Time of the Servants
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1989Production year
1988Premiere
1 November 1989Runtime
111 minDirector
Irena PavláskováCategory
filmGenre
psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Čas sluhůCzech title
Čas sluhůEnglish title
Time of the ServantsWorking title
ZdáníSummary
Screenwriter and director Irena Pavlásková’s psychological drama is one of those films that started being made under the old regime, but whose critical, free spirit signals the impending social changes associated with the year 1989. The ambitious 29-year-old filmmaker already had several successful student movies behind her at Prague’s FAMU film school, and in Čas sluhů (Time of the Servants) she managed to upgrade her ferocious narrative energy and critical spirit. Pavlásková’s feature debut is therefore an emotionally engaged testament to the moral devastation that many young people in the socialist era experienced, as embodied by the film’s main character. The film’s protagonist, Dana, became the prototype for an unscrupulous and cynical manipulator, who subordinates everyone around her to her perverted ideas about her own needs and qualities. Dana transforms from being an ugly, timorous medic into an elegant monster, whose dynamic rise to power begins when she is dumped by her attractive lover. Dana steals her fellow student Lenka’s boyfriend and in her new life she exploits her ability to shape the world around her for her own benefit. Despite the fact that she ultimately runs aground in the case of her “involuntary” husband, Milan, the protagonist continues to victoriously conquer the world in a symbolic finale… Pavlásková follows her unsympathetic heroine with chilling irony. However, she critically shows two extreme positions in society, which are projected onto the “positive” field of medicine (which Dana’s unselfish friend Lenka studies and later pursues as a career) and the “negative” area of foreign trade (which is pursued by the manipulated male characters – the husband Milan and the former lover Mirek). The director cast Ivana Chylková in the film, and she is ably assisted by Karel Roden (Milan) and Miroslav Etzler (Marek). The “generational” aspect of the cast is augmented by Eva Holubová as Dana’s subjugated neighbour Bohunka, and by Jitka Asterová as Lenka. The debutante cinematographer F. A. Brabec manages to inject a rich and vivid dimension to Irena Pavlásková’s “showcase of monsters.” A loose sequel to the film, Čas dluhů (Time of Debts), was made in 1998.
Synopsis
The medical student Dana is a shy and grey character. The handsome student of foreign trade Marek sleeps with her, but parts with her ruthlessly soon after his graduation. His schoolmate Milan, on the contrary, sincerely loves Dana's friend Lenka, also a medical student. The desperate Dana literally whines out a peculiar solution for her situation from the pleasant couple. To get revenge on Marek, she wants to get married quickly - and she needs a groom. Unlike the shocked Lenka, Milan thinks that he can manage the "paper" wedding. Immediately Dana shows a fantastic energy, she seduces Milan and speedily moves to the luxurious flat of his parents and ousts them to their cottage. Out of favouritism, she finds the betrayed Lenka a job in the hospital and she herself becomes a housewife. In five years, Dana turns into an attractive and mondaine stuck-up fine lady. Her household is selflessly kept by her neighbour Bohunka, a victim of catastrophic relationships with men. Dana tends to her little daughter and her husband only marginally, but she manages Milan's career with a firm hand, steering him furtively to do dirty tricks, which bring him money in a foreign-trade company. She reconciles with Lenka, who is now happily married and is a successful physician. Lenka's husband, however, hates Dana from the bottom of his heart. Dana finds herself a lover - the shy historian Lubo. But then the playing with the lives of the people close to her gets out of her control - Milan wants to get divorced and Lubo invites his large family from Moravia over to her flat. But after some time, everything is again according to Dana's wishes. She meets Marek at an opulent reception. Her former lover accedes to the business agency in London, and Dana boasts that she and Milan go there, too.
