Animals in Town

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production year

1988

Premiere

1 September 1989

Runtime

90 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zvířata ve městě

Czech title

Zvířata ve městě

English title

Animals in Town

Summary

This tragi-comedy mirroring the feelings of thirtysomethings at the end of the 1980s gave director Václav Křístek his feature-film debut in 1989. It followed his contribution to the anthology film Záhada bermudského trojuhelníku (The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, 1987). Zvířata ve městě (Animals in Town), which also enabled screenwriter Jaroslav Vanč to break into feature films, tells the story of Karel Brach, a bachelor who grows close to Inge, a palaeontologist. Karel is an unstable character with an unreliable nature, who finds himself facing ever bigger problems, which also involve his peer Igor. In this “morally ecological” film, the filmmakers contrast animals shut in cages at the zoo with the protagonists, locked into their pre-set lives. Václav Koubek (Karel), Ivana Chýlková (Inge) and Ondřej Pavelka (Igor) star. The mysterious man, who turns out to be the narrator, is the singer Jan Vodňanský.

Synopsis

A thirty-three-year-old bachelor, named Karel Brach, needs an expert for the members of the Young Natural ScientistsTown Station. His friend Igor recommends to him a palaeontologist called Inge from the geological institute. Karel's meeting with the woman scientist of his age, who does not think herself attractive, does not end well. But the two people soon become close due to their shared views on the status of people and animals on the globe, and they eventually become lovers. Inge blooms, which is observed by the provocative taxidermist Jaruška with displeasure. Karel takes Inge to visit his friend Lojza, a herpetologist and herbalist. Inge and Lojza find out that they share a love of snakes and the entire living nature. Inge wants to have a child with Karel but the man resolutely rejects the idea. Soon after, Inge finds Karel and Jaruška embracing. She runs away and does not want to talk to her lover. Karel gets drunk and lets his young wards drink and smoke, too. The whole matter is revealed and Karel is fired. Igor fortunately gets him a job in a zoo. Here, Karel becomes intimate with his colleague Laura and later marries her. Inge is pregnant by Lojza who now undergoes treatment in the Prague lunatic asylum of Bohnice. She, however, turns down Igor's proposal to marry her. After some time, she visits Igor and Karel with her several-months-old baby. Lojza, who escaped from the asylum, opens the cages in the zoo. The animal keepers catch him and also try to catch all the released animals. Inge, accompanied by Karel and Igor, leaves the zoo through the back entrance.

Cast

Ivana Chýlková

paleontoložka Inge Sezimová zvaná Žirafka

Václav Koubek

Karel Brach zvaný Medvěd

Ondřej Pavelka

RNDr. Igor Hána, vedoucí propagace

Ján Sedal

údržbář Lojza, herpetolog a bylinkář

Veronika Gajerová

preparátorka Jaruška

Arnošt Goldflam

docent Láďa Kupka

Jan Vodňanský

autor-vypravěč

František Husák

buldozerista Josef

Miloslav Štibich

bagrista Pepa

Václav Helšus

zoopatolog

Bohumil Vávra

vedoucí stanice mladých přírodovědců

Erik Grec

mičurinec Pindík

Monika Načeva

Voice by Dana Bartůňková
ošetřovatelka v zoo Laura

Jaromír Šlápota

ošetřovatel Peťar

Iva Hüttnerová

Ostrá, Pindíkova matka

Martin Krulich

mičurinec Matěj

Ivan Landa

mičurinec Čoud

Petr Löwy

mičurienc Had

Filip Guttenberg

mičurinec Mlok

Jakub Exner

mičurinec

František Kohútek

mičurinec

Adam Křístek

mičurinec

Michal Achs

mičurinec

Josef Hervert

mičurinec

Petr Lužecký

mičurinec

Vladimír Huber

hlídač v muzeu Skála

Milan Charvát

řidič

Vlastimil Venclík

ošetřovatel

František Švihlík

stavbyvedoucí

Monika Herbichová

vnadná dívka

Antonín Křížek

Voice by Pavel Nový
myslivec

Josef Hervert st.

štamgast

Daniel Šedivák

svědek na svatbě

Jaroslav Vanča

host na svatbě

Karel Hovorka

ředitel zoologické zahrady

Michaela Srbová

manekýna

Jiří Kuba

dubl za Václava Koubka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Špinka

Assistant Director

Jana Kůtková

Shooting Script

Václav Křístek

Director of Photography

Kristian Hynek

Second Unit Photography

Oldřich Kovář

Camera Operator

Tomáš Pavlíček

Production Designer

Boris Halmi

Set Designer

Ivan Ernyei, Bohumil Kadlec, Dana Smržová, Milan Šebo

Costume Designer

Ivana Šislerová

Film Editor

Věra Flaková

Assistant Film Editor

Růžena Hejsková

Sound Designer

Václav Vondráček

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Bohumil Vlach, Vlasta Synkulová

Unit Production Manager

Bára Jelínková

Consultant

Ivan Stuchlý, Petr Šmerák

Cooperation

Alice Sotonová (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka), Jiří Mašek (2), ZOO Praha, ZOO Liberec, Divadlo zvířat Vladimira Durova, Josef Staněk (práce se zvířaty)

Music

Music Composed by

Ondřej Soukup

Music Performed by

Hudební organizace Ondřeje Soukupa (Music Conducted by Ondřej Soukup)

Songs

Co jste, hasiči

Singer sbor

Ožeň se, bratře

Song Composer Ladislav Štancl
Writer of Lyrics František Gellner
Singer sbor

Do lesíčka na čekanou

Song Composer lidová píseňMiloš Vacek /úprava/
Singer František HusákMiloslav Štibich

Náhrobní kámen

Song Composer Petr Novák
Writer of Lyrics Ivo Plicka
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Zvířata ve městě

Czech Title

Zvířata ve městě

English Title

Animals in Town

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1989

Production Year

1988

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 25 June 1987
technical Screenplay approved 10 June 1988
start of filming 18 July 1988
end of filming 7 October 1988
the first film copy approved 22 December 1988
projection approval 29 December 1988
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1992

Premiere

premiere 1 September 1989 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

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

2 701 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