The Gala Opening of the documentary about the co-founder of the legendary Jára Cimrman Theatre, Miloň Čepelka, who will celebrate his 85th birthday this year.
Fifty-five years ago, the legendary Jára Cimrman Theatre was established. The phenomenon by far outgrew the theatre scene and became part of film, literature, politics and the language of the whole Czech society. Along with the theatre stars Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smlojak, the theatre had been co-founded by Miloň Čepelka who will celebrate his 85th birthday this year. Zdeněk Svěrák still considers Miloň Čepelka the “rail-shifter”, someone, who led him towards theatre, film and writing lyrics for songs. We join Miloň Čepelka as he walks us through the backstage of the Jára Cimrman Theatre where he is still an active actor together with his son Josef who is actually a fully-trained actor, contrary to his father who has been educated as a teacher. The Theatre Company has to deal both with sustaining high popularity as well as the ageing and leaving of its members which have to be replaced by younger colleagues and sons of the company members - such as Vojtěch Kotek along with Josef Čepelka. And because only four of the former members of the company are now alive (Svěrák, Čepelka, Brukner, Hraběta), the very strict “Cimrman-ologists” have been forced to accept professional popular actors - Ondřej Vetchý and Miroslav Táborský.
What does the theatre company, based on mystification, sophisticated texts and image of an amateur ensemble with “passion for science and research” look like on the inside? And how has it changed during the fifty-five years of its existence? Together with Miloň Čepelka we discover the hidden corners and interesting links of this now-iconic theatre.
Miloň Čepelka is the author of film scripts, poems and prose and song lyrics. He has hosted programmes about light opera and he hosts brass-band music concerts as he also is a passionate singer of brass-band music. The documentary also discloses this slightly hidden artistic position of the famous Cimrman Theatre Company member who will lead the audience through his life with unmistakeable dark humour and his own original approach.
Story: Patrik Ulrich, František Svěrák // Script and Direction: Patrik Ulrich // Script Editor: Vít Poláček // Director of Photography: František Svěrák // Executive Producer: Kateřina Kovářová // Creative Producer: Jiří Hubač