A screenwriter watches his village drama become a communist musical fever dream.
Mr Jiš managed to give his first script at Barrandov. Already in the preparatory phase, he discovers with horror that the filmmakers have completely bypassed his intention - instead of a probe into the life of a contemporary village, they are preparing a spectacular musical show, which they are convinced will be a hit with the audience. The very first shots speak volumes. An elegiac arrives in the village of Lipovec and is greeted with singing and dancing by all the local officials and ordinary citizens, as this coveted expert is to help them increase their hectare yields with his progressive methods. The filming continues in a similar vein, and the newly minted screenwriter can't help but wonder...
Writing
Self-aware script about scripts being ruined.
Direction
Podskalský leans into the absurdity gleefully.
Acting
Smoljak's director character is painfully relatable.
Director
Zdeněk Podskalský
Hana Zagorová
Eliska, Teacher
Josef Abrhám
pyrotechnik Jaroslav Ticháček
Juraj Kukura
Lenský
Waldemar Matuška
Kalina, Ranger
Ladislava Kozderková
pošťačka Zuzka
Ladislav Smoljak
Kohoutek, Director
Zdeněk Svěrák
scénárista Jíša
Petr Čepek
Šus, Producer
Jiřina Jirásková
skriptka
Bedřich Prokoš
dramaturg
Radka Fidlerová
Dagmar Patrasová
klapka
Ludmila Roubíková
Lukešová
Zdeněk Řehoř
Lukeš
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Barrandov Studios was the crown jewel of Czechoslovak cinema, making this insider critique even sharper.
Ladislav Smoljak was already famous for Jára Cimrman plays; casting him as the director was meta-perfection.
XC
