Summary
Slovak double act Milan Lasica and Július Satinský star in this sci-fi comedy directed by Oldřich Lipský and released in 1982. These two proponents of sarcastic and absurd humour had previously recorded success in pictures such as children’s comedy Nekonečná – nevystupovat (No Terminal – Don’t Get Off!, 1978) directed by Radim Cvrček. In Srdečný pozdrav ze zeměkoule (Cordially from Earth), with popular comedy maker Lipský in the director’s chair, Lasica and Satinský play extra-terrestrials visiting Earth with the demanding task of researching civilised life on the planet. They assume human exteriors and select a jumpy Dr Jánský (Jiří Menzel) as their earthly host as they consider him to be a typical specimen of an average earthling. Even though the shy scientist is an employee of the Institute for Liaising with Extra-terrestrial Civilisations, the inquisitive and childish antics of the two visitors very quickly begins to take its toll on his already dented inner peace. Jánský finds himself forced to pay for damage caused by the two at the local grocery, while he is soon at odds with his short-tempered neighbour Vaněrka (Luděk Sobota). The alien pair even endangers the scientist’s presentation at a symposium which they infiltrate in disguise. Following their bizarre experiences with ditch excavators and window cleaners, they even experience earthly sex with merry hitchhikers… This tragicomedy with an environmental message offers a classic comedic confrontation between inquisitive visitors and the customs and morals found on earth (topped off by sarcastic observations on life under real socialism). Given the usually expensive visual tricks associated with the genre of science fiction, director Lipský resorted to animations created by draftsman and visual artist Vladimír Jiránek. They were used in the film whenever the visitors from outer space reported back home. Such an arrangement expanded the space available for comic ideas beyond dialogue and live-action. These found their place in animated segments delivered in the spirit of Jiránek’s short films. The scientific congress is visited by a colleague of Satinský and Lasica – Zdeněk Svěrák – who arrives in the role of omnifarious scientist Jára Cimrman.
Read more
