Open-air Cinema: Let Him Face the Music!

The second in a series of “brilliant bumblers” portrayed by popular Czech actor Luďek Sobota, this 1978 musical comedy introduces us to Aleš Brabec, a timid composer. Much like Sobota’s earlier character František Koudelka in Joachim, Put It in the Machine! (1974), Brabec seems entirely incompetent—until the right circumstances unlock his hidden potential. A shy substitute teacher at a music school, Aleš is hired to compose songs for a small underground Prague theatre. But he’s hopelessly distracted by love for the theatre’s singer, Marcela. Jitka, a psychologist and the director’s wife, decides Aleš needs horror-style stress to find inspiration. Her theory proves correct: under pressure, Aleš starts churning out hits—except for the main song, which still eludes him... until something truly dramatic strikes. Directed by Ladislav Rychman (The Hop Pickers, The Lady on the Tracks), the film is a lighthearted showcase of 1970s Czech musical cinema, featuring songs by Jiří Malásek and Jiří Bažant. The cast includes singer Helena Vondráčková as Marcela, with comedic legends Luďek Sobota, Miloslav Šimek, and Petr Nárožný—all rising stars of the Semafor theatre. Though Sobota later attempted to break away from his “naive nice guy” image, this film firmly cemented his beloved comedic type in Czech pop culture.