Tau

The taciturn but nattily attired Pan Tau (“Mr Tau”) was a hugely popular 1970s children’s television character who possessed a magical bowler hat and typically communicated through pantomime. He was last discovered appearing – this time in a family fantasy film on the silver screen – in 1988. For this motion picture, the creators of Pan Tau, screenwriter Ota Hofman and director Jindřich Polák, turn to Rudolf Karásek. He portrays a forgotten actor who has become a depressed, ageing professional, drowning his anxiety in alcohol and leading a dismal family life. When Karásek tries to make a comeback, he realises that he cannot cope with his old role as Pan Tau. The filmmakers thus cast a certain Mr. Novák – an amateur actor who is indistinguishable from the veteran actor – in all the physically demanding scenes. Karásek starts to envy the double and, as he longs to match him, he starts to change. He regains his old confidence and returns to “serious” dramatic work. Mr. Novák mysteriously disappears, and the question lingers – just who was he?… Hofman and Polák had already utilised the “actor’s double” motif in several Pan Tau stories. However, the theme as used in this final tale of the man with the spellbinding bowler hat bears obvious marks of nostalgia. Distinct from the original comedy style, the feature aspires to appeal to the old fans, rather than to a new audience. Otto Šimánek, who became internationally known playing Pan Tau in the original TV series, again takes the leading role in this Czech-German co-production. Despite the fairytale ending, neither Novák nor Karásek truly embody the original, “trueborn” Pan Tau. But the film offers a comeback for Šimánek himself, an actor whom Polák frequently cast in roles both big and small during the 1980s. The feature’s nostalgic and commemorative atmosphere is reinforced by the casting of former child actor Dana Vávrová as the overworked assistant director Alena. The part of actress Barborka is played by Žaneta Fuchsová, who starred in Polák’s tales about the mischievous girl Lucie.