INTIMATE LIGHTING
Forte. Now. That's it.
More beat. Tempo.
What are you doing with those double basses, for Christ's sake?
- You won't know what hit you, Honza - I think I played it correctly.
The timing, in general, will be determined by the soloist himself.
We can play it more slowly, or more quickly. I don't know.
We'll probably have a rehearsal with him before the concert.
So the composition's general rhythm will be determined then and there.
But now, gentlemen, please, you must play it the way I tell you to.
Keep the beat that I show you. I hope that's clear to all of you.
Yeah.
Gentlemen, this is serious. The concert is in a few days.
This is no variety show, this is a serious concert.
Together with the soldiers there will be 65 of us.
This means that during the rehearsal you'll have to sit...
...where I've told you to sit now. No excuses.
Otherwise it will be a madhouse. There will be soldiers.
And half of us are not even here now. I want it to be perfect.
- We've already sold 180 tickets. - 240.
You see, gentlemen. 240 tickets.
In other words, we'll sell at least 60 more...
...and remember the last concert we had...
...when we did the Jirovec thing, 80% of the seats were sold.
I spoke with Dr Simacek and he said that he'd take one too.
So, gentlemen, the grandioso.
Before I forget, how will it work out for the rehearsal before the concert?
Will there be enough time for the soloist?
I don't know, I asked him to come a day earlier.
Let's hope so. That's fine then. All right, let's start.
We'll deal with you afterwards.
Bambas, that's nice.
Well, the terrace...
That's just it.
Well, that's what I'm trying to say... the terrace...
- It must be nice to eat there. - True.
- Do you want some gooseberries? - Yeah, I'd like some.
- Can't you wait a bit! - It doesn't matter.
There must be another one here.
Don't bother looking for it.
- Daddy, Daddy. - Come here, my boy.
So Mary, what do you say?
Daddy, Kaja did a wee in the bath tub.
Really? You mustn't do that Kaja, bad boy.
- Say hello to Uncle. - How do you do?
Hiya.
Tell him your name.
What's wrong now?
You're a big girl now, aren't you? Which school do you go to?
You're a bad boy, go now.
I don't know what's wrong with him today.
Bambas, tell me, how many kids do you have?
Look, Petr. Don't call me Bambas. Marus doesn't know about that.
She bit you? We'll eat everything and we won't leave anything for her.
That'll be really good too.
Kaja will have some, Daddy will have some and Auntie too.
Well, Uncle will eat too.
Hello, there. Come on in.
Show Mummy where that beast bit you. Show her!
Here, wasn't it? What a beast.
Kaja, sit down here. Stay put for a while.
Please help yourself, eat.
- Have some, Miss. - No, thanks. I'll just have some tea.
- Petr! - I still have some...
What do you put on?
Well, what we perform are classics. After all, we're not in Prague.
Well, since Kaja is principal of that school, it's not bad now.
He doesn't have to do so much with the kids.
But the old man, he does.
He comes home at times raving mad. Doesn't he, Kaja?
They don't show anything else in Prague either.
Yes, they do. Take the philharmonic orchestra. They go abroad too.
Peek-a-boo.
- That's the philharmonic orchestra. - Yeah.
All we do is tour the countryside with Strauss waltzes, you see.
We've also been furious many times whilst building the house.
You know how that gets on your nerves and...
You too are furious at times?
No. Bambas being furious? I can't believe it.
Oh, you mean Kaja? Well...
Peek-a-boo.
I've discovered a new Jirovec now.
So, we performed him...
People from the radio came down from Budejovice to record it.
You wouldn't believe it but it sounded all right.
You see, some of it's been suppressed, some of it pulled out...
Kaja, behave yourself. Come here like a good boy
Leave him. We're playing nicely, aren't we?
He must learn to behave himself.
- How long were you building the house? - Almost seven years.
- What are you doing? - Just to see how strong you are.
You can carry two blocks. Sure you can.
