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ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN

Story and Screenplay

Starring

Music

Performed by Conducted by

Art Director Film Editor/Sound

Costume Design

Make-up Set Design

Production

Director of Photography

Directed by

THERE COMES A DECISIVE MOMENT IN EVERY MAN'S LIFE.

MAY 1945

Billions of years ago

Our beautiful world was born...

A dark and dead place,

No place to call home...

Whirling waters gave it life

Cell produced cell,

then created flowers, fruit and primitive life

Then came man, evolved from apes

Man, the greatest creation and master of all nature...

And what happened next? What happened next?

And what happened next?

Man set off to into history,

Proudly marching on

He encountered war, which brought him pain

And he said: “Enough is enough!”

He said: “Enough!” He said: “Enough!”

And what happened next? What happened next?

Red armies from the east came to set us free,

Thank you for freedom and peace! Forever grateful we will be.

In the name of Beneš, In the name of Stalin...

Onward marches man! Forward! Forward!

Praise the Lord.

All thanks and praise to the Lord.

Oh Holy Mother

Let us zealously sing

And worship the Princes of Heaven...

Let us start from the beginning.

These two rascals are the sons of the butcher Machač.

One night, after celebrating the sale of a cow

he drove his motorbike into a hay wagon.

Since then, his wife's been called 'the Merry Widow'.

No one in our village is known by their real name.

There are so many Machač's, Jiříček's and Palata's.

Everyone has a nickname so people can tell each other apart.

This one's called Lithpy, because he lisps,

can't pronounce 's', and makes this sound when he talks: 'vff'.

Thief! Bring it back!

Just you wait!

It's got to be something bigger, a stag or a man.

František is a farmer.

The war raged through his field.

He has to plough it all over again.

He loves ploughing and does it well.

Franta Lampa is a tailor.

He's called 'Lamp' because of his passion for lamps,

lanterns, torches, lights...

You aim at his head. I'll aim at his arse, it's smaller.

Give it to me! I'll get you!

Come here, you rascals!

Brats! Bastards!

Halt! Scared you there, didn't I?

It's me, Lithpy!

Elegant, or what?

- Are you hungry? - What have you got?

A cake.

They scared the pants off me!

Here's a souvenir.

I'll take care of this.

In those days, there were seven friends:

Jožka, Lampa,

František,

Joza Trňa, a bricklayer,

Janek Fafka, a small farmer,

Očenáš...

and Bertin, a newcomer, to this small village from Prague.

They say that behind every Czech stands a devil with a sack.

Up you get.

Get ready!

- What's going on here? - None of your business.

- Those brats of yours will end up on the gallows! - Give it a rest.

Take cover!

It'll make a pretty big hole!

- My mouth's full of sand. - I can't hear a thing.

How can you hear with that cap covering your ears?

That was some bang!

Are you hurt Franta?

I'm not hurt, guys. I just shat myself.

Zášinek, the second richest farmer after Kurfiřt.

A widower. His Jewish wife was taken away by the Germans.

He prefers music to his fields.

They say he is descended from a gypsy baron

who travelled through here, and played the fiddle beautifully.

He fell in love here and maybe left something else behind.

In our valley lies a bridge

I know its every beam

A robin sang to me yesterday

Telling me to take care as I cross

A friend walked with me

And we stood there together

While we waited for the pub to open

We gaze across the water

Let's go, boys

When music was heard in the hall

We were stood by the river

Everyone likes to have

A pint of beer with a good, frothy head

It's even better to drink together

We can sing around the table

The clarinet and the accordion

Play on till morning

When music was heard in the hall

We were stood by the river

Everyone likes to have

A pint of beer with a good, frothy head

It's even better to drink together

We can sing around the table

The clarinet and the accordion

Play on till morning

I'll put a few dandelions round your neck, you old bull.

You'll look like a Hawaiian cow.

Just like a real one.

We'll make a lovely beast out of you.

There are some things you only need two people for.

EARLY SPRING 1948

The action committee will decide

who will be excluded from public life.

