Dark Blue World
Encyclopedia
Dark Blue World is a 2001 film by Czech
director Jan Svěrák
about Czechoslovak pilots who fought for the British Royal Air Force
during World War II. The screenplay
was written by Zdeněk Svěrák
, the father of the director.
The film stars Ondřej Vetchý
as František (Franta) Sláma, Kryštof Hádek
as Karel Vojtíšek and Tara FitzGerald
as Susan. There is also an appearance from Charles Dance
and Anna Massey
.
for colluding with the capitalists
. Most of these scenes are the interactions between Franta Sláma, and his fellow inmates in the prison hospital (an ex-SS doctor and a convicted burglar). The film switches back between the war and the prison.
The first scene in the film is in the workshop
of the prison. Sláma is at a sewing machine
when he collapses and is taken to the hospital.
The film proper begins in 1939, just days prior to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia
. After the invasion, the Czechoslovakian military is disbanded and the Czechoslovaks have to give up their aircraft. However, Franta and the younger Karel, among others, refuse to submit to their occupiers, and flee to the United Kingdom to join the RAF.
Once they arrive, the British force the Czechoslovaks to retrain from the basics, which infuriates them, especially Karel, who is both impatient to fight the Germans and humiliated to be retaught what he already knows. Karel also sees the compulsory English language lessons as a pointless waste of his time.
The RAF is in such a bad need of pilots during the Battle of Britain
that eventually the Czech and Slovak airmen are allowed to fly, and after their first sortie
they realise why the British were training them so intensely: a young Czechoslovak nicknamed Tom Tom is shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf-109.
In a different mission while attempting to shoot down a He-111 the rear gunner hits Karel's Spitfire. However he manages to bail out and find his way to a farm. At this farm he meets Susan, whom he falls in love with (though the feeling is not mutual; Susan thinks Karel is far too young). The next day, after returning to the aerodrome
, Karel brings Franta to meet Susan. The latter begins to get on well with Susan, though Karel believes that he is still Susan's boyfriend.
A sort of love triangle
develops, though it takes Karel quite some time to realise that Susan has feelings for his commander, and it is not until late in the film when he realises that they are in a relationship with each other.
Following a mission to France where the squadron
attacks a train, Karel is shot down and Franta lands to rescue him, a move that shows that the two's friendship endures. But soon after the mission, Karel learns about the relationship between Franta and Susan, which leads to a quarrel.
A few missions later while escorting American bombers, Franta's airplane has a malfunction and is forced to ditch
into the ocean. His inflatable life raft bursts as he tries to inflate it and Karel decides to help him by dropping his own raft. While attempting to eject the raft, Karel accidentally hits the ocean surface and kills himself. (Miraculously, the raft emerges from the water, so Franta will survive until he is rescued.)
Afterwards, when the war was over, Franta makes the drive to the home of Susan only to find her with her injured husband who had returned from fighting overseas. It is very clear to him that he has no future with Susan now that her husband has returned. However, he protects Susan's relationship with her husband by pretending to have lost his way and needing to ask directions to the next town. Disappointed by what has happened, Franta returns to Czechoslovakia and finds his old girlfriend has married the neighbourhood jobsworth
, has given birth to a child, and has taken over Barcha, his dog. These various discoveries come as bitter disappointments to Franta, though all he can do is face the situation as stoically as he can, since there is absolutely nothing he can do to change it. The movie ends with Franta still in prison, daydreaming that he and Karel are talking while flying their Spitfire
s.
. Dogfight footage from the 1969 film Battle of Britain
was seamlessly integrated with contemporary film footage using computer imagery and mastering to create the aerial sequences. Brief shots from the 1990 film Memphis Belle
were also used. The film's director Jan Svěrák
, played a number of roles, including practically all the crew members of an allied B-25 Mitchell
bomber in the escort of a damaged bomber scene.
on December 28, 2001 and has grossed $258,771.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
director Jan Svěrák
Jan Sverák
Jan Svěrák is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
about Czechoslovak pilots who fought for the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was written by Zdeněk Svěrák
Zdenek Sverák
Zdeněk Svěrák is a Czech actor, humorist and scriptwriter. He is one of the most popular Czech cultural personalities. In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival....
, the father of the director.
The film stars Ondřej Vetchý
Ondrej Vetchý
Ondřej 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 František (Franta) Sláma, Kryštof Hádek
Kryštof Hádek
Kryštof Hádek is a Czech actor.A talented young actor was surrounded by art since his childhood, when, as well as his two brothers attended the music classes in the People's School of Art...
as Karel Vojtíšek and Tara FitzGerald
Tara Fitzgerald
Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage....
as Susan. There is also an appearance from Charles Dance
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
and Anna Massey
Anna Massey
Anna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
.
Plot
About one third of the film takes place in 1950, after the war, when the returning Czechoslovak pilots were imprisoned by the new communist governmentCommunist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
for colluding with the capitalists
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. Most of these scenes are the interactions between Franta Sláma, and his fellow inmates in the prison hospital (an ex-SS doctor and a convicted burglar). The film switches back between the war and the prison.
The first scene in the film is in the workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
of the prison. Sláma is at a sewing machine
Sewing machine
A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...
when he collapses and is taken to the hospital.