- Heavy, isn't it? - Yeah, sure.
- You're groaning... - I'm not...
- Do you want some more? - Sure.
Missed! Bitch, bitch.
Marus, what is this? Leave him alone, Kaja.
- That's enough. - You know that suits you well.
Take it off.
- Stop that, you're crazy. Take it off. - Wait a bit.
For Christ's sake, not like this. You are clumsy.
- What? Wait... - Bambas.
Bambas, come here. I'll drop it.
Wait, wait, don't drop it. Don't you dare.
- Leave them alone. - Such nice bricks too.
Look, one shot for eight bricks.
And look how many there are. Man...
That means lots of drunks.
Yeah... drunks.
But when we were building it, our tongues used to get dry.
Something like five shots per drunkard.
Sure, but doubles.
Well, that would be...
...five times... divided by five.
That makes it over 800 drunks.
What? Over 80?
One wouldn't believe it. We must all be nuts.
Measuring everything in bricks...
- Kaja! - What?
I've invited, Mister...
Me.
...to the funeral.
But he isn't interested in a funeral, Dad.
Interested or not, in a way that's music too.
- I didn't say anything. - And good music too. You'll see.
Once we get started, everybody starts crying, even the relatives.
And then the main thing... one funeral, 200 bricks.
Grandma.
- What do you want? - What is that hen doing here?
- Is she here again? - There, you see.
She's looking for somewhere to hatch.
Go away... Damn it, how often have I told you not to put it there?
Yeah, yeah...
Kaja, leave her alone, you'll hurt her. Here, here...
- Nothing but hens around. - Here, here.
Wherever you turn, you step on something.
So what? That's no skin off your back.
But look at that car. It looks more like a hen house than a garage here.
After all, this is not only your car. Dad and I contributed 20,000.
Yeah, I've heard that a number of times.
Well, I have to keep reminding you. You'll forget very quickly.
What about me? I've worked like a slave. I almost ruined my hands.
Well, you've got a house, haven't you?
Yeah, a house. I'm telling you, that hen was here for the last time.
Just you leave her alone. You know one egg and the next.
Here, come here.
Move over a bit, you're in the way.
- Yeah - She's afraid of you.
Here, little one, come here.
Dad, there's a hen under the car.
Where is that monster?
There you see what she's doing? I'll show them...
Here, here.
- Wait, don't you start that car. - Kaja, get away from here.
For Christ's sake, Kaja. What are you trying to do?
They'll stop laying eggs.
You see, people enjoy different things everywhere.
But sorrow is always the same.
You know that saying.
One sad song is enough to go round the world.
People prefer to have a good cry than a good laugh.
And with this... if it were to run on tears that would be something.
I'll go and have a look.
Sure, but don't cry your eyes out.
Such pretty eyes.
That would be a pity.
Those shock absorbers aren't working properly.
- Karlik, isn't he sensitive? - Who, me? Why?
I really need a woman right now.
Well, why don't you?
Yeah, can I?
The way I look at yours, when she goes so nicely...
...that's really something.
Cute, isn't she?
Cute? A jewel.
If I could add a bit here and there...
- Look, what it's doing to me - Yeah, I can see
Did you read about that Dutch paratrooper...
...who dropped from a height of 3,000 metres without a parachute...
...and fell into some cotton? Nothing happened to him.
3,000 metres? That's strange.
Well, if he fell into cotton, it's possible.
I've jumped once from at least three times this height.
Something like from the first floor, but no cotton on the ground, just concrete.
That was quite a bang, when I fell... I mean, jumped.
- My feet were all bloody. - What kind of shoes did you have?
The shoes were all right, but I was holding them in my hands.
I wore them the time when I walked from Budejovice to Vienna.
I came back by train.
When I came home, father said, "Did you buy new shoes?"
"No, those are the old ones", I said.
