Ctibor Novotný

Smoke on the Potato Fields

In this character study by Czech director Frantisek Vlacil, a stout middle-aged physician whose marriage has come apart establishes a practice in a small town. Gradually he's drawn into the lives of his patients—a childless couple, a pregnant girl with a stern mother, the son of a duck farmer—and each relationship reveals a bit more about him and the idyllic but insular community.

Night of Orange Fires

Petr Rynes (Svatopluk Matyás) is celebrating his forty-fifth birthday in the company of his friends. He is happy with his wife, and his abilities at work have been rewarded with the medal For Outstanding Work. But a few short seconds are enough to change his life when he makes the ill-judged decision to take his car to bring a friend's wife to the celebration, and hits a pedestrian on the way. He has of course been drinking at the party and is consequently sentenced to sixteen months in prison. Being in jail is not an easy thing for a honorable communist. He soon gets into conflict with several violent inmates, who think they can break his spirit by violence.

Young Bohácek's Sufferings

Tóna Bohácek (Pavel Landovský) has been a great worry to his mother, Mrs Bohácková (Stella Zázvorková). All his friends equal in age are already married and some of them even have children - only Tóna still has nothing. Mother Bohácková thus publishes an ad in the Lonely Hearts column on behalf of her son. From among the girls who responded, she picks out Janicka, a girl from the neighboring village, and then forces Tóna to go to have a look at her and bring her home. The date of the two young people, however, does not turn out well due to the embarrassment on both sides, and Tóna returns home drowning in the feeling of ridiculousness. On the way, he picks up hitchhiker Kveta (Regina Rázlová) from Prague. Only then, he realizes that the mother with her festive dinner is waiting for him and Janicka at home and thus asks Kveta to substitute for the girl from the ad.

Prague Nights

A stuffy middle-aged foreigner, a businessman named Fabricius, lonely and looking for a night's diversion, finds it in the form of a mysterious blonde. In an abandoned cemetery, she tells him three tales involving black magic and erotic obsession. In "The Last Golem," a young rabbi struggles to fashion a massive, silent giant out of living clay — until he's distracted by a mute servant girl. In the second episode, "Bread Slippers," an 18th-century countess indulges her passion for sweet cakes, adulterous affairs, and secret kisses with pretty maids until a mysterious visitor whisks her away to an abandoned mansion, where Fate has a different kind of dance in store for her. And in the final story, "Poisoned Poisoner," a ravishing murderess in the Middle Ages dispatches lecherous merchants to the tune of upbeat '60s Czech pop songs.

The Best Woman in My Life

Ordinary man making his dirty actions in the small town and his coming to the right side.

People From Caravans

Story about the people around the circus and the unfortunate love of a young man an acrobat. Before the dispute escalates so much that, according to the old clown, Vincek ends up with a noose on his back and Lotyš in a bass, fate intervenes and the young acrobat is called up to the war, where he serves with the dragoons. After serving his time and being released into civilian life, he sets out to find the National with his beloved Nina. However, she has not been with the circus for almost a whole year. Her parents took her away and Vincek, to the chagrin of his friends and the principal, decides to go looking for her. After a long journey, he finds his beloved in the Russian Kuznecki circus, but she has changed a lot during the years of separation. A simple girl in love has turned into a calculating, ambitious woman who desires money above all. But Vincek doesn't have you.

Fotbal

In 1965, the experienced director Jaroslav Mach made a documentary film with staged scenes, which dealt with the current problems of popular Czech sport. Behind the scenes of football, the playmakers looked through slavoje's team, which is preparing for the decisive match. If Coach Ram doesn't force his boys to perform convincingly, they're in danger of relegation to league two. After a series of dramatic peripeteias, Slavoj takes the field so weakened that he is caught up in the dreaded failure. Fortunately, the club's fans will eventually take their anger out on the loss of "their" team to an innocent referee. The film also features criticism of officials... In addition to actors Martin Růžek and Bohumil Šmída, Machov's film appeared real footballers Dukla and period sports stars (e.g. František Plánička).