This tragicomedy about the pitfalls a man entering “Christ’s age” may encounter was Milan Šteindler’s first work as a director. Among the prominent playwrights of the Sklep Theatre, he further demonstrated his talent by creating a “traditional” narrative. With a significant contribution from screenwriter Halina Pawlowská, Vrať se do hrobu (Go Back to Your Grave!, 1989) differs in both form and style from films made by other Sklep ensemble members: for example, the mosaic Pražská 5 (The Prague Five, 1988) and the rhythmical Kouř (Smoke, 1990) by Tomáš Vorel and the audio-visual feérie Don Gio (1992) by brothers Michal and Šimon Caban. Yet Šteindler’s film is still a generational work, whose main character wages an exaggeratedly comic battle with his groundlessness and mental complexes stemming from life under the previous regime. Sociologist Víťa Jakoubek (Milan Šteindler) has both a job and a family but neither satisfies him. When at last given an independent research project – to examine the marking system for high school leavers – he jumps at the chance and, relying on his youthful looks, pretends to be a new student in class. The scientist’s cover is known only to the school’s director while its staff and students haven’t a clue. However, the research becomes slightly derailed: the thirtysomething man finds the return to his adolescence much too enticing and starts leading a double life. His high-school alter ego soon begins to impact Víťa’s family life. An affair with a schoolmate named Eva (Klára Pollertová) suddenly seems more comprehensible than his relationship with wife, Jana (Dana Batulková). However, since morality is at stake, the truth about the central character is revealed and his new friends send the scientist where they think he belongs: to the grave… This likeable, unjustly neglected film is both clever and humorous entertainment. Halina Pawlowská, with whom Šteindler also collaborated in the making of another tragicomedy, Díky za každé nové ráno (I Thank You for Each New Morning, 1994), makes a cameo appearance as a cleaner, while Jaroslav Dušek plays Víťa’s much too talkative colleague Horálek, in the first of his many portrayals of obnoxious officials.
Social scientist Víťa Jakoubek – a married man in his thirties and the father of two sons, Jakub and Martin – is not satisfied with his life. He was not appointed to any scientific task in the research institute where he works, he lives on a grey housing estate, his wife Jana is constantly in a rush, the children are unruly and he has to work hard on the cottage of his father-in-law every weekend. But then he is finally appointed to an independent sociological research aimed at finding out the value system of high-school graduates. One of the pedagogues at a grammar school considers him to be a new student. The young sociologist adopts this cover identity with the awareness of the schoolmaster. Although he is not attractive at all and his style of dressing is viewed as hopelessly outdated by his schoolmates, Víťa gains many friends among the graduates and even the big-eyed class star Eva falls in love with him. Students come to believe that Víťa was delayed in his studies by illness, and he is moreover only a few years older. Víťa begins to fancy student life again, he passes Jana off as his older sister in front of the gang of his schoolmates, and forbids his sons to talk about him and recognize him as their father. The researched students sometimes surprise Víťa – for example by demanding a bribe for prompting at the blackboard. Víťa goes to a disco with his student gang but he does not have too much fun – men of his age asking for a dance are palmed off by the sentence "Go back to your grave!" The same evening, Víťa is expected at home by his wife, his mother-in-law and Jakub suffering from an inflammation of the middle ear. Víťa gets some new, modern clothes because he is flattered by Eva's interest in him. A new after-school club manager refuses to hand him his son over for the boy obediently keeps denying his father in public. The double life causes Víťa problems and the angry Jana eventually moves away to her parents with the children. Although Víťa fails at the A-level exams, he throws a party at home for his schoolmates and then ends up in bed with Eva. His shocked mother-in-law, who catches him red handed, betrays the Víťa's age as well as his marital status to the students. The disgusted youngsters discard him and Eva subsequently sends him "back to the grave". Víťa first tries to reconcile with his wife, but in vain. He meets her in a park after sometime. Eva is sitting in a tree and Víťa thus climbs up to her. It seems that the crisis is over. Víťa receives a new research task in the institute. This time, he leaves to a retirement home to explore the value system of citizens enjoying their well deserved rest.
sociolog Víťa Jakoubek
Jana, Víťova žena
studentka Eva Málková
Jakub, Víťův syn
Martin, Víťův syn
student Ivan Holeka zvaný Holda
tlustý student Polívka
dr. Brousek, Víťův ředitel
ředitelka gymnázia
třídní profesor Holub
Víťova tchyně
Kolovecká, Víťova sousedka
Tomanová, profesorka matematiky
studentka Pachnerová
studentka Týna Princová
student Rychlík
student Bohdan Milický
profesor Jaroslav Spousta
sekretářka Jarmilka
funkcionář Horálek, Vítův kolega
Víťův tchán
hostinský Jarda
profesorka němčiny Trojanová
družinářka
dr. Havránková
stařenka
mistr
uklízečka
docentka Karešová
matka Málková
otec Málek
sociolog Mareš
Mareš ml.
Vláďa, Víťův kamarád
Vláďova žena
Jarda, Víťův kamarád
redaktorka Irena Nováková, Víťova kamarádka
Vašek Novák, Víťův kamarád
Lancek, Víťův kamarád
kolotočář
hlídač
předseda družstva
příslušník VB
příslušník VB
nadpraporčík VB
student Josef Kalandra z Brna
student němčiny Petr Vašut
kamarád
kamarádka
kamarád
kamarád
kamarádka
student
studentka
studentka
student
student
studentka
student
student
student
studentka
studentka
studentka
student
studentka
student
studentka
studentka
student
student
studentka
studentka
zdvořilý mladík v autobuse
harmonikář
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
Roman Fara
Milan Bábik, Radan Kapinos, Karel Vaňásek
Jitka Hoferková, Pavel Nový
Michal Přikryl, Jakub Meissner
Eva Blažková (klapka), Michal Fairaizl (fotograf), Vladimír Michálek, P. Jakubcová, V. Kouba, L. Jantovský, Pavel Schlumperger, J. Malý
Štěpán Markovič, Miloslav Halík
Song Composer Petr Janda
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Vrba
Singer Petr JandaOlympic
Song Composer Jindřich Parma
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Cmíral
Singer Petr Kotvaldskupina Trik
Song Composer Jan Frank Fischer
Writer of Lyrics Jan Frank FischerJaromír Pleskot
Singer Věra LaňkováMilan Šteindler
Song Composer tradicionál
Writer of Lyrics Ernst Anschütz
Singer sbor
Singer sbor
Song Composer Karel Vacek
Writer of Lyrics Karel Vacek
Singer sbor
Vrať se do hrobu
Vrať se do hrobu
Go Back to Your Grave!
Po maturitě / Vrať se do hrobu!
film
featuretheatrical distribution
comedy
Czechoslovakia
1989
1989
start of filming 4 April 1989
end of filming 27 June 1989
the first film copy approved 12 October 1989
projection approval 17 November 1989
withdrawal from distribution 1 October 1993
gala premiere 7 June 1990 (kino Lucerna, Praha)
premiere 1 August 1990 /suitable for youths/
1. tvůrčí skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
96 min
2 522 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 41. filmový festival pracujících – léto '90
1990
95 měst / Czechoslovakia
Milan Šteindler
Exhibition: Dny českého a slovenského filmu Bratislava
1990
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Milan Šteindler
Festival: 4. filmový festival mladých Velké Poříčí u Hronova
1990
Velké Poříčí u Hronova / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 12. festival české a slovenské filmové veselohry Novoměstský hrnec smíchu Nové Město nad Metují
1990
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Milan Šteindler