Otto Šimánek
Otto Šimánek (April 28, 1925 Třešť - May 8, 1992 Prague) was a Czech mime, film and theater actor. He has starred in a number of comedies and several fairy tales. Probably his most famous role was the title role in the series Pan Tau.
He trained as an electrician at Tesla in Prague and has so far played the theater only amateuristically. He later got to the Theater on May 5 and also traveled for a few months at the Theater under the Placht of Jindřich Plachta. He gained acting experience in various theaters. He worked in theaters in Zlín, Ostrava and finally in 1958 he was engaged in the Municipal Theaters of Prague, where he lasted until 1990.
He played a number of large roles on the stage. The character of the clown Jean Debureau remains unforgettable for the audience in the dramatization of Kožík's novel The Greatest of the Pierots, where he could fully use his love for pantomime. Acting in the Prague theater also meant an opportunity to win film and television roles. He mainly played smaller roles in about forty films. The most famous is probably the role from the movie I'll Get Up Tomorrow and Bake My Tea.
His character, Mr. Tau, entered the European and, to some extent, world film consciousness in the co-production series of the same name by director Jindřich Polák and screenwriter Ota Hofman. He also taught pantomime at the Prague Conservatory and DAMU. Among his students was, among others, the actor Petr Čepek.
On the site of the pharmacy where Otto Šimánek was born, an ash statue was installed in 2011 depicting an actor in the role of Mr. Tau with a typical hand movement near his hat. The author is Daniel Stejskal.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 0.4373 |
| Birthday | 1925-04-28 |
| Place of Birth | Třešť, Československo |
| Also Known As | Oto Šimánek, Otta Šimánek, Ota Šimánek, |
1958
Měšťáci
0/0
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Měšťáci
1958
Tlustý anděl z Rouenu
0/0
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Tlustý anděl z Rouenu
1959
Dařbuján a Pandrhola
2/1
The miner Dařbuján has a lot of children that he cannot support and another one has just been born. He needs to find a godfather and three are offered...
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Dařbuján a Pandrhola
1961
Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
7.5/2
“A bored housewife, a husband who married her for show, and a stupid boy who is full of himself because he is dating a Swiss woman.” The words of Insp...
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Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
1977
Básník, služka a král
1/2
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Básník, služka a král
1968
Vo modrým ptáčku
0/0
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Vo modrým ptáčku
1963
Tři chlapi v chalupě
6.5/2
The three Potůčks live in a house in Ouplavice: a widower grandfather, a son whose wife has run away, and a still unmarried grandson. The father works...
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Tři chlapi v chalupě
1959
Dům na Ořechovce
10/1
The growing conflict between the unruly owner of the villa and his lodger ends up in court. The cohabitation ends in bodily harm - and the film actual...
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Dům na Ořechovce
1967
The End of Agent W4C
6.115/13
The invincible agent Cyril Juan Borguette alias W4C has been assigned a mission to go to a hotel in Prague, get hold of a saltcellar with a plan for t...
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The End of Agent W4C
1979
Švec Janek v pohádkové zemi
0/0
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Švec Janek v pohádkové zemi
1977
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea
6.202/52
Former Nazi Klaus Abard survives to the 1990s by taking anti-ageing pills. He plans to use a time travel trip to return to Germany in 1944 and present...
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Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea
1982
Kamenný orchestr
2/2
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Kamenný orchestr
1961
Black Saturday
5/1
In this crime story, surprisingly, neither the all-powerful criminals nor the spies or saboteurs are pursued, as was once common. The plot is almost m...
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Black Saturday
1985
Šach mat
0/0
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Šach mat
1961
Policejní hodina
7/2
The story of a poor, disintegrating family of a mother Fišerová and her three children. It is set in the 1890s - a time when the poor working classes...
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Policejní hodina
1969
O kohoutovi, kose a kocourovi
0/0
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O kohoutovi, kose a kocourovi
1962
The Black Dynasty
9/1
The family is connected with Prague's "Kolbenka", the ČKD locomotive factory. Grandfather Antonín, already retired, son Rudolf, a master in the locomo...
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The Black Dynasty
1981
Mature Wine
7.833/3
A loose sequel to the 1976 comedy Stormy Wine. The screenwriters and the director recreate on screen a number of characters from the South Moravian to...
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Mature Wine
1962
Malý Bobeš ve městě
7/2
A loose sequel to the film Little Bobes, it catches up with the title child hero in the town where he and his parents have moved. However, the expecta...
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Malý Bobeš ve městě
1962
Objev na Střapaté hůrce
10/1
The Pioneers are leaving for a holiday camp for young astronomers. And it's going to be an interesting stay, as a large meteorite was observed falling...
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Objev na Střapaté hůrce
1963
Death Is Called Engelchen
6.444/9
Pavel is a Czech partisan fighter in the waning days of the war. Just as peace is declared, Pavel is shot in the spine and sent to the hospital emerge...
