Bájecná léta pod psa
Encyclopedia
Báječná léta pod psa is a 1997
movie, adapted from the book of the same title by Michal Viewegh
. The film is directed by Petr Nikolaev.
where the heavy impact of the Soviet Union
influences all the happenings in the country. A young mother, played by Libuše Šafránková and a father, played by Ondřej Vetchý, are expecting their first baby. They have already agreed on a name - Quido. The baby is due to be born on on August 5, but because nothing happens as planned, Quido is born earlier, during the performance Waiting for Godot
written by Samuel Beckett
. This might have influenced his life because since that moment he seems to be a genius boy. Of course his intelligence makes him trouble during his teenage years at school and also during his attempts to get a girlfriend. Eventually he manages to pick the right one.
For Quido everything suddenly looks wonderful, when another disaster comes. His father starts to suffer from persecution mania after he has been degraded from his job and asked to come to a police interrogation. He changes completely and thinks that the situation becomes unbearable. That's why he is making himself a coffin. Quido's mother feels desperate and comes with an idea which could save her husband. She wants Quido to have his own baby so that her husband could see the world from a better perspective again.
Eventually the whole situation is saved not only by Quido's child, but mainly by The Velvet Revolution
in 1989.
As a result Quido's father starts to feel much better. The whole atmosphere is then interrupted by the fact that it becomes more and more obvious that the situation hasn't changed that much.
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
movie, adapted from the book of the same title by Michal Viewegh
Michal Viewegh
Michal Viewegh is one of the most popular contemporary Czech writers and the bestselling one. He writes about romantic relationships of his contemporaries with humour, and variously successful irony and attempts at deeper meaningfulness; he is sometimes compared to Nick Hornby by his fans.His...
. The film is directed by Petr Nikolaev.
Plot
It's the beginning of the 1950s in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
where the heavy impact of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
influences all the happenings in the country. A young mother, played by Libuše Šafránková and a father, played by Ondřej Vetchý, are expecting their first baby. They have already agreed on a name - Quido. The baby is due to be born on on August 5, but because nothing happens as planned, Quido is born earlier, during the performance Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
written by Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
. This might have influenced his life because since that moment he seems to be a genius boy. Of course his intelligence makes him trouble during his teenage years at school and also during his attempts to get a girlfriend. Eventually he manages to pick the right one.
For Quido everything suddenly looks wonderful, when another disaster comes. His father starts to suffer from persecution mania after he has been degraded from his job and asked to come to a police interrogation. He changes completely and thinks that the situation becomes unbearable. That's why he is making himself a coffin. Quido's mother feels desperate and comes with an idea which could save her husband. She wants Quido to have his own baby so that her husband could see the world from a better perspective again.
Eventually the whole situation is saved not only by Quido's child, but mainly by The Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989.
As a result Quido's father starts to feel much better. The whole atmosphere is then interrupted by the fact that it becomes more and more obvious that the situation hasn't changed that much.
Cast list
- Libuše ŠafránkováLibuše ŠafránkováLibuše Šafránková is a Czech actress. Her husband is actor Josef Abrhám. In 2008 she received the prize Hvězda mého srdce , awarded by the Czech Television.- Filmography :...
as Quido's mother - Ondřej VetchýOndrej VetchýOndřej Vetchý is a Czech actor. He was born in Jihlava, Czechoslovakia.He is currently employed at The Drama Club in Prague.- Notable performances :* 2005 – Katurian in The Pillowman, DC...
as Quido's father - Jan Zahálka as Quido - young boy
- Jakub Wehrenberg as Quido - young man
- Klára Botková as Jaruška - young girl
- Jitka Ježková as Jaruška - young woman
- Vladimír JavorskýVladimír JavorskýVladimír Javorský is a Czech actor. He appeared in more than forty films between 1986 and 2011.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Šperk - Vilma Cibulková as Šperková
- Miriam KantorkováMiriam KantorkováMiriam Kantorková is a Czech actress. She starred in the 1969/1970 film Witchhammer under director Otakar Vávra.-References:...
as grandmother Věra - Vladimír DlouhýVladimír Dlouhý (actor)Vladimír Dlouhý was a Czech actor, winner of the 2008 Czech Lion for best supporting actor in the film Guard No. 47.He died on 20 June 2010 after long struggle with cancer....
as Zvára - Květa FialováKvěta FialováKvěta Fialová is a Czech actress. She is best known for her performance in Lemonade Joe.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as grandmother Líba - Stanislav Zindulka as grandfather Josef
- Otakar Brousek st. as dědeček Jiří
- Viktor PreissViktor PreissViktor Preiss is a Czech actor. He starred in the film Operace Silver A under director Jiří Strach in 2007.-References:...
as playwright - Jiří Schmitzer as Dr. Liehr
- Alice Bendová as Zita
- Miloň Čepelka as gateman