes with house movers for the purchased antique furniture, and the indignant professor welcomes him with a bucket full of water. Kadlec understands that he was tricked. He warns his son-in-law, but it is too late. The police find them at the garages, dismantling the car. For the friends Michal and Tomáš, watching the crooks' arrest is a great satisfaction.

Cast

Sagvan Tofi

číšník Michal

Lukáš Vaculík

taxikář Tomáš

Beata Andraszewicz

Voice by Radoslava Boháčová
fotografka Magda, Michalova dívka

Karol Strasburger

Voice by Boris Rösner
manažer Karel Adamec, šéf vekslácké party

Karel Augusta

vrchní Kadlec

Andrej Hryc

vedoucí garáží Bureš, Kadlecův zeť

Ivan Vyskočil

profesor Václav Syřiště, historik

Zdeněk Ornest

taxikář alias pan Krüger

Valentina Thielová

Tomášova matka

Alena Vránová

varietní umělkyně Vlasta

Oldřich Vlach

Michalův strýc, vedoucí prodejny nábytku

Ladislav Trojan

Tomášův otec

Ladislav Potměšil

vedoucí restaurace

Kateřina Brožová

prodavačka-blondýnka

Jiří Langmajer

automechanik Standa

Jana Thomková

černovláska

Pavel Havránek

kuchař Venca

Miloslav Homola

chalupář, majitel ukradeného auta

Eduard Pergner

homosexuál v taxíku

Igor Smržík

recepční v Intercontinentalu

Olga Kašová

recepční Irena v Jaltě

Blanka Lormanová

pomocná síla v kuchyni

Lena Birková

sousedka profesora Syřiště

Ferdinand Krůta

muž na zahradě

Martin Moravec

mladík u Tuzexu

Milan Pěkný

barman v bistru

Jaromír Andert

příslušník VB

Bedřich Šetena

příslušník VB

Miroslav Rataj

noční recepční v Alcronu

Jaroslav Tomsa

hlídka VB

Libor Klug

diskžokej

Mária Benovičová

blondýnka

Z. Chybová

baletka

Ivana Lachová

baletka

Jaroslava Malíková

baletka

Renata Schmiedtmajerová

baletka

Rostislav Osička

muž ničící taxi

Jan Vávra

číšník na baru

Arnošt Proschek

cizinec v Alcronu

Jiří Kroupa

iluzionista

Dagmar Navláčilová

Iveta Lišková

Petr Sommer

Karel Slezák

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Josef Jarolímek

Assistant Director

Dušan Vodák

Shooting Script

Jaroslav Soukup

Director of Photography

Vladimír Smutný

Second Unit Photography

Jiří Pechar

Camera Operator

Jan Carda

Production Designer

Ludvík Široký

Assistent Production Designer

Štěpán Exner

Costume Designer

Hana Havelková

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Production Manager

Přemysl Pražský

Unit Production Manager

Bohdan Kysil, Adriena Jirková

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Matula, Drahomíra Čížková

Cooperation

Jaroslav Betka (vrchní osvětlovač), Michal Fairaizl (fotograf), Iveta Havlová, Ivan Jombík

Music

Music Composed by

Ján Baláž, archivní

Music Advisor

Jaroslav Soukup

Songs

Dávej ber

Song Composer Ján Baláž
Writer of Lyrics Boris Janíček
Singer Sagvan TofiLukáš VaculíkMichal David

Two Loosers in Town

Song Composer Jiří Zmožek
Writer of Lyrics Miloš Skalka
Singer Michal David

Rádio

Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Miroslav Černý
Singer Heidi Janků

5-4-3-2-1 /Tři jsou někdy víc/

Song Composer Karel Zich
Writer of Lyrics Michal Bukovič
Singer Karel Zichskupina Flop

Touch Me Like You've Always Touched Me

Song Composer Marino
Writer of Lyrics Miloš Skalka
Singer Goldie Ens

The Loser and the Winner

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer Beáta Dubasová

Get out of my Way

Song Composer Richard Müller
Writer of Lyrics Daniel Mikletič
Singer skupina Banket

Tlaková níž

Song Composer Richard Müller
Writer of Lyrics Ján Štrasser
Singer Richard Müller

Stallion in the Dawn

Song Composer Ján Lehotský
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer skupina Modus

To už poznám

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Ľuboš Zeman
Singer Vašo Patejdl

Umenie žiť

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Ľuboš Zeman
Singer Vašo Patejdl

Veľa je niekedy málo

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Ľuboš Zeman
Singer Vašo Patejdl

Cosmic Rays

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer Vašo Patejdl

In 1963

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer Vašo Patejdl

Jonathan

Song Composer Vašo Patejdl
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Čort
Singer Vašo Patejdl

Production info

Original Title

Kamarád do deště

Czech Title

Kamarád do deště

English Title

A Good Pal

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1988

Production Year

1987

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 17 June 1986
technical Screenplay approved 24 June 1987
start of filming 1 July 1987
end of filming 18 September 1987
the first film copy approved 25 January 1988
projection approval 5 February 1988
withdrawal from distribution 30 April 1994

Premiere

premiere 1 August 1988 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

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

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

72 min

Original length in metres

2 056 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

Festival: 39. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´88

1988
80 měst / Czechoslovakia