Politics will cease to be mud-slinging and will become a matter of honour.

Gather your wits about you.

There is evidence that reactionary forces,

once defeated, are again beginning to rear their ugly heads.

It is permitted to sell to or obtain from a person

a maximum of 1kg honey.

If a greater quantity of honey is transported,

it must be accompanied by a written permit.

When we overcome the consequences

of last year's poor harvest,

our factories will again supply the market with consumer goods.

Standards of living will improve again.

For the Czech Crown is one of the most stable currencies in Europe.

That wild, restless Bertin became Secretary of the Action Committee.

- Hello, Mr Mr Vigoň. - What is it?

A letter. Sign here.

I hear you're about to get your teeth bashed in.

- What? - A good beating.

Why?

- Because you've joined them. - Just sign this, Mr Vigoň.

The organist Očenáš became chairman of the local Communist Party.

The farmer Zejvala became the chairman of the cooperative farm.

The foreman Máčala became the local council secretary.

They've taken the reins, with all the ensuing consequences.

The world was thus divided into two.

Who are they after this time, I wonder?

When the tide turns, they'll get the axe.

Axe? You wouldn't even be able to lift it!

Good morning.

Kurfiřt, the richest farmer in the area, has to leave his farm.

They took everything. It came like a flood.

His farm would be turned into a cooperative.

If my farm was just a bit bigger than yours,

it'd be me, not you.

And don't make a mess of it like you have with your own home.

We'll manage without your advice.

Don't call me when the place gets infested with rats!

We'll show you what we're made of!

Giddy up, girls!

This is going to be quite a ride!

You could build a whole cottage with wood like that!

Let's go and see if there are any bottles left in the cellar.

- There's nothing there. - We'll find something.

I don't sell meat, I sell paper.

The butcher is called Rabona

because of his strange personal and physical characteristics.

With one blow of his fist,

he can kill a calf, or a man at the village dance!

This will be the salon.

Here you can work with the seamstresses.

This is the toilet.

At home we have to cross the yard or go straight to the manure pile.

I must try this.

Just try it.

We know that Romanians swing about in trees.

The roof will hold for another hundred years.

It's the roof that matters.

It's clean everywhere, no mice. I hope you'll be happy with it.

Let there be light. Spring, summer, autumn, winter.

This'll be like hell now.

- And get some lanterns. - No way, this isn't a cabaret.

A room full of lanterns.

It won't do you any good, making friends with the organist.

Why?

You might be sorry when things change.

He's going to hang, anyway.

The future of our trades is at stake...

- Cake! - ...all for the state!

Don't think that by scuttling over to their side,

they'll leave your house alone. They'll take it anyway.

- Why would they take it if it's ours?! - I wouldn't worry about that.

- We just came to warn you. - And the same goes for you, Lithpy.

I'm not worried, I come from a prestigious family.

And I've got it up here.

Soviets plus electrification equals Communism.

Who the hell is it this time?

Welcome!

Go and get some glasses.

- Have you come for a game of cards? - Maybe.

Cut the deck.

Your father was a worker, wasn't he?

No, a shoemaker.

Why? I suppose you're going to ask if he was a Jew?

But after Baťa started up, he went out of business, didn't he?

He just did whatever there was.

So he was actually a worker, wasn't he?

He worked for a farmer as a lumberjack. He was out of work at some point too.

- Were you poor? - Yeah, we were.

So you've got the right background.

You should also know what your place is.

- Do you know what we're about to do? - What do I know?

Do you know what you are? You're an exploiter.

You've got two apprentices. You're also exploiting your wife.

We could make things really difficult for you.

Why?

We could give you a really hard time.

Why pick on me? Aren't there others?

Of course there are.

If you sign...

...we'll put you in charge of the cooperative.

If not, I don't really know where I could put you.

As a businessman yourself, you should set an example.

I'm the only photographer around here.

Anyway, I don't intend to do it.

So you're going into politics?

What's wrong with that?

If I sign, will you let me keep the house I bought with my own hard-earned money?

