My Friend d’Artagnan

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1989

Premiere

1 February 1991

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

children

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Můj přítel d’Artagnan

Czech title

Můj přítel d’Artagnan

English title

My Friend d’Artagnan

Summary

Radovan Urban’s children’s film was made in 1989 but it was nearly drowned out by other film productions of the day when it was finally released in the “free distribution” years that followed the end of communism. The hero of the picture – eventually released in February 1991 – is 13-year-old Milda Malý. He reminisces about the recently completed shooting of a film in which he played the principal part, a sensitive boy who mixes reality with an imaginary world inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers. Milda’s self-identification with d’Artagnan is in marked contrast with reality – a holiday camp where he finds himself an outsider and a local gang of children’s target of ridicule. Similarly to the Dumas hero, the protagonist in the completed film – but, by contrast, not the boy who has performed him – finally enjoys justice and recognition. An interesting aspect of the production is that it was actually a retro movie set in the year of 1964. Standing out among the cast are Jiří Lábus, Oldřich Navrátil and Oldřich Vlach.

Synopsis

The thirteen-year-old boy Milda Malý starred in a children's movie. The actors and staff eat and drink to celebrate the end of filming. Only Milda cannot forget about the days he spent with the filmmakers in the Jizerské Mountains. He played the role of a sensitive boy who identifies with d'Artagnan in his dreams, and also the dwellers of a cottage colony appear as figures from the Dumas novel in his fantasies. Milda's friend Veruna, who he secretly loves, is usually Mrs Bonacieux but sometimes the evil Mylady - because Veruna ostentatiously expresses her favour to another boy from time to time. She and the boys moreover mock Milda for being unable to jump across huge stones in the river and always falling into the water. People of various natures meet in the colony and the children often imitate both their merits and demerits. A rich man named Sochor constantly polishes his cottage and forces his son Ála to help him dig garage foundations. Milda's parents do not worry that their own cottage is about to collapse. The dad makes and collects object trouvé and writes short stories. The good-hearted Milda decides to help Ála. The colony unites when the gamekeeper Říha's daughter gets lost. She is eventually found by Milda and Ála early in the morning. Milda finally succeeds in jumping over the brook. In his fantasy, he experiences a duel with Rochefort-Ála, and the two rivals reconcile. Milda leaves the wrap-up party, all sad and disgusted.

Note

The film contains a passage from the Lithuanian three-part TV series directed by Georgi Jungvald-Chilkovich in 1978, D´Artagnan and Three Musketeers (D´Artanjanasir trys muškietininkai).

Cast

Jozef Kroner

Toníček Křepelka

Aleš Sýkora

Milda Malý alias D'Artagnan /Žabák/

Oldřich Navrátil

stavař Viktor Malý, Mildův otec

Marie Logojdová

Mildova matka

David Kemr

Ála Sochor alias Rochefort

Jiří Lábus

chalupář Sochor alias kardinál Richelieu

Sylvia Turbová

Sochorova žena, Álova matka

Klára Poborská

holčička Xeňa

Jiří Wohanka

hajný Říha, otec Xeni

Dana Horčicová

listonoška Říhová, matka Xeni

Jaroslav Koutník

Tomáš Valchář alias Athos

Lukáš Sluka

Martin Valchář alias Aramis

Vítězslav Jandák

skladatel Valchář alias král Ludvík

Milena Kleinerová

matka Valchářová alias Anna Rakouská

Linda Rybová

Veruna alias paní Bonacieux a Mylady

Věra Vlková

zpěvačka Jelenová, Verunina teta

Oldřich Vlach

režisér Jiří Hvězda alias Felton

Jana Synková

kulturní referentka Hana Císařová

Karel Engel

hostinský Pávek

Václav Babka

příslušník VB Holina

Pavel Buchvaldek

Vašek Kraus

Čestmír Řanda ml.

podporučík VB Honza Kraus

Stanislav Litera

železničář Franc

Barbora Lukešová

žena v plavkách

Jiří Patočka

host u Valcháře

Lena Birková

žena na nádraží

Miroslav Pavlis

Čárlí alias Porthos

Adam Karlecz

brýlatý kluk

Jiří Petr

Václav Svoboda (4)

Kateřina Dušková

Eva Hrubá (2)

Daniel Rück

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Jan Záhumenský, Josef Sandr

Screenstory

Alexander Lukeš

Dramaturg

Milan Pávek

Director of Photography

Martin Benoni

Second Unit Photography

Karel Hejsek

Camera Operator

Ivan Jiránek

Production Designer

Jindřich Kočí

Set Designer

Karel Kočí, Milan Šefrna, František Struska

Costume Designer

Josef Jelínek

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Alena Kravková

Sound Designer

Tomáš Potůček

Assistant Sound Designer

Tomáš Červenka

Production Manager

Jana Koubová

Unit Production Manager

Jaroslav Kučera, Jan Peterka

Unit Production Manager

Petr Čermák, Antonín Říha

Cooperation

Terezie Čampulková (klapka), Michal Fairaizl (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Martin Kratochvíl

Selected Music

Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta /Proč bychom se netěšili/), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Antonín Dvořák

Music Performed by

Martin Kratochvíl, Kubínovo kvarteto

Choreographer

Marcela Benoniová

Songs

Schody do nebe

Song Composer Karel Kopecký
Writer of Lyrics Jindřich Faktor
Singer Karel Kopecký

Plují lodi do Triany

Song Composer Jan Frank Fischer
Writer of Lyrics Jan Frank FischerOlga Fischerová
Singer ženský hlas

Píseň o majoru Gagarinovi

Song Composer Gustav Brom
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Hnilička
Singer Klára Poborská

Je nebezpečné dotýkat se hvězd

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý

Niagára

Song Composer Eduard Ingriš
Writer of Lyrics Eduard Ingriš
Singer sbor

Zhluboka dýchat

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer Marie Logojdová

O nás dvou

Song Composer Pavel Bayerle
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Dvořák
Singer Yvetta SimonováMilan Chladil

Pramínek vlasů

Song Composer Jiří Suchý
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer sbor

Rozkvetlý den

Song Composer Radim Drejsl
Writer of Lyrics Miroslav Zachata
Singer sbor

Okolo Frýdku cestička

Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer sbor

Jó, třešně zrály /Jailer, Give Me Water/

Song Composer tradicionálKamil Hála /úprava/
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer sbor

Tereza

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Dana Horčicová

Červená řeka /Red River Valley/

Song Composer tradicionál
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer Marie Logojdová

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Song Composer Harry Warren

Ta naše hospoda je pěkně stavěná

Singer Oldřich NavrátilJiří Wohanka

Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/

Song Composer Václav Dobiáš

Production info

Original Title

Můj přítel d’Artagnan

Czech Title

Můj přítel d’Artagnan

English Title

My Friend d’Artagnan

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

children

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1989

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 March 1994

Premiere

premiere 1 February 1991 /suitable for youths/

Distribution

Lucernafilm

Creative Group

4. tvůrčí skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 454 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