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Death Is Called Engelchen
1964
Začít znova
10/1
Young Jan Stehlík signs up for a job to build a new mine. On the train he meets the pretty Alena, who falls in love with him. However, she means nothi...
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Začít znova
1960
Bajaja
0/0
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Bajaja
1963
Táto, přečti to!
0/0
A young father spends Sunday with his young daughter.
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Táto, přečti to!
1962
Sganarel lékařem
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Sganarel lékařem
1962
Tvrdohlavá žena a zamilovaný školní mládenec
0/0
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Tvrdohlavá žena a zamilovaný školní mládenec
1965
Bubny
0/0
An anthology in three jazz-infused tales: an idealistic student’s romance with a pragmatic trumpeter; a vibraphonist’s urgent journey ending in traged...
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Bubny
1982
Zelená vlna
5.4/5
A short film about Prague, Prague residents, and the beginning of the weekend.
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Zelená vlna
1983
Poslední návrat
0/0
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Poslední návrat
1984
Lucy, the Menace of Street
7.294/17
A first part of a funny adventures of six years old Lucie and her two magic dolls.
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Lucy, the Menace of Street
1964
Zajatci tmy
0/0
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Zajatci tmy
1966
Crime at the Girls School
6.143/7
Three short story omnibus. The main hero and connecting link is Lieutenant Boruvka, created by Lubomír Lipsky. He deals with the murder case between c...
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Crime at the Girls School
1966
Poslední růže od Casanovy
7.5/2
The story takes place at the time when Giacomo Casanova, probably the most famous conqueror of women, held the position of librarian at the Valdštejn...
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Poslední růže od Casanovy
1966
The Phantom of Morrisville
7.045/11
Inspector Brumpby (Jaroslav Marvan) and the young crime reporter Allan Pinkerton (Vít Olmer) attend wedding of Sir Hannibal Morris (Oldrich Nový) with...
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The Phantom of Morrisville
1966
Sedm sestřiček
0/0
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Sedm sestřiček
1966
Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
7/43
In this zany Czechoslovakian comedy, a scientist invents a machine that projects a sleeping person's dream on a screen; disaster soon follows when the...
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Who Wants to Kill Jessie?
1975
Honza a Růžová panenka
0/0
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Honza a Růžová panenka
1967
Sedm žen Alfonse Karáska aneb Když holky berou, já nevím kterou
4.25/4
Alfons Karásek says goodbye to his wife Růžena at the train station, who is going to the spa. He plans an erotically filled week, full of women and fl...
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Sedm žen Alfonse Karáska aneb Když holky berou, já nevím kterou
1968
Údolie večných karaván
10/1
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Údolie večných karaván
1970
Kalif čápem
0/0
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Kalif čápem
1969
Maryla
0/0
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Maryla
1971
One of Them Is the Murderer
5.6/5
Marek (Jirí Holý), formerly a driver of a long-distance lorry, has served his term for smuggling art works abroad and is released from jail. Years ago...
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One of Them Is the Murderer
1971
Svatby pana Voka
5.571/7
Czech nobleman Petr Vok of Rozmberk (Milos Kopecký) is no longer so young, but his amatory adventures continue to arouse the envy of men and the indig...
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Svatby pana Voka
1988
Pan Tau – der Film
6.433/15
Pan Tau, the friend of all children, now also helps the adults.
A movie producer is in trouble and decides to shoot another Pan-Tau movie. But the ol...
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Pan Tau – der Film
1960
Letiště nepřijímá
6/2
The conflicts in one pilot's fractured marriage come to a head just as Soviet jets are introduced to international airliners. Naive psychological dram...
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Letiště nepřijímá
1972
Touha Sherlocka Holmese
6/2
Sherlock Holmes likes to play violin and expects a great career in music. He gets a place in a spa orchestra, but he is again and again distracted by...
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Touha Sherlocka Holmese
1971
Lásky Emanuela Přibyla
0/0
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Lásky Emanuela Přibyla
1979
No Magic from Tomorrow
7.6/5
Mr. Tau, the quiet and kind magician with a bowler hat and an umbrella, shows up unexpectedly on the wings of a plane during flight. The terrified cre...
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No Magic from Tomorrow
1978
Alarm in the Clouds
6/9
In defiance of all the laws of physics Mr. Tau is walking on the wing of an aircraft flying close to Prague. Young Alenka is enthusiastic, but the oth...
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Alarm in the Clouds
1967
Bidýlko
1/2
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Bidýlko
1963
Světáci
6/1
Two families live in a weaver's cottage - the Menecs and the Hroms. The women are pretty from the start. Musicians come, inviting fellow weavers who p...
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Světáci
1966
Every Young Man
7.125/4
Jurácek's feature debut is shot in two parts. In the first, a corporal accompanies a new recruit with a sore Achilles tendon for his physical, and all...