The film proper begins in 1939, just days prior to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
. After the invasion, the Czechoslovakian military is disbanded and the Czechoslovaks have to give up their aircraft. However, Franta and the younger Karel, among others, refuse to submit to their occupiers, and flee to the United Kingdom to join the RAF.
Once they arrive, the British force the Czechoslovaks to retrain from the basics, which infuriates them, especially Karel, who is both impatient to fight the Germans and humiliated to be retaught what he already knows. Karel also sees the compulsory English language lessons as a pointless waste of his time.
The RAF is in such a bad need of pilots during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
that eventually the Czech and Slovak airmen are allowed to fly, and after their first sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
they realise why the British were training them so intensely: a young Czechoslovak nicknamed Tom Tom is shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf-109.
In a different mission while attempting to shoot down a He-111 the rear gunner hits Karel's Spitfire. However he manages to bail out and find his way to a farm. At this farm he meets Susan, whom he falls in love with (though the feeling is not mutual; Susan thinks Karel is far too young). The next day, after returning to the aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
, Karel brings Franta to meet Susan. The latter begins to get on well with Susan, though Karel believes that he is still Susan's boyfriend.
A sort of love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
develops, though it takes Karel quite some time to realise that Susan has feelings for his commander, and it is not until late in the film when he realises that they are in a relationship with each other.
Following a mission to France where the squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
attacks a train, Karel is shot down and Franta lands to rescue him, a move that shows that the two's friendship endures. But soon after the mission, Karel learns about the relationship between Franta and Susan, which leads to a quarrel.
A few missions later while escorting American bombers, Franta's airplane has a malfunction and is forced to ditch
Ejection
Ejection may refer to the following:* Ejection seat, safety device typically used to escape an aircraft in-flight.* Ejection , the act of officially removing someone from a game....
into the ocean. His inflatable life raft bursts as he tries to inflate it and Karel decides to help him by dropping his own raft. While attempting to eject the raft, Karel accidentally hits the ocean surface and kills himself. (Miraculously, the raft emerges from the water, so Franta will survive until he is rescued.)
Afterwards, when the war was over, Franta makes the drive to the home of Susan only to find her with her injured husband who had returned from fighting overseas. It is very clear to him that he has no future with Susan now that her husband has returned. However, he protects Susan's relationship with her husband by pretending to have lost his way and needing to ask directions to the next town. Disappointed by what has happened, Franta returns to Czechoslovakia and finds his old girlfriend has married the neighbourhood jobsworth
Jobsworth
A jobsworth is a person who uses their job description in a deliberately uncooperative way, or who seemingly delights in acting in an obstructive or unhelpful manner....
, has given birth to a child, and has taken over Barcha, his dog. These various discoveries come as bitter disappointments to Franta, though all he can do is face the situation as stoically as he can, since there is absolutely nothing he can do to change it. The movie ends with Franta still in prison, daydreaming that he and Karel are talking while flying their Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ondřej Vetchý Ondrej Vetchý Ondřej 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... |
František Sláma |
| Kryštof Hádek Kryštof Hádek Kryštof Hádek is a Czech actor.A talented young actor was surrounded by art since his childhood, when, as well as his two brothers attended the music classes in the People's School of Art... |
Karel Vojtíšek |
| Tara FitzGerald Tara Fitzgerald Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage.... |
Susan |
| Charles Dance Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,... |
Wing Cmdr. Bentley |
| Oldřich Kaiser Oldřich Kaiser Oldřich Kaiser is a Czech comedy actor, in film and on stage. Together with Jiří Lábus, he performed as a comedy duo "Kaiser a Lábus", which, in particular, took part in the TV comedy shows Ruská ruleta , Možná přijde i kouzelník , etc.Since 1980 to 2005 he was... |
Machatý |
| David Novotný | Bedřich Mrtvý |
| Linda Rybová | Hanička |
| Jaromír Dulava | Kaňka |
| Lukáš Kantor | Tom Tom |
| Radim Fiala | Sysel |
| Juraj Bernáth | Gregora |
| Miroslav Táborský Miroslav Táborský Miroslav Táborský is a Czech actor who has appeared on Czech television series, as well as in American movies.... |
Houf |
| Hans-Jörg Assmann | Dr. Blaschke |
| Thure Riefenstein Thure Riefenstein Thure Riefenstein is an actor with a German-Serbian background and was born in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, as the youngest of two children.-Biography:... |
Oberleutnant Hesse |
| Anna Massey Anna Massey Anna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:... |
English Teacher |
Production
The most expensive Czech movie produced, the budget totalled €8 million. The train attack is the most expensive scene in Czech cinema history, costing more than the entire film KolyaKolya
Kolya is a 1996 Czech film drama about a man whose life is reshaped in an unexpected way. The film was directed by Jan Svěrák and stars his father Zdeněk Svěrák who also wrote the script from a story by Pavel Taussig.- Synopsis :...
. Dogfight footage from the 1969 film Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
was seamlessly integrated with contemporary film footage using computer imagery and mastering to create the aerial sequences. Brief shots from the 1990 film Memphis Belle
Memphis Belle (film)
Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, starring Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz and introducing Harry Connick Jr. in his screen debut...
were also used. The film's director Jan Svěrák
Jan Sverák
Jan Svěrák is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
, played a number of roles, including practically all the crew members of an allied B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bomber in the escort of a damaged bomber scene.
Box office
The film was released in AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 28, 2001 and has grossed $258,771.