When young engineer Mirek arrives at a factory in order to work on a project to reduce emissions, he is confronted by a rigid order and incompetent bosses… Dubbed a “rhythmical of the totalitarian age,” the original story plays out amidst the sulphur-laden air of Ostrava’s steel mills. The film’s creators peppered their tale with a distinctive sense of humour, troupe recitations, and a catchy saxophone leitmotif.
When young engineer Mirek arrives at a factory in order to work on a project to reduce emissions, he is confronted by incompetent bosses maintaining an ossified order… Dubbed a “rhythmical of the totalitarian age,” the original story plays out amidst the sulphur-laden air of Ostrava’s steel mills. The film’s creators peppered their tale with a distinctive sense of humour, troupe recitations, and a catchy saxophone leitmotif. Smoke was made in a turbulent period when filmmakers split their time between rehearsing scenes and going on strike. It was shown in cinemas in 1991, but post-revolution audiences were not drawn by its dark mood, and critics were equally unimpressed. But with the passage of time the movie has achieved cult status, and today’s third generation of fans knows that “Arnoštek is simply divine.”
Lenka Tyrpáková
89 min / Color, 35 mm
Director Tomáš Vorel
/ Screenplay Lumír Tuček, Tomáš Vorel
/ Dir. of Photography Martin Duba
/ Music Michal Vích
/ Editor Jiří Brožek
/ Art Director Jiří David
/ Producer Jaroslav Bouček
/ Production Filmové studio Barrandov
/ Cast Jan Slovák, Lucie Bártová-Zedníčková, Šimon Caban, Eva Holubová, David Vávra, Jaroslav Dušek
/ Sales Národní filmový archiv
Tomáš Vorel (b. 1957, Prague). Selected filmography: The Prague Five (1988), Smoke (1990), The Stone Bridge (1996), Out of the City (2000), The Can (2007), To the Woods (2012), Uni (2014), The Journey Home (2019)
Národní filmový archiv
Závišova 5, 140 00, Praha 4
Czech Republic
E-mail: [email protected]
Tomáš Žůrek
Distributor, Sales Agent
Tomáš Vorel
Film Director, Producer
First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.
