The Swedish Way

Country

Czechoslovakia, Former Yugoslavia, 1945–1991

Copyright

1989

Production year

1988

Premiere

1 November 1989

Runtime

94 min

Category

film

Genre

crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Atrakce švédského zájezdu

Czech title

Atrakce švédského zájezdu

English title

The Swedish Way

Co-production title

Svedski aranžman

Summary

The only full feature-length film by Zoran Gospić, a Yugoslav graduate of Prague’s FAMU, this tragicomedy – in accordance with its co-production character – tells two intertwined tales. One is set in the Czech countryside, where an unhappy chimney sweep named Válek lives by a crossroads in a cottage that is constantly being ploughed into by lorry drivers. The other story centres on a Yugoslav lorry driver named Dragan, whose get-rich-quick scheme unwittingly gets him involved with international drug traffickers. The film is narrated from the perspective of Swedish tourists on package holidays, who serve as indifferent witnesses to human tragedy. Gospić’s 1989 film, which among other things is a sensitive reflection on the rising ethnic tensions in the former Yugoslavia, was misconstrued at the time of its release in the Czech Republic at the end of the 1980s.

Synopsis

A bus full of white-haired Swedish tourists passes through Europe – from Hamburg, Prague and Istanbul to Belgrade and back – but the jolly ladies fail to notice the cruel conditions outside their windows. The Serb Dragan marries a German prostitute Inge in order to get a working permit. He soon gets a job in Hamburg thanks to his friend Steva and starts as an international road transport driver. His beloved Milica, divorced for appearance's sake, and her two little children find themselves on the street due to unpaid rent. In a Czech village, a chimneysweep called Válek and his wife are worried by only one thing – the house they live in is in a sharp corner turn on an international road and heavy trucks crash into it far too often. Válek vainly struggles to get a better place to live. Dragan's first ride leads through Belgrade to Istanbul. His advance sent to Milica helps the woman get a nice flat. In Turkey, however, the truck is stolen from the helpless Dragan, and the Istanbul police find the truck left deserted outside the city. Dragan rides back with a load of oranges. He is unfortunately the next one to crash into Válek's house. Just before, the wife parted with poor Válek and left him alone with the children – who are now carried out by Dragan from the ruins of the house, unhurt. Válek completely breaks down, ending up in therapy. Dragan discovers bags with heroin in the ruins of the truck and successfully smuggles them by train to Germany. The mafia kidnaps Válek from the mental hospital, trying to get the drugs back from him. But Válek does not know anything about them and he totally loses his mind. Dragan, helped by Steva, tries to sell the drugs to get the money to pay off the damaged truck. But Steva is murdered, and Dragan takes refuge from the mafia in a small cafe. The place is, however, run by the Ustashas, the biggest enemies of Serbs and Yugoslavia as a multinational state. Dragan walks out onto the street and is shot dead while the bus with the frolicking and singing Swedes passes by.

