Dinner for Adele
Directed byOldřich Lipský
Written byJiří Brdečka
Oldřich Lipský
StarringMichal Dočolomanský
Rudolf Hrušínský
Miloš Kopecký
Ladislav Pešek
Naďa Konvalinková
Květa Fialová
CinematographyJaroslav Kučera
Edited byMiroslav Hájek
Music byLuboš Fišer
Production
company
Distributed byDimension Pictures
Release date
  • April 4, 1977 (1977-04-04) (Czechoslovakia)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryCzechoslovakia
LanguageCzech

Dinner for Adele (Czech: Adéla ještě nevečeřela) is a 1977 Czech parody comedy film directed by Oldřich Lipský. Alternative titles were Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet, Nick Carter in Prague and Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet.[1][2]

The film is set at the fin de siècle. American detective Nick Carter is invited to Prague,in order to search for a missing dog. But Carter stumbles on a series of murders, as an evil baron keeps feeding victims to his carnivorous plant.

Plot

It is the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Countess Thun asked the famous New York detective Nick Carter to travel to Prague, for assistance to solve the strange case of a missing dog. Carter is assisted by Prague police commissar Ledvina. Mysterious murder cases happen during the investigations, done by the malicious botanist Baron von Kratzmar and his carnivorous plant Adela.

Von Kratzmar kidnapped his victims, bound them and whenever he played a gramophone with the melody "Schlafe, mein Prinzchen"[3] (a lullaby by Bernhard Flies but previously associated with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) it is the time for Adela to awaken and eat her victims for dinner.

Baron von Kratzmar considered himself a misjudged genius and wanted to take revenge on one of his former professors. He called himself "the Gardener" a notorious criminal, who Nick Carter thought had died in the swamps years ago. With the help of bizarre inventions, Ledvina and Carter succeed in catching von Kratzmar and delivering him to the legal authorities.

Cast

Production

The main character is a parody of the detective Nick Carter from American dime novels. Most exterior scenes were shot around Prague, including Prague main railway station, Hotel Paris, Hradčany, Letná Park and Konopiště. The carnivorous plant and animated sequences were created by Czech surrealist artist Jan Švankmajer.[1]


Reception

The film was positively received by both domestic and foreign critics. Sheila Benson wrote in Los Angeles Times: "This spoof on detective Nick Carter is crammed with invention, wit of the highest order, exquisite tongue-in-cheek performances and all the art noveau wonders in Prague." Seattle Times favorably compared Lipský to Mel Brooks.

Awards and nominations

  • 1980: Saturn Award for Best Foreign Film
  • 1980: Saturn Award Nomination for Best Fantasy Film

The film was also selected as the Czechoslovak entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet / Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet (1977) – Filmový přehled". Filmový přehled. NFA. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Prokopová, Alena. "Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet – Revue". Filmový přehled. NFA. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Princi můj malinký spi – ukolébavka (Czech)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  4. ↑ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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