Photos
Cast
Ivana Chýlková
Dana
Karel Roden
Milan Hošek, Danin muž
Jitka Asterová
Lenka, Danina kamarádka
Libor Žídek
historik Luboš Tesáček
Miroslav Etzler
Marek, Danin idol
Eva Holubová
Bohunka, Danina sousedka
Vilma Cibulková
Hanka, Danina kamarádka
Petr Haničinec
zástupce ředitele Stach
Helga Čočková
Stachová, manželka zástupce ředitele
Jiří Brožek
Voice by Martin Stropnický
Pražák, Milanův kolega v práci
Jiřina Steimarová
Marková, Lubošova bytná
Daniela Reischlová
Markéta, Danina dcera
Miloš Motoška
Patočka
Markéta Světlíková
Liduška, Patočkova manželka
Zdeněk David
Lubošův bratr
Jana Matulová
švagrová
Martin Bezouška
člen komise
Miloslav Kopečný
člen komise
Magda Čechová
členka komise
Petr Čepický
Jarda, Lenčin manžel
Jan Hraběta
instalatér Hlaváček
Zdenka Procházková
Milanova matka
Vilém Aster
Milanův otec
Jana Vychodilová
Danina matka
Jan Polívka
Danin otčím
Miriam Kantorková
Lubošova matka
Jindřich Bonaventura
Lubošův otec
Vlastimila Vlková
babička Luboše
Lena Birková
Milanova sousedka
Hana Čížková
Soňa, Danina kamarádka
Věra Křesadlová
Romana, Danina kamarádka
Miroslav Frydlewicz
Hájek, Milanův ředitel
Ivo Vitera
kamarád
Viktorie Knotková
domovnice
Václav Čížkovský
mladík
Jiří Ančerl
číšník
Dušan Kukal
vedoucí
Štěpánka Lisá
zákaznice
Jiří Patočka
host v hotelu
Gaston Šubert
nóbl pán
Imran Musa Zangi
arabský obchodník
Adriena Vlasáková
prostitutka
Eva Trunečková
žena v prodejně konfekce
Pavel Vangeli
Milanův kolega
Nina Vangeli
přítelkyně Romany
Simona Zbořilová
mladá žena ve vratech
Karel Woska
vládní úředník
Zdeněk Zelenka
mladík na večírku
Petr Kellner
mladík na večírku
Šárka Brabcová
holčička
Boleslav Polívka
muž s tranzistorákem
D. Fialová
Ema
Karel Babáček
hudebník
Z. Háša
hudebník
Jan Jíša
hudebník
S. Killmann
hudebník
S. Křivanec
hudebník
J. Mysliveček
hudebník
J. Nevyjel
hudebník
E. Samcová
hudebnice
Petr Stříška
hudebník
P. Török
hudebník
P. Vitner
hudebník
J. Vlček
hudebník
M. Vrbovec
hudebník
M. Weberová
hudebnice
J. Zahradník
hudebník
Naděžda Asterová
M. Knap
prodavač
V. Soják
Hančin přítel Pavel
Z. Ledecká
Kamila
J. Prosecký
číšník
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Stanislava Hutková
Assistant Director
Kamil Busch, Jarmila Čajová, Vít Horálek
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Ivan Břešťák, Jaroslav Česal, Petr Průša, Marek Šíma
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Václav Vondráček, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Ladislava Kašáková, Petr Kellner
Cooperation
Alice Šafránková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Songs
Bum, bum, bum
Song Composer Ladislav Štaidl
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel Gott
Přejdi Jordán
Song Composer Zdeněk Marat
Writer of Lyrics Zdeněk Borovec
Singer Helena Vondráčková
Čtyři páry bílých koní
Song Composer Karel Vacek
Singer sbor
Černý muž /John Brown/
Song Composer lidová americká píseň
Singer sbor
Přes dvě vesnice
Song Composer Josef Poncár
Vysoký jalovec
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer sbor
Maličká su, husy pasu
Song Composer lidová píseň
Singer Ivana Chýlková
Production info
Original Title
Čas sluhů
Czech Title
Čas sluhů
English Title
Time of the Servants
Working Title
Zdání
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1988
Production specifications
start of filming 27 September 1988
end of filming 19 December 1988
the first film copy approved 10 April 1989
projection approval 12 May 1989
withdrawal from distribution 30 September 1993
Premiere
premiere 1 November 1989 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
5. tvůrčí skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
111 min
Original length in metres
3 170 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
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: 8. KINE, mezinárodní festival zahraničních filmů Harare
1991
Harare / Zimbabwe
Vítěz
Exhibition: Dny českého a slovenského filmu Bratislava
1990
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
Ivana Chýlková
Vítěz
Festival: 14. mezinárodní filmový festival Montreal
1990
Montréal / Canada
Vítěz
Event: 4. Fórum mladého filmu Bratislava
1989
Bratislava / Czechoslovakia