Cast

Branko Vidaković

Dragan

Vlastimil Zavřel

kominík Petr Válek

Milan Erak

liftboy Stevo

Hana Švejnohová

Irena, Válkova žena

Ljiljana Blagojević

Milica, Draganova bývalá žena

Jelena Tinska

Inge, Draganova žena

Zoran Miljković

Žika, Draganův kamarád

Zinaid Memišević

mafián

Dragan Maksimović

mafián

Ana Simić

svatební svědkyně

Břetislav Slováček

průvodce švédských turistek

Petr Weig

tajemník místního národního výboru

Miroslav Táborský

Bořík Mach, Válkův kolega

Jan Vít

mafián Josef Limberský

Miloslav Štibich

soused Karel Dumský

Vlasta Mecnarowská

Máňa Dumská

Antonín Brtoun

mafián Zigi

Jan Gross

psychiatr

Ivan Gübel

Bárta, Irenin kolega

B. Vávra (2)

šéf Helmut

Jindřiška Vacková

asistentka Eliška

Mirko Musil

vrátný na psychiatrii

René Přibil

pacient na psychiatrii

Pavel Kočí

pacient na psychiatrii

Antonín Bubeník

tajemník okresního národního výboru

Dáša Samková

sestra v nemocnici

Josef Nechutný

montér Venca

Milan Vlachovský

montér Franta

Petr Koutecký

zednický mistr

Lenka Vychodilová

Boříkova žena

Ivan Vyskočil

děda ve vlaku

Tomáš Sláma

inženýr v Praze

Petr Popelka

inženýr

Karel Hoffmann

pacient Kadeřábek

Jiřina Jelenská

Kadeřábkova žena

Kateřina Vilímková

dcera Válkových

Gabriela Vilímková

dcera Válkových

Ivan Zubović

Draganův syn

Miloš Rakić

Draganův syn

Tomáš Šolc

člen z komise

Alena Karešová

členka z komise

Milan Pěkný

ošetřovatel

Miroslav Chochola

ošetřovatel

Jiří Chmelař

hostinský

Johana Tesařová

vrchní sestra

Rudolf Kutílek

vesnický děda

Oskar Hák

pacient

Eva Lánská

mladší sestra

Jindřiška Crhová

Monika, dcera Dumských

Marija Adamová

švédská turistka

Jarmila Černíková

švédská turistka

Anna Györgyová

švédská turistka

Ludmila Hradcová

švédská turistka

Květa Jirkovská

švédská turistka

Ivetta Kočová

švédská turistka

Jarmila Krulišová

švédská turistka

Růžena Lysenková

švédská turistka

Marie Michálková

švédská turistka

Zdenka Moudrá

švédská turistka

Růžena Plašilová

švédská turistka

Olga Schmidtová

švédská turistka

Stanislava Strobachová

švédská turistka

Božena Švehlová

švédská turistka

Božena Tomsová

švédská turistka

Marie Logojdová

dědova dcera

Miroslav Sovják

dědův zeť

Nastasja Gospičová

Boříkova dcera

Nina Gospičová

Boříkova dcera

Viktor Růžička

divák peep show

Simona Chytrová

striptýzka

Alija Aljović

Thomas Clay

Tunchaj Čelik

Siniša Čopić

Milenko Djedović

Hajrudin Hodžić

Mirsad Huković

Eva Kadlíčková

Ibro Kavić

Ivan Kraljević

Jovan Krstić

Slobodan Ninković

Radoslav Petković

Alfred Posavac

Nadežda Rodić

Zoran Simonović

Frančeska Spanić

Zoran Stevanović

Borivoje Stojanović

Bohumil Švarc ml.

Mareček, vnuk Dumských

Ante Vican

Rizo Vlahovljak

Dubbing

Vladimír Fišer

hlas z autorádia

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Hykl, Slobodan Ivetić

Assistant Director

Damir Čengić, Jana Gospičová

Screenstory

Zoran Gospić

Director of Photography

Viktor Růžička

Second Unit Photography

Pavel Nečesal

Camera Operator

Ivan Šimůnek

Production Designer

Jindřich Goetz, Vlado Perković

Assistent Production Designer

Petr Pištěk

Set Designer

Milan Bábik, Mirsad Huković, Fikret Orle, Eva Slívová, Karel Vaňásek

Film Editor

Jiří Brožek

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Ivo Špalj, Ivan Žakić

Producer

Mirza Pašić (Forum Sarajevo)

Production Manager

Jaroslav Bouček, Refik Beširević, Pero Burić (vedoucí natáčení v Jugoslávii)

Unit Production Manager

Jitka Hoferková, Pavel Nový, Milenko Prstojević

Unit Production Manager

Edin Šarkić, Pavel Bačkovský, Michal Přikryl, Željko Maksimović

Cooperation

Václav Vorlíček (režijní supervize), Lenka Jandejsková (klapka), Eva Blažková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf), Zorica Lešić, Tomislav Lukica, Branka Kamarić, Vlado Medan, Nada Perišić, Rizo Vlahovljak, Ivan Kraljević, Mustafa Kanjić, Asim Husić

Music

Music Composed by

Zoran Simjanović

Music Performed by

Orchestr Zorana Simjanoviće (Music Conducted by Zoran Simjanović)

Songs

Wonderful Life

Song Composer Colin Vearncombe
Writer of Lyrics Colin Vearncombe
Singer Colin Vearncombe

Production info

Original Title

Atrakce švédského zájezdu

Czech Title

Atrakce švédského zájezdu

English Title

The Swedish Way

Co-production Title

Svedski aranžman

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Former Yugoslavia, 1945–1991

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1988

Production specifications

start of filming 16 May 1988
end of filming 14 October 1988
the first film copy approved 7 March 1989
projection approval 21 April 1989
withdrawal from distribution 1 May 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 November 1989 /unsuitable for youths/

Creative Group

6. tvůrčí skupina, Jan Vild (vedoucí 6. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

94 min

Original length in metres

2 675 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, German, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish, Turkish

Subtitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech