Money could be the salvation or the ruin of a marriage on marriage on the brink of collapse in this musical comedy from the Czech Republic. Uli (Petr Stach) and Vanilla (Dasa Zazvurkova) are a couple whose relationship has been slowly falling apart for years, and even the fact Vanilla is expecting a child is no longer enough to keep them together. Uli and Vanilla are about to sign their divorce agreement when a telegram arrives that changes everything -- Vanilla has a wealthy aunt living in the UK, and she's promised to leave the unborn child an inheritance of £1 million. Now Uli is eager to patch things up with Vanilla, but the lawyer (Peter Pisa) who has been helping with the divorce sees an opportunity; he uses his legal knowledge to keep the divorce in motion by question Uli's paternity while wooing Vanilla. Written and composed by Jiri Suchy and Jiri Slitr and dominated by an up-tempo jazz-pop score, Dobre Placena Prochazka (aka A Walk Worthwhile) was a massively popular Czech stage musical after its debut in 1965. In 1966, Milos Forman directed a television version of the musical in collaboration with Jan Rohac, and when a new production was staged at Prague's National Theater in 2007, Forman was invited to direct it with help from his sons Petr Forman and Matej Forman. The revival was a major success, and Forman opted to film several performances for this record of the new production.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
