Young Girls, Crazy Guys
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1989Production year
1988Premiere
1 December 1989Runtime
83 minDirector
Karel KachyňaCategory
filmGenre
tragicomedyTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Blázni a děvčátkaCzech title
Blázni a děvčátkaEnglish title
Young Girls, Crazy GuysSummary
Karel Kachyňa continued his pursuit of the themes of childhood and adolescence in this film set in Prague’s proletarian Žižkov quarter during the 1950s. Following Lásky mezi kapkami deště (Love Between the Raindrops, 1979), the experienced director again chose Žižkov as the setting for a story about a boy coming of age in a formidable era. Though he based his film Blázni a děvčátka (Young Girls, Crazy Guys, 1989) on Vladimír Kučera’s novel of the same name, the episodic storyline is dominated by Kachyňa’s usual flair for poetic cinematographic atmospheres. In the role of the 13-year-old Jirka, who is experiencing his first love, along with longing and pain, is Radim Špaček, today himself a film director. The part of the crazy eccentric Pepíček, whom Jirka looks after, gave Milan Šimáček an opportunity to shine.
Synopsis
The quirky Prague neighbourhood of ikov in the 1950s. Common people and among them, variously handicapped people, live near the pompous national monument at Vítkov. The little Pepi is adult but his reasoning is that of a child. He likes horses and always tenderly holds his small horse made of rugs. The fool nicknamed "Cat-and-Dog" was driven insane when he was tortured by the Nazis, the notorious alcoholic Kozel claims to be the very last Hussite. This peculiar world with all its contrasts is sensitively perceived by the thirteen-year old Jirka. He is cared for by his father who plans an academic career for him. He thus watches with embarrassment when Jirka sometimes comes home with visible signs of fighting. Jirka cannot fight much and is bad at football, and the rough boys treat him as a whipping boy. He is not successful with the girls, either. But Jirka is not afraid and wins his place among the gang. He even bravely faces the truth about his mother who left the family with a lover, as well as the fact that his father was imprisoned for beating up his rival. Pepi escapes from the mental asylum and Jirka tends to him, sharing with him a shelter near a railroad track where he hid himself after a quarrel with his father. Pepi constantly suffers from headaches and Jirka procures him pills. But they are discovered one day and the emergency services come to get Pepi. The desperate man runs away and ends up under the wheels of a locomotive. The sad Jirka returns home. A paralysed boy in a house across from their shelter is playing the harmonica.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Radim Špaček
žižkovský kluk Jirka Akrman
Milan Šimáček
žižkovský blázen Pepíček Várlichů
Pavel Nový
Akrman, Jirkův otec
Josef Somr
žižkovský opilec Kozel st.
Jan Hraběta
žižkovský blázen zvaný Kočička a pejsek
Zdeněk Žák
strýc Vašek z Kotína
Robert Hudecký
Kocman, Jirkův spolužák
Michal Bočan
Kozel ml., Jirkův spolužák
Jakub Hais
Batlík, Jirkův spolužík
Petr Hervert
kluk zvaný Kuře
Klára Marie Svatošová
Martina, Jirkova kamarádka z Kotína
Pavlína Matyášová
Říhová, Jirkova spolužačka
Zuzana Skalická
sousedka Holanová
Jiří Žák
železničář Josef
František Švihlík
sedlák František Vrbenský
Jiří Pomeje
Honza, syn Vrbenského
František Husák
učitel Kouba
Lucie Benešová
Alena Hrubá, Jirkova spolužačka
Simona Stašová
Kocmanova matka
Eugen Jegorov
Javůrek, starší příslušník VB
Stanislav Zindulka
listonoš
Rudolf Pechan
listonoš
MUDr. Bohumil Šefrna
starý lékař
Vladimír Hrabánek
výčepní
Bořík Procházka
lékárník
Miloslav Štibich
kostelník
Miroslav Krejča
farář
