Freelancing

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1989

Premiere

1 July 1990

Runtime

90 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Volná noha

Czech title

Volná noha

English title

Freelancing

Working title

Nepokoj s výhledem do zeleně

Summary

Screenwriter Jiří Šebánek had Slovak jazz musician Laco Déczi in mind while creating the character of Beno Vichnár – the protagonist of this 1989 comedy by accomplished director Július Matula. Just like Déczi, Beno plays the trumpet and is the head of a jazz band. He’s not short of pride that he able to live and work as a freelancer. He refuses the chance to marry his landlord’s daughter and also knocks back a lucrative offer to play in the band of popular singer Gábina Kleinová. Beno in fact often spoils everything for himself. He’s always without a penny and he gets entangled in situations created by his pranks. But still, he values his freedom above all… Slovak actor Marián Zednikovič shines in the lead role of this nostalgic comedy. Jiří Schmitzer plays the part of Beno’s friend Emil Vidlák, Lucie Bílá – the real-life singer – is Gábina.

Synopsis

The Slovak head of a Prague jazz band, the trumpet player Beno Vichnár, lodges in a villa owned by a pretty widow named Vlasta. The woman views him as a groom for her daughter Bohuna. But Beno is proud of his freedom both in his life and his profession. The band should soon perform on the radio. The performance is arranged by the saxophonist Emil Vidlák, and Beno wants him not to go under three hundred crowns per person. At the moment when the committee offers Emil five hundred crowns, the impulsive Beno rushes in and spoils everything. Although he is eternally broke, he refuses to play in the band of the popular singer Gábina. The dramatic adviser Verner arranges the recording of an LP for the Supraphon music agency for the group. The two friends cannot sleep off the consequent celebration in a bar in Emil's flat because his attractive wife, a stewardess, has a lover over. Beno cannot understand that Emil loves her so much that he tolerates this. He befriends a Roma family at a railway station. At Vlasta's villa, he makes her a window into a dark kitchen by knocking a hole in the wall with a pickaxe, and then runs away. He wants to make love to Gábina in a tent by the Vltava river, but the curiosity of the fishermen and the riverboat passengers makes the lovemaking impossible. Old men from the village of Roztoky will be on the cover of the new album instead of the musicians. Beno invites his new Roma friends to the live recording in a jazz club but the drunk Dežo unfortunately spoils everything and the obstinate Beno leaves after an ensuing quarrel. A percussionist takes his revenge for the group's break-up - he sets a trap and the jealous husband of his lover beats up Beno. Beno ends up in a hospital with bloody wounds and gains keys to a railway watchman's house from a co-patient. He lives there with Emil who now performs with Gábina. They like to dress up in theatre costumes and stage "live images" from the attic for the people passing by in trains. Emil visits his wife in Prague and impresses her with a borrowed mercedes. He takes Gábina with him on the way back, but Beno refuses the offered engagement again. The two friends have a harsh dispute and Beno tries to put his "freelancing" - called "free leg" in Czech - behind his neck after Emil's "recommendation", thus almost drowning in a bath tub in front of the house. Emil saves him and the two stage a scene "Don Quixote and Sancho Panza" on the railway track. Their clash with an approaching train is halted by Vlasta, who arrives with Bohuna, by pulling an emergency break. In the consequent confusion, Beno jumps on the moving train and gets away from everybody.

Film online

Cast

Marián Zednikovič

jazzový trumpetista Beno Vichnár

Jiří Schmitzer

Emil Vidlák zvaný Rampouch

Miroslava Pleštilová

Bohuna Kubíková

Jana Švandová

Vlasta Kubíková, Bohunina matka

Lucie Bílá

zpěvačka Gábina Kleinová

Zuzana Geislerová

letuška Alice, Vidlákova žena

Lubomír Kostelka

hajný Bouzek

Václav Knop

hudební dramaturg Vojta Verner

Andrej Rimko

starý cikán

Eva Krížiková

Benova matka

Štefan Mišovic

Benův dědeček

Marián Kleis ml.