Not exactly hard-earned. It was black market stuff.

And the fabrics the Jews gave you before the Germans took them?

The salon's finished.

You'll look after the house, we'll split up the flats

and give them to needy families.

We'll be really tough.

If anyone opposes us, they'll get it in the neck!

JUNE 1949

The innkeeper Božka is a merry woman from Haná.

When she gets going, no one can keep up with her...

and not only on the dance floor!

Stop. Today is the harvest. I need to be fit.

When his wife perished in Auschwitz,

Andila became Zášinek's housekeeper. She loves him.

She thinks about him when he gets into mischief in pubs.

She waits each night in her room, hoping that one day... he might turn up.

The best reapers:

Kobza, former submarine sailor.

Náca the liar.

Arnošt, who reads a book first and then binds it.

Kejvala the fool.

Lanky.

And this is Niguš, the oldest.

No rum, no work done.

Stop fidgeting.

Remember all the mischief we got into in May that year?

Do you remember how we detonated that mine?

And how you...?

I wasn't the first and I won't be the last.

I bet you won't be!

- What did you say? - Nothing.

A uniformed man seeks out Očenáš, the organist.

He tells him to go to the quarry to find a secret transmitter.

There's one thing he doesn't tell him: when he gets to that place,

he'll be felled like a stag.

Juchta and Rabona gave this their blessing.

Come here.

You're pushing yourself too hard!

People hate you and still you carry on.

They avoid you, you keep pushing them...

...and you don't even know why.

You're forcing them into something they don't want.

One day they'll see we meant well and we wanted the best for them.

And if not for them, then for their children.

Their children will want something else.

They're hot.

But good!

Morning everyone. It's raining.

Have some, they're good.

Máčala set the people against him again. I tried to pacify the women.

It was no good. You should go there. They might listen to you.

I've got something important to do now.

Or perhaps you could go instead?

Who changed their fate?

Who shuffled their cards and cast their dice?

Who?

What's the difference between a stag and a man?

It's so easy to take aim and kill.

The sun was shining

Over our little garden

The boys were looking forward, hey

To my Marianko waltz, oh my dear

The boys were looking forward, hey

To my Marianko waltz, oh my dear

When Rabona talked, they came for Juchta as well.

The search for the murderer was fruitless.

WHEN THE WIND CHANGES, YOU'LL HANG!

Let's leave before they kill you.

What's this supposed to be?

Let the priest go, he's innocent!

You can't tell us who's guilty and who isn't! We'll wait and see!

He's innocent and if you don't let him go,

we'll come back again.

The locals and people from other villages.

- God be with you. - Welcome.

We'll never have another organist like you.

What can I do if you don't want me here?

I defended you before the church council.

They're all convinced you had the priest put away.

I might not have liked his sermons, but it wasn't me.

Why should people go to prison for preaching?

Thank you.

I believe you.

We're both caught, ground like flour in a mill.

It keeps turning and grinding. You can't do anything about it.

It's a good thing we're going away - they'd kill him.

Thank you for Maria.

She's grateful for all you've done for her.

Village bumpkins.

They're so ugly.

You messed this one up.

She looks funny.

Now that Očenáš has run off, you could take over Pepo.

Who'd vote for me?

Peton or Máčala would nominate you.

You can bet on Peton.

They might even promote you to the district council,

and an MP eventually.

You can even become a minister. You've got your head screwed on.

And they'll have to give us that nice flat of Juchta's.

What if they do me in like Bertin?

They'd be too scared to do that.

Kladno, oh black Kladno

You are a town of dreams and smokestacks

Kladno, oh black Kladno

I will never forget you

The clouds were burning

When I first kissed you

And I wiped

Tears of happiness from our faces

Kladno, oh black Kladno

You are a town of dreams

And smokestacks

Kladno, oh black Kladno

I will never forget you

JULY 1951

- Have you got the summons? - Yeah.

I came to remind you you're starting your sentence on Tuesday.

No suspension this time and you're a bit forgetful.

How many times have you been inside?

