C. F. C. Spirit

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production year

1990

Premiere

5 June 1991

Runtime

92 min

Category

film

Genre

fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Freonový duch

Czech title

Freonový duch

English title

C. F. C. Spirit

Summary

Zdeněk Zelenka is mainly perceived as a successful television director, but in 1990 he added the modern fairytale motion picture Freonový duch to his repertoire. The plot, co-written by Miloš Fedaš, takes a softly-softly approach to appraising ecological themes. The ghosts in the title can only exist thanks to the ozone hole and sprays, which keep them alive. As part of their anti-allergy treatment, Marek and Žaneta, along with other sick children, sleep in a cave that is crawling with ghosts. They manage to win the battle to escape the three sneaky Freon ghosts thanks to a kind element – former Austro-Hungarian station-master Leopold Lorenc (Vlastimil Brodsky). He owns Matylda, an enchanted locomotive that takes the kids back to the healthy world of his childhood. Songs by Jiří Šlitr and Jiří F. Svoboda lend even more fun and true loveliness to the aptly mysterious fairytale atmosphere.

Synopsis

Marek and Žaneta suffer from several allergies and they are prescribed treatment in a sanatorium where they stay with other children. Part of the treatment is sleeping in the nearby caves, one of the last places with fresh air. The air elsewhere is polluted by freons and exhaust. The very first night, Marek and Žaneta are woken up by a speaking orange light. It shows them a place in the caves where spirits store their sprays which they steal by entire truckloads. CFC is actually their food. The next morning, the sanatorium is out of running water, the electricity and heating are off, and tiles are peeling off the walls. Žaneta senses that the catastrophe was caused by the CFC spirits. The psychologist Dindělová does not believe the girl's night experience. The two children meet a pleasant old man clad in an Austrian-Hungarian train-dispatcher's uniform who reportedly sold his last ticket in 1905. His name is Lorenc and he shows the children how he turns into the orange light. He also secretly introduces them to the evil spirits District Administrator, Chief Councillor and Mayor whose light is blue. Alive, they were Lorenc's contemporaries and big cheaters. Lorenc constantly wants to perform good deeds. He gives Žaneta a bouquet of a rare flower which was made extinct by acid rain years ago. He takes the two children to the time of his childhood on a train pulled by the locomotive Matylda. The kids fight the evil spirits with Lorenc's help. They destroy their CFC reserves and trap them in the remaining containers. Lorenc again invites the children - this time along with the director of the sanatorium - to the village of Květonice where the air full of oxygen destroys the spirits completely. Lorenc redeemed himself by the good deed and he can finally rest in peace. He promises the children to return as soon as the meadows are full of flowers and the forests are healthy.

Note

Actor Jozef Kroner who was originally cast as Leopold Lorenc had to turn down the filming for health reasons.

Cast

Radek Hoppe

Marek Severin

Kateřina Pokorná

Žaneta Vojířová

Vlastimil Brodský

výpravčí Leopold Lorenc

František Řehák

ředitel Jelínek

Gabriela Wilhelmová

učitelka Trapková

Jitka Asterová

psycholožka Dindělová

Stanislav Tříska

Voice by Bohuslav Kalva
duch Starosta

Jan Toušek

Voice by Jiří Havel
duch Hejtman

Hynek Kubasta

Voice by Igor Smržík
duch Radní

Naďa Novotná

Žofka

Jarmila Renčová

uklízečka

Martin Krejčí

Hugo

Eliška Šulcová

Zuzana

Marcela Ondráčková

Eva

Eva Střihavková

Majdalenka

Tomáš Jilík

Patrik

Jiří Hybler

Kája

Tomáš Portlík

Jirka

Miroslav Kučera

on sám, moderátor televizní kriminální ústředny

Richard Honzovič

televizní hlasatel

Jiří Zobač

vašnosta

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Stanislava Hutková

Assistant Director

Otakar Cholasta

Continuity

Hana Daňková

Shooting Script

Zdeněk Zelenka

Dramaturg

Jan Gogola

Director of Photography

Jiří Kolín

Second Unit Photography

Vladimír Kolář

Camera Operator

Dalibor Michalčík, Miroslav Makarov

Production Designer

Luděk Kouřil

Assistent Production Designer

Jiří Malota

Set Designer

Vladislav Adam, Bohuslav Peloušek, Josef Šťovíček

Film Editor

Jiří Krška

Sound Designer

Josef Javořík, Jitka Zvirocká (zvukové efekty)

Assistant Sound Designer

Zdeněk Bobek

Titles Designed by

Jiří Štamfest

Production Manager

Vojtěch Kunčík

Unit Production Manager

Věra Kopecká, Dušan Schaffer, Alena Pekařová

Consultant

Rostislav Morávek, Zdeněk Vaculka

Cooperation

Lenka Jandejsková (klapka), Otto Kamenský (fotograf), Jaroslav Schreder, Karel Süssmilch, Petr Mach (2)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří F. Svoboda

Selected Music

Georges Bizet (Carmen /Toreadore smělý/)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Bambini di Praga (Music Conducted by Blanka Kulínská)

Songs

Sádlo na chleba

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Kateřina PokornáRadek Hoppe

Láska se nevyhne králi

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Vlastimil BrodskýRadek HoppeKateřina Pokornásbor Bambini di Praga

Okem ostřížím vyhlížím

Song Composer Jiří F. Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jan Krůta
Singer Vlastimil Brodský

Máme rádi zvířata

Song Composer Jiří Šlitr
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Suchý
Singer Radek HoppeKateřina Pokorná

Krásný vzhled je na ten boží svět

Song Composer Mirko Hanák
Writer of Lyrics Václav Poláček
Singer sbor Bambini di Praga

Když se radost ze života ztratí

Song Composer Jiří F. Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jan Krůta
Singer Vlastimil Brodský

Ať se nikdo nediví

Song Composer Jiří F. Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jan Krůta
Singer Radek HoppeRoberta ZelníčkováMichala WolfováJulie VálkováLinda VágnerováBarbora ŠrotováLenka ŠvarcováLucie Šimková (2)Kryštof SedlákLucie PultrováLenka PávkováHana PešautováMagda HornováPetra ChudomelkováBlanka IllínováPavlína JankůJana JičínskáHana KnappováKateřina KunstováDita KošťálováJarmila FarkasováMichaela GlagoličováKateřina HabartováLucie HavránkováSoňa HauptvogelováMarkéta CukrováVěra ČernáGabriela KoppenováLada Sukupová

Production info

Original Title

Freonový duch

Czech Title

Freonový duch

English Title

C. F. C. Spirit

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production Year

1990

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 14 September 1989
technical Screenplay approved 30 September 1989
start of filming 1 October 1989
end of filming 26 October 1989
projection approval 29 October 1989

Premiere

premiere 5 June 1991 /suitable for youths/

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

92 min

Distribution carrier

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

Exhibition: 23. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov

1991
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Radek Hoppe