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

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

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 films ...

. It is based on the novel ''Postřižiny'' by Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. The story is set in a brewery in a Czech small town. The film is an evocation of the childhood memories of Bohumil Hrabal 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 F ...

as Francin * Jaromír Hanzlík as Pepin * Rudolf Hrušínský (II) as Dr. Gruntorád * Petr Čepek as Mr. de Giorgi (board member) * Oldřich Vlach as Ruzicka *

František Řehák František () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwriter *F ...

as Mr. Vejvoda *

Miloslav Štibich Miloslav is a Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mil-'', "merciful" or "dear", and ''-slav'' ''glory''. Name variants * feminine form: Miloslava * diminutive form: Miloš * Polish: Miłosław/Miłosława * Czech femi ...

as Mr. Bernádek * Alois Liškutín as Sefl * Pavel Vondruška as Mr. Lustig * Rudolf Hrušínský (III) as stable boy *

Miroslav Donutil Miroslav Donutil (born 7 February 1951) is a Czech theatrical, film and television actor, born in Třebíč. Since 1978 when he appeared as Hloch in ''Čistá řeka'', Donutil has three decades of film and TV appearances. He dubbed the voice of ...

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