Návštěvníci (TV series)
Návštěvníci (The Visitors) is a Czechoslovak sci-fi TV series filmed between 1981 and 1983 by Czech director Jindřich Polák. The 15 parts were co-produced with television-companies of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany at that time), Switzerland and France. As an additional 16th part for Germany a "Making of" was produced under the title "Besuch bei den Besuchern" (Visiting the Visitors). In West Germany the series got the title Die Besucher (The Visitors), in the German Democratic Republic and Australia it was called Expedition Adam 84.
| Návštevníci / The Visitors | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Ota Hofman Jindřich Polák |
| Starring | Josef Bláha Josef Dvořák Jiří Novotný Dagmar Patrasová Viktor Král Dagmar Veškrnová Eugen Jegorov Klára Pollertová Vlastimil Brodský |
| Narrated by | Vladimír Brabec |
| Theme music composer | Karel Svoboda |
| Country of origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Original language | Czech |
| No. of episodes | 15 + 1 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 min |
| Release | |
| Original network | Czechoslovak Television |
| Original release | 5 November 1983 – 11 February 1984 |
Plot
In the 25th century — more precisely, in the year 2484 — people live in a peaceful world. Thus, mankind is horrified when CML (Central Brain of Mankind), the main supercomputer managing the fate of humankind and Earth, announces an upcoming disaster. It has spotted a huge space object on a collision course with Earth. The impact is unavoidable, and the prediction is that a significant part of the Earth will be destroyed.
But there is hope. Professor Filip, biographer of the greatest physicist ever, Adam Bernau, offers a plan to save mankind: time travel to the past. Adam Bernau was a genius mathematician and physicist of the 20th and 21st centuries, and winner of the Nobel Prize. In his memoirs, Bernau stated that in his childhood he wrote down in his notebook a short formula that would allow the moving of whole continents, worlds and planets. This may save the Earth.
Professor Filip selects a four-member team for the trip, and their expedition begins. They plan to spend just a few hours in the past to save the formula from being burned by a fire in Adam Bernau's home, but something goes wrong, and they are forced to spend several weeks there. In the end they realize that the so-called formula was just a juvenile imagining of Adam Bernau and they return to the future, taking with them the old Mr Drchlík, who has helped them much in the past. Mr Drchlík notices the Central Brain standing asymmetrically and fixes this with a wooden wedge, and suddenly the Central Brain realizes an error in its calculation. The whole expedition had been unnecessary.
Reception
The series has been released in several other European countries, including Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Spain.
Miscellaneous
The soundtrack of the series was released in 1984 on LP Supraphon 1113 3473H, which also included the soundtrack of Létající Čestmír (1984), also composed by Karel Svoboda, a series with the German title Der fliegende Ferdinand (The Flying Ferdinand). The soundtrack was re-issued on CD by Czechoslovak Universal in 2004.
Gadgets and costumes were designed by Theodor Pištěk, later Oscar winner.
The widow of a real professor named Filip sued the creators of the series for alleged profanation of her husband's name. She won, and the main character had to be renamed Professor Richard.[1] This hurt the quality of the sound in the Czech version in the whole series. In the German versions the name was changed to "Philip" to avoid changing the dubbing.
Episode listing
| No. | Czechoslovak title | English title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Země roku 2484 | The Earth in 2484 | 5 November 1983 |
| 2 | Výprava do minula | Journey to the Past | 12 November 1983 |
| 3 | Návštěvníci přicházejí | The Visitors are Coming | 19 November 1983 |
| 4 | Akce: sešit 1. | Action: Exercise Book No. 1 | 26 November 1983 |
| 5 | Hlavně nenápadně | Most Importantly - Act Discreetly | 3 December 1983 |
| 6 | Tajemství velkého učitele | Secret of the Great Teacher | 10 December 1983 |
| 7 | Půlnoční kolotoč | Midnight Carousel | 17 December 1983 |
| 8 | Génius v hladomorně | Genius in the Dungeon | 25 December 1983 |
| 9 | Sólo pro Návštěvníky | Solo for the Visitors | 26 December 1983 |
| 10 | Stav nouze | State of Emergency | 31 December 1983 |
| 11 | Stane se zítra | Will Happen Tomorrow | 7 January 1984 |
| 12 | Peníze z hvězd | Money from the Stars | 14 January 1984 |
| 13 | Prozrazení | Disclosure | 21 January 1984 |
| 14 | Po nás potopa | After Us the Deluge | 28 January 1984 |
| 15 | Návrat do budoucnosti | Back to the Future | 4 February 1984 |
| Special | Návštěva u Návštěvníků | Visiting the Visitors | 11 February 1984 |
References
- Návštěvníci přišli o Filipa, iDNES.cz 7. května 2003