My time has come
The grave is waiting
Take me to rest
My loved ones
Wipe your tears
For proceeding to where we all shall meet again
Christ our Savior have mercy on us
On my soul
Goodbye, friends
The end has come
Yeah, Smetana!
Dear old man, but he heard...
Once I had a girl in a cornfield.
She cried, yes, she cried too.
Except that this is no corn.
So what?
- Dad, let's... - Yeah, let's go.
Petricek...
- It's not Petricek at all. - So what is it?
For the last time, if you can't guess, you don't love me at all.
Well...
There, you see. I love you.
Well, that's exactly the same as before.
All wrong, look - I... love... you.
That's not it at all, it's... I love you.
Come here, that's wrong again. Look here.
With the music. I love you.
- You're showing off again. - I am not, but...
But that's not it...
Well, all right. I'll tell you something.
Look, I'll hum it for you. Listen.
See if you guess...
No... look.
There...
Little fish with your silent face
Heard that you have magic charms
And know what torments my heart
You know where my loved one is...
We'll have to go. They're tooting like mad.
That's what I tell you all the time.
What?
A golden ring she gave me
And I gave her a rose
As proof of my love for her
I gave her a rose as proof of my love
It didn't take long
And he went away into the world.
And the lovely young girl
Left this world too
And the lovely young girl
Left this world too...
And what about the people, did they cry?
- Sure, all of them - Did you enjoy it?
Let's go, I'm hungry.
- You've been drinking, haven't you? - Well, they wouldn't let me go.
Sure, our men are so popular.
Not long ago they came, to get them from...
Kaja... where did they come from?
- I don't remember... - Those that got the cement for us.
I got the cement in the end.
Yeah, but where did you get it from, from Vejtora?
Remember, when we played there.
That doesn't make any difference.
But I'm telling you, he had tears in his eyes, the old Smetacek.
Am I arguing?
Big tears he shed...
Well, it doesn't make any difference.
Sure... but Standa Machacek, he cried like a kid.
We couldn't calm him down at all.
All right, so they all cried.
Sure, they cried. And remember Vanicek, for instance.
He couldn't even talk, that's how he cried.
You wouldn't have got those titles otherwise.
And the leg for the young lady.
- You like chicken legs don't you? - I want a leg too.
You shouldn't talk while eating. We've got guests.
Kaja. Grandfather didn't get the leg either and doesn't mind, isn't that so?
Please, stay. He doesn't have to have everything he sees.
But he likes it. Here, have the leg, and...
Kaja, what are you doing? Put it back immediately.
Let him have both of them, we'll share this with Petr.
Sure.
No, you can't do that. You won't have enough. Take mine.
Leave that, leave it.
Here, take mine.
No, then you won't have any, we'll share ours.
How do you want to split a leg?
- We'll manage... - Look, this can be divided nicely.
You take the leg then.
There, and that's it. So much talk about nothing...
- Let go - That's enough.
- Funny, isn't it? - That's enough. Off you go to sleep.
- And both of you. Now. - Don't shout at them, he'll get sick.
Come, Karlik, we'll go together, come along.
No, not you, stay.
Little one...
She's worse than the little one.
There you see, he's back, and with the beer.
How do you do?
I'm the pharmacist.
- Excuse me, please. - I'm retired now.
Oh, our pharmacist.
You're having fun here.
We haven't finished eating.
Come and sit down here and stay put.
Go on in, the men will be glad to see you.
I have brought, as usual some...
You shouldn't have...
Oh, you're welcome. It's nothing.
That's our pharmacist.
It's nothing.
Miss, your food is getting cold.
Excuse me, I don't know what happened to me.
No worries, there's always fun here.
They've got to get away.
You're just picking at it.
We'll go and wash them.
- What about you, Kaja? - You'll come too.
It's almost like being in a bar here.
How come?
Just like in a bar.
Accentuate.
More stress.
Piano.
Dad, a little less volume.
- Now... out... - Out, sure I can go out.
