Yes, My Dear Friends!

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1989

Premiere

1 October 1989

Runtime

109 min

Director

Dušan Klein

Category

film

Genre

comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Vážení přátelé, ano

Czech title

Vážení přátelé, ano

English title

Yes, My Dear Friends!

Summary

Director Dušan Klein and author and screenwriter Ladislav Pecháček created films together outside the popular “Poets” series. They also cooperated in their respective roles in the making of Vážení přátelé, ano (Yes, My Dear Friends!, 1989), a well conceived satire that premiered in cinemas only one month ahead of the Velvet Revolution. The narrative successfully juxtaposes the pitiful condition of the main protagonist, beset by an incapacitating mid-life crisis, with that of the socialist regime of the late 1980s, teetering on the brink of collapse. The clerk Bohouš Fischer, superbly portrayed by Milan Lasica, is promoted to deputy director of a company manufacturing sanitary wares. Rather than devote himself to office work, where his indifference and systematic indolence have so far been well rewarded, he is instead drawn to “creative” work, building a tile stove. Bohouš’s personal life, which includes two rebellious daughters and a few vain attempts at adultery, is full of resolutions to implement change which are as half-hearted as the daily operations of Fortuna, the toilet-making company.

Synopsis

Bohouš Fischer, an official of the state enterprise Fortuna, which produces ceramic sanitary products, and father of two teenage twins Hanka and Kamila, is promoted to the position of deputy director. He is still in love with his wife Anděla, a bioscientist and amateur theatre actress. His parents are in a retirement home. The mother drinks because the father "sides" with the old fat Bečicová. Bohouš has objections both to his daughters' clothes and behaviour, but the girls do not take his remarks seriously. Visiting the family of his friend Berka, Bohouš and Pepík Berka get drunk in a cellar and Bohouš discovers a stove fitter's tile which Berka's father produced. He also finds moulds and tools. He is tired of his white-collar career and decides to build a tiled stove. The enterprise has a conference with deputy minister Římský at a château. Here, Římský gets to like the only surviving tiled stove. He wants it at home. The tantalizing assistant slides into Bohouš's room at night but no love making comes out of it. Římský, on the contrary, is having a good time with a cultural officer. Bohouš must solve his daughters' problems with Russian lessons at school and the teacher of Russian unscrupulously invites him to her flat. But she suffers from a bilious attack even before it comes to making love. Bohouš does not enjoy his work and the conditions in the enterprise, and thus starts realizing his dream: he builds a tiled stove in the château. Římský again likes it and wants it again, this time in his cottage. Bohouš promises to build him another one. But he will have no time for it because he is to be appointed the company's director. One of the benefits of his position is a director's Tatra 613 car and Bohouš gets in. The stove which he had built falls apart during a storm.