Stanislav Tříska
Mára zvaný Marbulajz
Jiřina Jelenská
svíčková bába
Zuzana Stivínová
Kremličková
Jakub Zindulka
mladý příslušník VB
Milan Charvát
saniťák
Jiří Ivančo
Voice by Zdeněk Ornest
saniťák
Stanislav Hájek
chlap o holi
Martin Dejdar
mladý lékař
Marie Rejznerová
bába v okně
Zdeňka Sajfertová
kojící žena
Karel Smrž
harmonikář
F. Novotný
mladý harmonikář
Valerie Kaplanová
vesnická žena
Lena Birková
žena v okně
Běla Jurdová
žena v okně
Bohumír Starý
voják, milenec Říhové
Michaela Flenerová
Bartošová
Jakub Drocar
varhaník
D. Fialová
žižkovská slečna
R. Czadková
žižkovská slečna
Š. Franková
žižkovská slečna
Václav Burkert
muž v okně
Karel Čížek
muž v okně
Jindra Kvardová
Pepíčkova sousedka
Ludvík Pozník
prodavač
Eva Záběhlická
žena v šátku
Vladimír Janoušek
žižkovský obejda
J. Břešťál
Jirka Akrman sedmiletý
Jan Jílek
hasič/kluk z party roháků
Vojtěch Smíšek
hasič/kluk z party roháků
D. Erben
voják/kluk z party roháků
M. Bambas
voják/kluk z party roháků
Pavel Blätterbauer
milenec v okně
M. Vaňková
milenka v okně
M. Mikuličová
mladá dívka na pavlači
J. Grúzová
Dzurková
Peter Odorčák
žižkovský frajer
Ladislav Žid
řidič
Michaela Saxonová
vedoucí
Roman Skamene
kočí poštovního vozu
O. Tunek
ministrant
V. Wolfová
ministrant
P. Huptych
spolužák
P. Košák
spolužák
M. Kučera
spolužák
Jiří Ployhar (2)
spolužák
E. Kalábová
hudebnice
Karel Augusta ml.
vojín
Karel Engel
vojík
Bronislav Kotiš
vojín
J. Spůrný
desetiletý chlapec
P. Štěpánek
výrostek v tričku/kotínský kluk
Jan Kehár
mladík
Daniel Šedivák
mladík
M. Špejra
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Screenstory
Based on
Vladimír Kučera (Blázni a děvčátka – novela)
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Michal Kraus, Vladimír Kvěch, Karel Šebo, Miloslav Dvořák
Costume Designer
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
N. Kalinová (klapka), Miroslav Jirsa (fotograf), Miloš Schmiedberger (fotograf), Jan Čuřík, Marika Kráčmarová, V. Polák, J. Červený
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Studiová skupina Milana Svobody (Music Conducted by Milan Svoboda), Radek Krampl /sólo na foukací harmoniku/
Songs
Ktož jsú boží bojovníci
Singer Josef Somr
U kanonu stál
Singer Karel Smrž
Pochod padlých revolucionářů
Song Composer Ludvík Podéšť
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Dietl
Singer sbor
Šel Frantík kolem zahrádky
Song Composer Ludvík Podéšť
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Dietl
Singer sbor
Setkání /Když se dva potkají/
Song Composer Jan Seidel
Writer of Lyrics Bedřich Bobek
Production info
Original Title
Blázni a děvčátka
Czech Title
Blázni a děvčátka
English Title
Young Girls, Crazy Guys
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
tragicomedy
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1988
Production specifications
start of filming 3 August 1988
end of filming 24 October 1988
the first film copy approved 3 February 1989
projection approval 28 March 1989
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992
Premiere
premiere 1 December 1989 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
4. tvůrčí skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
83 min
Original length in metres
2 362 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
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Milan Šimáček
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 30. festival filmů pro děti Zlín
1990
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Kristián Suda
Vítěz
Exhibition: 21. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov
1989
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Milan Šimáček
Vítěz
Exhibition: 21. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov
1989
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