All together.
Forte
And now piano
Piano
And now with a bang
It's her tonsils.
All this talking.
We can't carry on like this, gentlemen.
I played it accurately.
Dad.
I can't do much better with joints like this.
You always blame everything on your bad joints.
Even a woodcutter can play that.
A woodcutter maybe, I've worked harder than a woodcutter.
You can tell by listening to you playing.
- Why aren't you playing? - It's no use.
Don't be silly, Bambas. After all we just want to play.
- Well, either we play or argue. - Sure, you're right.
Miss... Miss.
Come and have a look at this pre-war wire gauze.
I'd have done it myself.
Why should you? You wouldn't believe it, but I'm a modern woman.
But it's...
You may not know it, but I'll tell you something.
The old man kidnapped me.
We'd only known each other for three days.
You see, they came with a circus.
My family had the police after me. But I was in France by then.
You know, today it sounds funny, but my poor mother.
Here, try it.
Don't be shy, go right ahead.
I'm not much good at it any more.
Your knees have to be kept tight, and your back bent nicely.
Mirna Ray was wonderful at it. Only she did it on a horse.
You see, we were friends.
I'd love to ride a horse some day, but only ride one.
Oh, well, I was quite different then, in everything.
But you're still quite...
Yeah, before we built the house I still did my exercises every day.
But now I'm afraid my back hurts.
I'd set the alarm clock, lie down and count to 40.
One...
...two...
...three...
Legs not too high. Not too low. Where it hurts most.
It's an excellent way to keep your tummy trim.
I've told Marus a number of times, but no.
She takes after her dad.
A woman, imagine, and she likes beer.
Excuse me, Gentlemen, my little finger feels numb.
I don't know why. Look at it, colleague.
- May I call you colleague? - Sure. Go ahead.
You can see it a bit.
It probably needs a bit of exercise.
Let's try it again, Gentlemen.
You know, at my age the joints and those fingers...
...don't cooperate so well any more. That's age isn't it?
Let's start, maybe it will get better when I play.
Let's do the second repeat.
That's before those bars, isn't it?
Piano!
Forte now
Dad, C sharp.
Where?
Instead of the C you played.
I see.
But, Gentlemen, I like this movement so much.
If I'd have gone to the conservatory...
Petr.
Petr, do you see?
Petr, don't you see?
- I see. - What?
I see.
Pretty, isn't she?
Petr! Black one.
- We see her. - Leave us alone.
Gentlemen, she's still young.
Well, when I came here, she laughed so much.
Well, what could I do, I had to laugh too.
Well, let's go from A now.
I want to hear the first and second violin.
I thought you wanted something.
We do... stop bothering us.
Hello, Vera.
I'm not Vera, I'm Stepa.
You're Pepa, aren't you?
I like you, I like you Vera.
I'm Stepa, see.
Stepa.
- St... Stepa - Ste...
- St... - Stepa.
That's right. What's your name?
Je... Jerous...
- Nice name. - Nice name, isn't it?
- Do you like it? - Well.
Come for a walk with me.
Where would you like to go?
- I like you, I really like you, Stepa. - But I'm ugly...
I really like you. You're a pretty girl
I've never seen such a pretty girl before in my life.
You're only saying that so I'll go for a walk with you.
A bit more. That's fine, good.
Try some more.
There, you see. That's good.
A bit more up here, Marus.
Here?
The shoulders. That's all right.
Seven.
Eight, nine...
...ten, enough.
Well, I'll be going.
One more kiss here.
Don't go.
But Stepa, I haven't even had a good chat with Bambas yet.
Tomorrow is another day.
Well, all right, but tomorrow is the concert.
Now we've got time for it and... well...
Well, wait for 20.
All right. Come here.
- 11, 12, 13. - No. No.
So we'll divorce because of some eggnog.
Wait.
- No, I won't. - Wait a bit.
They're doing exercises in there.
