The Hammock

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production year

1990

Premiere

1 December 1990

Runtime

80 min

Category

film

Genre

psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Houpačka

Czech title

Houpačka

English title

The Hammock

Summary

Actress Lenka Vlasáková must go down as one of Věra Plívová-Šimková's most prominent discoveries. In 1990, Vlasáková debuted in the lead role of student Lucie in a film that stands out from the usual genre pursued by Plívová-Šimková, a director who dedicated her professional life to films for children and young people. Although the protagonist of Houpačka (The Hammock) is a young girl, she faces considerably more grown-up issues than her peers. The high school student becomes pregnant by her schoolmate, who in the meantime emigrates. She decides to give the child up for adoption after the birth, but afterwards regrets the decision. It is, however, too late… Alena Vovsová contributed to the script of a film that doubles as an urgent plea against abortion. Besides Vlasáková, The Hammock features a number of interesting young performers, with Zuzana Stivínová particularly good in her role as Lucie’s friend, Andula. Magda Reifová, frequently cast by the director throughout the 1970s, appears in the film as nurse Jiřina.

Synopsis

A grammar school student, Lucie Břízová, spent beautiful moments with her schoolmate Martin, when they made love. After some time the girl finds she is pregnant. In the meantime, Martin has left with his parents for holiday to Sweden. He will not come back again. Lucie, unable to make any decision without Martin, misses the chance to go for an abortion. She tries to get rid of the unwanted pregnancy, but does not succeed. She also tries to kill herself, but her room-mates from the boarding house rescue her. Lucie passed her final examinations and gives birth to a girl. She is helpless, because her mother already takes care of three grandchildren. She decides to leave the baby in an infant home and later agrees to have her baby adopted. She leaves home and begins working in a textile factory situated very far away from her home. Here she meets Honza, a driver and musician, who is attracted to her. Memories of the birth and the little baby-girl come back to Lucie. To avoid Honza, she moves from the boarding house to lodgings. Her former room-mates tell Honza that Lucie has an illegitimate child. When Honza asks her about the child, she tells him she waived her rights to the child. Honza searches for the family that adopted Lucie's little girl. And he finally finds the family. He tells Lucie that the girl lives with the Vízners family. Lucie sets out for there and wants to get her child back, but Mr. Vízner shows her out. In that moment Lucie decides she is going to kidnap her little daughter. But some days later she finds just the grandparents there. The young couple left for several years to South America. The desperate Lucie realizes she has, by her own fault, lost the most valuable thing you can have.

Cast

Lenka Vlasáková

Lucie Břízová

Tomáš Karger

muzikant Honza

Lucie Svobodová

Barbora Kopalová

Zuzana Stivínová

Andula, Luciina kamarádka

Libuše Geprtová

Luciina matka

Miriam Chytilová

dělnice Miška

Magda Reifová

zdravotní sestra Jiřinka

Martin Dejdar

závozník Jožka

Ivana Chýlková

adoptivní matka Marie Víznerová

Zdeněk Žák

adoptivní otec Vízner

Roman Skamene

rváč na diskotéce

Martin Kukla

Martin Hartman, Luciin přítel

Valerie Kaplanová

bytná Vondráčková

Božena Böhmová

správcová v ubytovně

Ferdinand Krůta

Víznerův otec

Věra Kubánková

Víznerova matka

Jana Robenková

žena na nádraží

Miroslav Středa

Martinův otec

Josef Patočka

muž ve vlaku

Jiří Strach

spolužák

Helena Vitovská

holčička s taškou na kojence

Tereza Vokurková

holčička s taškou na kojence

Václav Helšus

chovatel psů

Tomáš Šimek

bubeník skupiny

Štěpánka Prýmková-Kapicová

Dubbing

Pavlína Mourková

hlas tělocvikářky

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Viktor Walter

Assistant Director

Lucie Minaříková

Director of Photography

Antonín Holub

Second Unit Photography

Jan Kváča

Camera Operator

Jan Smolík, Jiří Pechar (steadicam)

Production Designer

Jiří Hlupý

Set Designer

Radek Baláž, Richard Staněk, Milan Šveňha

Costume Designer

Marta Kaplerová

Film Editor

Eva Bobková

Assistant Film Editor

Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Antonín Kravka

Production Manager

Blažej Vráb

Unit Production Manager

Václav Šeda, Rudolf Mos

Unit Production Manager

Petr Jahn, Roman Molnár

Cooperation

Alena Červená (fotografka), Jarmila Melichová

Music

Music Composed by

Petr Hapka

Music Performed by

Petr Hapka

Songs

Gaudeamus igitur

Singer sbor

Cielito lindo /Hezké nebíčko/

Song Composer lidová španělská píseň
Writer of Lyrics Vladimír Merhaut (2)
Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Houpačka

Czech Title

Houpačka

English Title

The Hammock

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production Year

1990

Production specifications

withdrawal from distribution 31 July 1993

Premiere

premiere 1 December 1990 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

5. tvůrčí skupina, Miloslav Vydra (vedoucí 5. tvůrčí skupiny), Dana Dudová (vedoucí produkce 5. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

80 min

Original length in metres

2 190 meters

Distribution carrier

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