Film online

Cast

Milan Lasica

Ing. Bohumil Fischer

Jana Hlaváčová

bioložka Anděla, Bohoušova žena

Marcela Ovčáčková

dvojče Hanka, dcera Fischerových

Michaela Ovčáčková

dvojče Kamila, dcera Fischerových

František Řehák

ekonomický náměstek a ředitel Evžen Dlask

Valerie Zawadská

sekretářka Monika

Jiří Kodet

náměstek ministra Římský

Jan Hrušínský

samostatný referent Václav Wohanka

Rudolf Hrušínský

Bohoušův otec

Alena Kreuzmannová

Bohoušova matka

Pavel Zedníček

Jíra, Bohoušův bratr

Zita Furková

Jírova žena

Július Satinský

MUDr. Pepík Berka, Bohoušův kamarád

Věra Vlčková

režisérka Ivana, Berkova žena

Gabriela Wilhelmová

ruštinářka Jelizaveta zvaná Líza

Jaroslava Obermaierová

kulturní referentka Jarmila Spišáková

Ota Sklenčka

ředitel Fortuny Jan Brunclík

Jiří Hálek

JUDr. Klouda, podnikový právník

Marián Labuda

Ládíček, člen úrazové komise

Miloslav Štibich

předseda ZV ROH Mirek Kudrnáč

Stanislav Zindulka

dělník, člen úrazové komise

Jan Hraběta

Stach, člen úrazové komise

Sabina Hánová

Blanka

Václav Mareš

Andělin šéf a ochotnický herec

Robert Vrchota

strážný

Jan Okrouhlík

náměstek

Michaela Jílková

zdravotní sestra Janička

Lena Birková

trafikantka

Vladimír Huber

správce Paleček

Hana Brejchová

referentka

J. Černochová

host

D. Spěváková

host

Jiří Pičman

host/dílovedoucí

L. Bošinová

hosteska

Andrea Sousedíková

hosteska

Josef Vaidiš

tajemník

Mojmír Václavek

tajemník

Gaston Šubert

tajemník MNV

P. Čech

moderátor

Petra Koželuhová

prodavačka

Václav Luks

řečník

Jan Toušek

náměstek

V. Vlach

zpěvák

I. Kobr

hudebník

J. Kvapil

hudebník

T. Kurfürst

hudebník

Z. Němec

hudebník

R. Petr

hudebník

J. Šrogl

hudebník

Crew and creators

Director

Dušan Klein

Second Unit Director

Josef Loučím

Assistant Director

Petr Hník

Continuity

Irena Klausová

Based on

Ladislav Pecháček (Vážení přátelé, ano – román)

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Second Unit Photography

Václav Helliman

Camera Operator

Bohumil Vodička

Production Designer

František Vokřál

Assistent Production Designer

Borek Strádal

Costume Designer

Jan Kropáček

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková, Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Karel Jaroš

Production Manager

Jiří Zika

Unit Production Manager

Irena Ladýřová, Ivo Pitrák, Olga Zelenská

Unit Production Manager

Vlastimil Pokorný

Cooperation

Lenka Hlavičková (klapka), Vladislav Knapp (fotograf), Václav Knapp

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Studiový orchestr (Music Conducted by Petr Hapka)

Songs

Nechte si to projít hlavou

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Petr Hapka

S cizí ženou v cizím pokoji

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Michael Kocáb

Kaťuša

Song Composer Matvej Isaakovič Blantěr

Benefice černých koní

Song Composer Petr Hapka

Vlasto, pojď se mnou za sto

Song Composer František PoupěJosef Svárovský
Writer of Lyrics František PoupěJosef Svárovský
Singer Milan LasicaJúlius Satinský

Akáty bílé, žaluji vám

Song Composer František Blahník
Writer of Lyrics František Blahník
Singer Milan LasicaJúlius Satinský

Černý muž /John Brown/

Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Fischer
Singer sbor

Ach, synku, synku

Song Composer lidová píseň

Vůně

Song Composer Petr Hapka
Writer of Lyrics Michal Horáček
Singer Hana Hegerová

Levandulová

Song Composer Petr Hapka

Na dobrú noc bozk ti dám

Song Composer Andrej Lieskovský
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Pospíšil (2)
Singer V. Vlach

Ako mám žiť bez teba

Song Composer Ján Siváček
Writer of Lyrics Katarína Hudecová
Singer V. Vlach

Budujeme /Teď když máme co jsme chtěli/

Song Composer Václav Dobiáš

Když jsem kytici vázala

Song Composer Jaroslav Ježek
Writer of Lyrics Jiří VoskovecJan Werich
Singer Milan Lasica

Já ti ho tam našroubuju

Singer sbor

Holčičko má, než půjdeš spát

Singer Milan Lasica

Production info

Original Title

Vážení přátelé, ano

Czech Title

Vážení přátelé, ano

English Title

Yes, My Dear Friends!

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1989

Production specifications

start of filming 2 January 1989
end of filming 7 March 1989
the first film copy approved 11 May 1989
projection approval 9 June 1989
withdrawal from distribution 1 August 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 October 1989 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

5. tvůrčí skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

109 min

Original length in metres

3 121 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