After all they are young.
Sleep, my baby.
You're a good little baby.
There, there.
What's wrong? What have I done now?
Bambas is more important to you than I am.
- How come? - You were in such a hurry to join him.
You didn't care what I was doing.
Oh, that's it. Well, I was in a hurry.
But just because I was in a hurry.
No. You just go to him. I don't care any more.
But Stepa!
All right, I'll go.
Really, I'll go.
Bambas.
- Why aren't you sleeping? - But...
Would you like some too?
Well... looking at you, I wouldn't mind some.
But there's no more smoked meat.
We'll get the beers, there.
- And this is always full in the autumn. - What a life.
But what will I give you?
How about this?
Marus is not much of an intellectual, but... here, smell this...
Homemade.
Is this homemade too?
Sure.
Oh... this is it, that's what I like.
Everywhere is quiet...
...and I sit here, listen and stuff myself.
That's it.
Well, pour some more.
And that too. But this music...
Well, that music...
Take Jirovec, for example.
It's old and simple, but it's effective.
Yeah... Jirovec is effective.
Bambas, when did you start fishing?
The fish?
Well, you could never understand.
I know everything around here in this house.
I even know when the old man goes to the toilet.
Or when Granny gets pains in her back.
Just like today.
But by the water...
...that's an adventure, Petr dear.
You never know what comes next.
Look, as I walked down the stairs I heard the old man.
I'm telling you, I've never heard anything like it in my life.
Oh, Dad, he's got an amazing snore.
And how he shoots.
Look, this is where mine will be someday.
And now listen to the concert.
I know this.
That's devilish.
But it gets me when...
That was quite a pause.
We can never match that.
Look, Bambas, did you ever hear a beautiful woman snore?
But a really beautiful one.
That's good.
But have you ever heard my woman? How she snores?
Kaja, Kaja.
All right, if that's what you want.
- Petr... - Well...
Everything OK?
- Petr. - So?
- Don't be silly. - What are you doing?
Don't be silly.
Wait. You've got to go at it from the front.
But I want to go back there.
You've got to go in the front and then you'll get in the back.
We are smashed.
Don't talk so much.
Have you got a house? You don't.
Have you got a car? You don't
Are you married? No, you aren't.
So nothing is lost.
Look, Petr, nothing is lost.
...and I'll give you a rose...
Stop those silly jokes.
What's come over you, Bambas?
To me you'll always be an artist.
Pause.
What's that?
Jirovec.
And on to Bethlehem we shall go...
Let me see.
Look.
The viola. That's my favorite.
- Wait. - Don't worry.
You'll take it from me.
Listen. Yeah.
That's nothing like...
...but...
Professor Klabik.
Listen.
We'll take our instruments and...
Into the world.
We'll play at funerals.
No, concerts... just like before.
Dreamer, concerts. Nobody wants to listen to concerts.
No more concerts. It's funerals for me...
Don't be foolish, Bambas, that's money.
One funeral - 200 bricks.
Well, we can settle that en route.
Now we'll set fire to it, and...
- Granny, she's kicking me. - I'll be there in a moment.
It's a bit thick, but good.
I like eggnog.
Awful, that's what it is
Why aren't you eating, Marus?
How can I with that tooth?
You could have had it taken out long ago.
You'd better shut up.
- That's our smart guy. - How come?
He'll be ringing the noon bell someday.
- He rings well, but a bit late - Always?
Sometimes an hour, sometimes two, depends on the weather.
I've had it for 25 years.
When I forget to wind it at night, I can't go to sleep, I'm so used to it.
She can't be interested in that old alarm clock.
I'm not talking about the clock but about the force of habit.
To what shall we drink?
To our health.
To the concert...
...pretty women...
- Well, what else? - What's the difference?
That's something I didn't drink to before.
All right then.
We'll be standing here like this until judgment day.
A bit of patience, that's what we need.
Oh, those Sundays...