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 byOta Hofman
Jindřich Polák
StarringJosef Bláha
Josef Dvořák
Jiří Novotný
Dagmar Patrasová
Viktor Král
Dagmar Veškrnová
Eugen Jegorov
Klára Pollertová
Vlastimil Brodský
Narrated byVladimír Brabec
Theme music composerKarel Svoboda
Country of originCzechoslovakia
Original languageCzech
No. of episodes15 + 1
Production
Running time30 min
Release
Original networkCzechoslovak Television
Original release5 November 1983 (1983-11-05) 
11 February 1984 (1984-02-11)

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 titleEnglish titleOriginal airdate
1Země roku 2484The Earth in 24845 November 1983
2Výprava do minulaJourney to the Past12 November 1983
3Návštěvníci přicházejíThe Visitors are Coming19 November 1983
4Akce: sešit 1.Action: Exercise Book No. 126 November 1983
5Hlavně nenápadněMost Importantly - Act Discreetly3 December 1983
6Tajemství velkého učiteleSecret of the Great Teacher10 December 1983
7Půlnoční kolotočMidnight Carousel17 December 1983
8Génius v hladomorněGenius in the Dungeon25 December 1983
9Sólo pro NávštěvníkySolo for the Visitors26 December 1983
10Stav nouzeState of Emergency31 December 1983
11Stane se zítraWill Happen Tomorrow7 January 1984
12Peníze z hvězdMoney from the Stars14 January 1984
13ProzrazeníDisclosure21 January 1984
14Po nás potopaAfter Us the Deluge28 January 1984
15Návrat do budoucnostiBack to the Future4 February 1984
SpecialNávštěva u NávštěvníkůVisiting the Visitors11 February 1984

References

  1. Návštěvníci přišli o Filipa, iDNES.cz 7. května 2003
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