It's like asking a woman how many times she's done it.

When was your first time in jail?

- A long time ago, before the war. - Under the Germans too?

- Yes, during the occupation too. - So you're an old jailbird.

What about leaving it to someone younger?

But you won't give up, you're a right old thief.

What do you mean, thief?

I only borrow things. I can't give them back if they keep me in jail.

Now they'll also give you an education.

- What do you mean, an education? - It's meant as a treatment...

- ...for chronic alcoholics. - I won't survive that.

Don't forget, today's Saturday, you go on Tuesday.

I don't want to chase all over town for you.

Don't make me come looking for you again.

I'll give you what for, you cursed dog!

Get lost!

Wait til I catch you!

You're normally in one place.

Call yourself a full moon...

Hello, doggie...

What are you doing?

Lead me home.

She's asleep.

So you're drinking even more now?

You know very well I'm on your conscience.

Don't worry, don't call anyone.

You were afraid of the Germans, so you divorced me.

And now your conscience is taking over.

That bad conscience is thirsty

and you keep drinking till the devil comes to get you.

But I've forgiven you.

You wouldn't like me looking at yours!

Come on.

Welcome. You look like a groom.

She brings bad luck to every man.

The first one had an accident and Bertin was shot.

Who knows what's in store for Joska?

- What's the matter? - Nothing.

I have to go and see about something.

- Come back soon. - I'll be right back.

Hello.

Here's the clock. I've repaired it, as promised.

- That's great. Sit down. - Thank you.

I've made a good job of it. It'll outlive us both.

What have you done to your foot?

It got smashed by a log, but it's all right now.

But it still feels a bit funny.

You want to be careful, you might get gangrene.

You should see a doctor.

Weeds like me keep growing, teacher.

If he'd been born in better times, he would've been a famous inventor.

A great talent among the people has died,

a technical genius and, if you'll pardon me,

our thief,

our Lithpy.

Joska, you will always live in our memory.

AUTUMN 1951

When did you last come to confession?

A long time ago - when I got married. I'm not sure if it was any good.

So we'll have to go by the book.

Yes please, I can't remember it all.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Sometimes, but not always.

They took my Jewish wife away, so I don't believe he exists.

When I'm messing around in the pub, I think he's watching me.

Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain.

Do you often take the name of the Lord in vain?

I've somehow got into this bad habit.

- Remember to keep the Sabbath holy. - I do, but mostly in the pub.

- Honour thy father and thy mother. - Even beyond the grave.

- Thou shalt not kill. - Neither flea nor chicken!

- Thou shalt not commit adultery. - Don't ask me about that!

- Who with? - I can't remember.

How many times?

I don't know.

I did in thought, but in deed... well, that as well.

- Thou shalt not steal! - Not a thing!

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

I've never been in court.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.

The same as for number six.

Thou shalt not covet Thy neighbour's house.

Like the seventh, not a thing.

I see you're a great sinner.

Strengthen your faith in God.

Think of Him watching you day and night.

You'll say eighteen Hail Marys.

Promise to come at least once a year to confession

and ten times a year to church.

Dammit, I can't promise that.

I'm not asking that much for so many sins, am I?

I'm a wretch and easily led astray.

I can't promise what I can't fulfil, goddammit.

Dammit... and stop swearing!

Silence, please.

No moving about.

The leaves...

The leaves are fading on the aspen tree

The leaves are fading on the aspen tree

When they're dry, they'll fall

If I fade like the leaves

If I fade like the leaves

I'll fall...

Read my fortune.

- I won't read yours. - No?

- But you'll read František's? - Any time he wants.

- I don't believe in that stuff. - Give her your hand.

St Francis was also a martyr.

You've got a difficult life ahead of you.

There are bars in your lifeline like a hospital, or a jail.

Hang on.

- Your lifeline isn't continuous. - Don't frighten him.

Tell me how I'm going to end up.

I won't.

I'll tell you, OK?

The time that's to come won't be mine.

But you, you've got everything ahead of you.