Benův bratr Štefan

Jana Matulová

Štefanova manželka

Libuše Pospíšilová

předsedkyně komise Luňáková

Karel Bělohradský

Hektor, Idin manžel

Jan Fišar

nadporučík VB v Bratislavě

Miroslav Chochola

podpraporčík VB

Martin Hron

nadstrážmistr VB

Vlastimil Venclík

barman Kamil

Jaroslav Štercl

pacient Volný /Volejník?/

Jan Toušek

Pechlát, Vlastin soused

Vlastimil Zavřel

bubeník Standa zvaný Skotland

Boun Boua Thong

Vietnamec

Peter Binder

Petr Dostál zvaný Marabu

Jaroslav Heyduk

rybář Kadraba

Pavel Jiras

člen komise Laštovka

Michaela Jílková

redaktorka Šlaisová

Dáša Neblechová

železničářka

Alan Pajer

fotograf Ota Bergschied

Šárka Štembergová

sousedka Doubravová

René Slováčková

barmanka

Eva Trunečková

brýlatá paní

Jiří Zobač

zvukař Jirka

Radovan Versigan

člen komise

Pavel Anděl

hudebník Dragoun

Petr Bednář

sportovec

Jana Karnovská

fanynka

Zdeněk Mucha

vyhazovač

Jan Dejmek

rybář

Miroslav Krejča

dělník ve vlaku

Jaroslav Pacovský

Kamínek z NV

Ladislav Navrátil

závodní stráž

Jan Rosák

redaktor

Vladimír Švabík

strýc ve vlaku

Jiří Maťcha

děda

Vladimír Petraš

děda

Julius Matula

host klubu

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Stanislava Hutková

Assistant Director

Lenka Jandejsková

Screenstory

Jiří Šebánek

Shooting Script

Julius Matula

Director of Photography

F. A. Brabec

Second Unit Photography

Jan Kváča

Camera Operator

Ivan Šimůnek

Production Designer

Jaromír Švarc

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Václavek

Set Designer

Tomáš Hoffman (2), Milan Bábik, Radan Kapinos, Pavel Svoboda, Karel Vaňásek

Costume Designer

Helena Dubová

Film Editor

Dalibor Lipský

Sound Designer

Jiří Hora

Production Manager

Miroslav Smrček

Unit Production Manager

Karel Lupoměský, Rudolf Mos

Unit Production Manager

Ivona Blažíčková, Božena Novotná, Jiří Lendr, Romana Šaldová

Cooperation

Jana Paparčíková (klapka), Kateřina Pavelková (klapka), Hana Turečková (klapka), Zdeněk Mihle (vrchní osvětlovač), Karel Ješátko (fotograf), Gabriela Muchová, Ladislav Chroust

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Zdeněk

Selected Music

Jaroslav Ježek (Klobouk ve křoví)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Juraj Bartoš /sólo na trubku/, Pavel Husička /sólo na trubku/, skupina Naima

Songs

Plují lodi do Triany

Song Composer Jan Frank Fischer
Writer of Lyrics Jan Frank FischerOlga Fischerová
Singer Jana Švandová

Production info

Original Title

Volná noha

Czech Title

Volná noha

English Title

Freelancing

Working Title

Nepokoj s výhledem do zeleně

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1989

Production specifications

start of filming 15 June 1989
end of filming 8 August 1989
the first film copy approved 8 December 1989
projection approval 15 December 1989
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992

Premiere

premiere 1 July 1990 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

1. tvůrčí skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

90 min

Original length in metres

2 515 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Slovak

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival české a slovenské filmové veselohry Novoměstský hrnec smíchu Nové Město nad Metují

1990
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Julius Matula

Vítěz

Festival: 12. festival české a slovenské filmové veselohry Novoměstský hrnec smíchu Nové Město nad Metují

1990
Nové Město nad Metují / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Šebánek