Black Peter (film)

Black Peter
Film poster
Černý Petr
Directed by	Miloš Forman
Written by	Miloš Forman Jaroslav Papousek
Starring	Ladislav Jakim
Music by	Jirí Slitr
Cinematography	Jan Nemecek
Edited by	Miroslav Hájek
Production company	Filmové studio Barrandov
Distributed by	Ustredni Pujcovna Filmu
Release date	17 April 1964 (1964-04-17)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	Czechoslovakia
Language	Czech

Black Peter (original Czech title: Černý Petr, known also as Peter and Paula^[1]) is a 1964 film directed by Miloš Forman. It won the Golden Leopard award at the Locarno International Film Festival.^[2]

Plot

Petr, a Czech teenager, begins working as a trainee in theft prevention at a grocery store. He is criticized by his employer for being too conspicuous and then, when he suspects a man of stealing, he is too nervous to stop and confront the man so he just follows the man around and then returns home, where his father admonishes him because the shop manager had come looking for him. His father peppers him with questions about how he acted and why he did not do anything to stop the man.
Petr likes Pavla, who is dating Mara. They go for a swim together and then lay on the grass, where they are yelled at by Cenda and Zdenek, two apprentice bricklayers. Later at a party Cenda sees them together and repeatedly argues with Petr. He becomes upset when the master mason notices them fighting and blames Petr for making him look bad in front of the boss, then asks to borrow money. Petr lends him the money and Cenda buys more drinks to work up the courage to tell a girl in blue that he likes her, but the girl in blue has already begun to dance with someone else. Petr dances with Pavla but is unfamiliar with the popular moves.
The next day Petr delivers two painting prints to the shop but one of them falls and breaks the glass and frame. He takes the print with him on a date with Pavla, who agrees to try to meet him again the next day. The next day at work Petr sees the thief he chased before and notifies his boss, but his boss shakes the man's hand and takes him into the back room. Confused, Petr watches a woman steal several items by hiding them in her bag and then leaving the store but he does not stop her.
Petr gets in trouble again over the incident and once again faces a barrage of questions from his father about his behavior and why he failed to act. His father suspects that it was a retaliatory act for something that had gone wrong at the shop but Petr refuses to explain his actions. His father laments the fact that he invested in a violin and an accordion that remained unused while Petr bought a guitar that is unable to earn him any money. As Petr's father is yelling at him, Cenda knocks on the door. Petr's parents insist that Cenda come inside and sit down. Cenda returns the money that Petr lent him and Petr's mother offers him a piece of cake. When they learn that Cenda is an apprentice bricklayer, Petr's father makes Cenda show Petr his hands so that his son can see what hardworking hands look like. Zdenek reminds Cenda that they must leave. Cenda attempts to stay because he finds the family fight interesting but when he is asked by Petr's father what is so interesting he backs away in fear. Petr's father continues with the argument, attempting to explain his perspective on what is important.

Cast

Production and release

Černý Petr was filmed in 1963 and holds a 1963 copyright notice but it did not premiere on screen until April 17, 1964.^[3]

Accolades

Černý Petr won the Golden Leopard at the 1964 Locarno International Film Festival.

References

External links

• Black Peter on IMDb