Carry on.

I can't read all your palms.

Come tomorrow.

And you wash your hands.

Each of you, come in turn, alone!

We would drink

If we had money

We would drink

If we had money

Plum brandy, pomace brandy

And even better, gin

Plum brandy, pomace brandy

And even better, gin

Cherries, cherries, cherries

Were spilled all over the road

Who will find you, who will gather you up?

I had a boyfriend yesterday evening

Who will find you, who will gather you up?

I had a boyfriend yesterday evening

A boyfriend just like a rose

I would choose him to be my husband

He won't have to work

He would be only for show

He won't have to work

He would be only for show

The dew is falling

My eyes wish to sleep

My eyes wish to, your eyes wish to

Our eyes wish to sleep

My eyes wish to, your eyes wish to

Our eyes wish to sleep

What are you doing here?

Who let you loose?

Keep still.

Stop.

So he'd had his fill of drunken good will.

As if he felt he wasn't meant for the times to come.

JUNE 1952

- God be with you. - And with you.

There's something wrong with me and I don't know what.

Goodbye.

He doesn't realise he's old.

That strength isn't eternal, just as man isn't.

You're on your last legs.

Who'd have the courage to tell you?

We seized Kurfiřt's farm, then we got Zášinek's.

When you join the cooperative, you'll soon see it flourishing.

Soviet agricultural science is coming up with useful discoveries.

Let us rally our ranks!

Don't stop, but advance forward.

That's enough of all that sweet talk.

The cooperative is more than 2 million in debt.

All Zajvala wants is to hold on to his important position.

As for myself and those present - no way!

While he's here, we won't persuade them.

My sentiments exactly!

- Come with us! - What have I done?

We'll discuss that elsewhere!

At least let me finish cutting back the meadow.

Someone else can do it!

My 80-year-old blind father or four small children?

No time to waste.

I've never left anything unfinished.

Everything needs time.

So I'll finish my job today as well.

But no one says "František is innocent, let him go."

Well then, men, sign it.

When we get together good farmers such as you...

- With you, we'll all be dragged down. - You've been bone idle all your life!

But if we get good farmers like you, we will certainly prosper.

I won't sign.

Come on, Kejvala! Sign it!

So you won't sign?

Sign it!

Sign it!

- What about you, Janek? - Won't you sign it?

If you don't sign, Pepek, you'll disappear one day!

Please, let's talk.

You took František away like a villain. What else do you want?

I won't let you go unless you sign!

Twelve apostles.

I still don't know if they'll be any good.

They'll run off like a pack of rabbits.

You won't be able to hold them. I see it in their eyes.

He was right - they all ran off.

CHRISTMAS 1954

Go away.

Come on, help me.

Comrades, I'll pay it all back.

I'll even go down the pit,

just don't ruin me. I'm only human.

You're lucky, you wretch. We can't let this disgrace get out.

Do you realise how you've disgraced the Party?

The new chairman of the local council came from Ostrava.

I do realise and I'm sincerely sorry.

But the Party has compassion for its children.

It'll give me a chance to make amends.

You can't undo the shame.

You must give back what you've stolen.

But where do I get the money from?

That's your problem!

I haven't been stealing, only borrowing.

You built a whole house with Kurfiřt's wood.

What about Juchta's flat I allocated to you?

Including the confiscated furniture and other things? For free.

Don't put that down, that's libel.

You can go now. And put that down!

I'm only human.

Everyone makes a mistake once in his life.

Don't blub, we're not after your blood.

Who do we get now?

Why me? Don't make me leave my trade.

You have to, there's no one else.

My dad was a bricklayer and so was my granddad. So why pick me?

Your time has come.

- Wait outside until we've finished. - It's too late now for waiting.

František's given them the slip and is very ill.

How are we supposed to help him if he's run away?

Since it was you who put him inside, you help him out.

At least you can try and make up for what you've done to him.

What's wrong with him?

The doctor says he's feverish and has water on the lungs.

If he's arrested again, he won't survive the journey.

