Cheap Labour

Jaromír Borek, 1983

Film at Filmový přehled

Summary

Jaromír Bork’s filmography was enriched by this 1983 psychological drama about an apprentice bricklayer, based on a screenplay from Ivo Pelant. Pelant had previously scripted a family drama centred on a children’s yachting group for Bork, namely Muž přes palubu (Man overboard!, 1980). The screenwriter also collaborated (together with Radek John) in the making of Karel Smyczek’s films Jen si tak trochu písknout (Just to Whistle a Bit, 1980), Jako zajíci (Like Rabbits, 1981) and Sněženky a machři (Snowdrops and Daredevils, 1982), all refreshing contributions to the theme of adolescence in genre films. Despite its optimistic ending Kluk za dvě pětky (Kluk za dvě pětky, 1983) reflects the unromantic fate of a 17-year old youth striving in vain to overcome his social disadvantages for the sake of his love for Eliška (Dana Vávrová), born into a socially elevated family. Even though the debut of the then 17-year old Jiří Langmajer lacks the sense of authenticity frequently found in films directed by Smyczek, Bork’s story of Eda Mařák still provides an unusual “social” insight into the reality of Czechoslovakia in the 1980s.
Read more

Film data

About a film

Production year 1983
Countries Czechoslovakia
Categories film
Genres comedy
Form feature
Duration 86 min
Director Jaromír Borek
Cast Jiří Langmajer, Dana Vávrová, František Laurin, Helena Malehová, Oldřich Vinklát, Jana Vychodilová
Director of photography Jiří Šámal
Screenplay Ivo Pelant
Editor Ivana Kačírková
Production designer Jindřich Goetz
Artist Jiří Petráček
Music Ivan Kašlík
Sound designer Jiří Hora