''Cutting It Short'' (also released as ''Shortcuts'') ( cs, Postřižiny) is a

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these f ...

. It is based on the novel ''Postřižiny'' by Czech writer

Bohumil Hrabal Bohumil Hrabal (; 28 March 1914 – 3 February 1997) was a Czech writer, often named among the best Czech writers of the 20th century. Early life Hrabal was born in Židenice (suburb of Brno) on 28 March 1914, in what was then the province ...

. The story is set in a brewery in a Czech small town. The film is an evocation of the childhood memories of

in his provincial town of

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

, dominated by the local brewery. The main actors of the film, uncle Pepin and Maryška, are based on real family members of Hrabal: Maryška on his mother and uncle Pepin on his real uncle, who came to stay two weeks in the town but remained for forty years. His spontaneous stories influenced a lot of Hrabal's literary work. The film was entered into the main competition at the 38th edition of the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

.Adriano Aprà, Giuseppe Ghigi, Patrizia Pistagnesi. ''Cinquant'anni di cinema a Venezia''. La Biennale di Venezia, 1982. . According to the film critic and historian Peter Hames, ''Cutting It Short'', which frequently quotes or refers to silent comedy, is one of the best post- Tati comedies. Theodor Pištěk designed the costumes for the film.

Cast

* Magda Vášáryová as Maryška *

Jiří Schmitzer Jiří Schmitzer (born 25 October 1949) is a Czech actor and musician, the son of actor Jiří Sovák. He is a four-time holder of the Czech Lion Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Biography Career Schmitzer graduated from the Theatre Fac ...

as Francin *

Jaromír Hanzlík Jaromír Hanzlík (born 16 February 1948) is a Czech actor. Selected filmography Film * '' Coach to Vienna'' (1966) * '' Romance for Bugle'' (1967) * '' Maratón'' (1968) * '' Slasti Otce vlasti'' (1969) * '' The Joke'' (1969) * '' A Night at ...

as Pepin * Rudolf Hrušínský (II) as Dr. Gruntorád * Petr Čepek as Mr. de Giorgi (board member) * Oldřich Vlach as Ruzicka * František Řehák as Mr. Vejvoda * Miloslav Štibich as Mr. Bernádek * Alois Liškutín as Sefl * Pavel Vondruška as Mr. Lustig * Rudolf Hrušínský (III) as stable boy * Miroslav Donutil as scrub * Oldřich Vízner as Boda Cervinka

References

External links

* 1980 films 1980 comedy films Czechoslovak comedy films 1980s Czech-language films Films based on works by Bohumil Hrabal Films directed by Jiří Menzel Czech comedy films 1981 comedy films 1981 films 1980s Czech films {{1980s-comedy-film-stub