Don't be so bleak. The doctor will give him a shot

and the ambulance will take him back. There's a hospital there too.

When you're struck down, you'll remember this!

How do I know you're not making this up?

Just like the Germans!

Even when a man's soul is departing from his body, he must be watched.

SPRING 1955

When František rose from the dead, they left him at home.

He had neither money, nor livestock.

But he borrowed some and bought a little horse.

You're small but hardy.

We're not young anymore.

But we'll stick it out, since we've got this far.

Who do you think can take more?

A man or a horse?

A man must be more resilient than a horse.

SUMMER 1957

Nothing's so bad that it couldn't be worse.

And nothing's so good that it couldn't be better.

The grandparents died and Hanička was born.

This year promised a good harvest.

František thought that everything was behind him.

But they came again to try and persuade him.

You kept this land a secret.

If you sign, you'll be forgiven.

You think you'll be able to keep up?

I'll never join.

Look, they've all signed.

When František does, I will too.

- When František does. - When František does.

After František has signed.

We need you to sign.

They're all holding back because of you.

What have I got to do with it?

You've got to change your mind.

You treat people like cattle.

Don't look round, look straight ahead!

Straight ahead!

They kept him at the station

until they had all signed, for fear that they would also be arrested.

František didn't sign.

WINTER 1958

Hey, dark spot in the distance

Why don't you show us your face?

It is the sun

That warms my face

If weren't for the sun

We wouldn't be warm at all

The sun is a jewel

Since Christ was born

The baby Jesus is our Lord

For ever, amen.

Here they come again.

Don't let them sweet talk you.

When you go under, no one will help you.

- František, come with us! - Don't avoid us.

You're the only one who can take over.

Come with us!

COOPERATIVE FARM (JZD)

There was a time when I thought I'd never come here.

What a mess you've made of this.

Don't accept it.

It is human to forgive old wrongs.

They won't stick by you.

Do you think you'll be able to handle it?

Perhaps.

They'll try to make a go of it if there's no other option for them.

They've done you so much wrong.

What kind of man would that make you,

if your son asks for bread and you give him a stone?

And what if there are no horses next year...

...no ploughs... no carts... no sleighs...?

I know you'll accept it.

- How do you know? - I just know you.

Rye brandy!

Politics is filth!

Wars will still go on and people will still kill each other

until all that's left is a cow and a bull.

And they'll give rise to a new, better race.

Politics is filth!

I've always liked you.

I should have married you.

Things would have turned out differently.

Another one ready for the grave.

Politics is filth.

And you didn't know that before?

Stop that. Look at me.

They killed Bertin and I haven't found anyone like him since.

- Should I cry myself to death? - Ridi, paggliaccio!

Just you wait and see how they prosper.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

EPILOGUE

- Plum brandy. - We don't have any.

- What do you have then? - Vodka.

Give me a vodka then.

LADIES - GENTLEMEN

Plécmera!

Our Father in Heaven... I do look a state, don't I?

The Grim Reaper's tried to get me six times. But I won't give in.

I wash with cold water 30 times a day.

You work in a museum, don't you?

I do things I enjoy.

So do I. I collect herbs. Nothing else interests me.

This is where I live.

I have to keep working so I have enough to eat.

You were married, weren't you?

She was always running around after other men.

František isn't here anymore.

Weeds never die. The better among us leave.

It's only the bad ones like us who stay.

Maria?

Apart from your hair you haven't changed at all.

You're Hanička, aren't you?

Your dad would have been proud!

I'm not stopping long. I've got a concert in Olomouc.

I didn't know your dad was... What was it he said before he...?

He said he shouldn't have accepted it.

He believed they'd try and make a go of it.

But eventually they left him on his own.

When he was sad he told me to go into the field and listen out for singing.

Everything's different now.

When they start singing, you'll hear it.

This is your Rhodes.

You make your bed, you lie in it.

But, was it our own bed we made?

What could we have done and what couldn't we do?

Goodbye, all my good countrymen.

If we don't meet again,

let Fate run her course.