The Great Cheese Robbery (1986 film)
Czechoslovak animated film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great Cheese Robbery (Czech: Velká sýrová loupež (1986), German: Die große Käseverschwörung (1987)[1]) is a 47-minute Czechoslovak-German feature-length animated film directed by Václav Bedřich.[2] The film is a comedy about three mice living in a cinema. After watching many thriller films they plot a "great cheese robbery". It is a parody of The Great Train Robbery.[3] The film is based on the children's book by Jean Van Leeuwen The Great Cheese Conspiracy, first published in 1969.[4]
Bedřich was both the director and a screenwriter, including character design. It was his longest animation.[5]
In 1991 an English-language version was dubbed by CINAR under the title The Great Cheese Conspiracy, i.e., matching the title of the original book.[6]
Plot
Three mice, the enterprizing Marvin, the wise Rajmond and the good-natured Tlouštík (Fatty) live in a movie theatre and their favorite pastime is to watch crime films. They live off what they can steal from the movie watchers, until Marvin comes up with an idea of a major heist. After all, they have seen plenty of films and know all tricks and stumbling blocks of a robbery, although they are somewhat confused about the human ways: "What's the point of money if you can't eat it?". Marvin sees (but first smells) a "mice paradise", an Italian cheese shop, and it becomes their target. The local cat Giovanni is a minor obstacle, and after careful planning they eventually rob the shop. However upon exit they trigger the security alarm[2] and are stopped by the police. However the sympathetic shop owner Martinelli forgives them and gives them shelter.[7]
Voice actors
In German version the mice names are Marvin, Konrad and Knut.
- Marvin (Velký Tvrdý Marvin, "Big Tough Marvin"): Josef Dvořák, German: Joachim Kerzel,[8] English dubbing: Michael Rudder
- Rajmond: Petr Nárožný, German: Peer Augustinski,[8] English dubbing: Arthur Grosser
- Tlouštík: Luděk Sobota, German: Walter Gontermann,[8] English dubbing: Mark Hellman
- Cheese shop owner Jan Faltýnek German: Jochen Kolenda,[8] English: Dean Hagopian
- Narrator: Vlastimil Hašek, German: Joachim Kerzel[8]
Crew
- Director: Václav Bedřich
- Scenario: Václav Bedřich
- Screenplay: Gert K. Müntefering and Alena Munková
- Composer: Petr Skoumal
Reception and influence
The Chech punk group V.T.Marvin took its name from Velký Tvrdý Marvin ("Big Tough Marvin").[9]