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Every Young Man
1975
Dva muži hlásí příchod
8/3
An only son, Jirí Valenta (Jaromír Hanzlík), has been drafted to the army. At the barracks he acquires the nickname Seamstress because he sews rugs in...
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Dva muži hlásí příchod
1983
Duch soudce Pauknera
0/0
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Duch soudce Pauknera
1976
Wine Working
7.667/3
It is the summer of 1968 and also in South Moravian Pálavice appear political clashes. The so far peacefully farming Unified farmers' cooperative star...
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Wine Working
1984
...and again that Lucy!
6.667/9
A second part of a funny adventures of six years old Lucie and her two magic dolls.
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...and again that Lucy!
1987
Ohnivé ženy se vracejí
7/1
A loose continuation of the production of The Fiery Women. The souls of the witches Marta and Magdalena, burned in the 17th century, enter the bodies...
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Ohnivé ženy se vracejí
1969
Vajíčko
0/0
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Vajíčko
1964
The Hope
6.667/6
A group of outcasts, including a vagabond and a prostitute, gather at the outskirts of the industrial area of a large Czech city, one of the things th...
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The Hope
1962
Chicken on Travels
7/1
The story of a childhood dream come true. Schoolchildren discover an abandoned poultry farm with an artificial hatchery and agree to raise their own c...
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Chicken on Travels
1962
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
7.411/90
A 20th century man lands on the Moon and discovers that Baron Munchausen has beaten him to it, accompanied by Cyrano de Bergerac and the characters fr...
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The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
1958
Desire
6.5/8
A poignant overview of how short life can be, this interesting drama from Czech director Vojetch Jasny is divided into four separate segments. In the...
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Desire
1969
Men About Town
6.735/17
Three blue collar workers have a night out in big city Prague.
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Men About Town
1958
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
7.18/89
As the world progresses into the industrial age, a professor studying the "nature of pure matter" is spirited away by a would-be dictator and connived...
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The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
1971
You Are a Widow, Sir
6.833/27
After a soldier cuts off the arm of king's cousin, king decides to deactivate the army. Of course, generals don't like it at all and they try to kill...
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You Are a Widow, Sir
1983
O bílém jadýrku
0/0
A romantic fairy tale about how a castle lady found her lost son, who demonstrated rare bravery, kindness of heart and intelligence. He answered the W...
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O bílém jadýrku
1987
Kde bydlí štěstí
0/0
The poor shoemaker's daughter was hardworking, kind, and honest, and with her character and immense beauty she won the castle lord over. However, the...
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Kde bydlí štěstí
1976
Panenka z vltavské tůně
0/1
The funny TV fairy tale THE DOLL FROM THE VLTAVSKA POOL (1976) tells not only about the coexistence of the human and waterfowl races in Povltavia, but...
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Panenka z vltavské tůně
1965
A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova
8/1
A group of wealthy American Jewish businessmen have been captured by the SS and are told that they are to be traded to the American army for several S...
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A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova
1964
Fear
5.3/10
A car deliberately runs down a young man on a road by a small border town. The locals recognize the dead man as one of the students who were there on...
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Fear
1987
Merry Christmas Octopus
6.778/9
Eva and her younger brother Johnny own two sentient octopuses made out of strange matter. Will their parents divorce and ruin Christmas? Will a scient...
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Merry Christmas Octopus
1989
Trezor
0/0
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Trezor
1961
Spadla s měsíce
10/1
A story about the uproar caused by the arrival of a new, young and, by local standards, too energetic zookeeper in a village JZD. Her name is Maya Čet...
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Spadla s měsíce
1954
Shoesmachine
8/1
The happenings in a shoe factory serve as a not very thinly veiled examination of the pros and cons of both socialism and democracy.
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Shoesmachine
1985
Stalo se jedné neděle
0/0
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Stalo se jedné neděle
1964
Šlechetný cowboy Sandy
10/1
In a small Texas town where cowboys lived their usual lives, local villain Bill Crooked Mouth and his cronies played cards in the saloon and the bandi...
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Šlechetný cowboy Sandy
1965
Polka jede do světa
8/2
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Polka jede do světa
1966
Cesta řeky k moři
0/0
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Cesta řeky k moři
1960
Všude žijí lidé
10/1
Even if a person grumbles about difficulties, he should realize that he will find a place where he did not want to go at all. Such an exemplary realiz...
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Všude žijí lidé
1966
Svatební cesta aneb Ještě ne, Evžene!
6/3
After a night of partying together, the groom-to-be and his friend wake up to find that the wedding is taking place today. The movers are already brin...
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Svatební cesta aneb Ještě ne, Evžene!
1964
Tři chlapi po roce
10/1
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Tři chlapi po roce
1967
Ta naše písnička česká
8.5/2
The Haszler songs of Prague, so popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, have not aged. They are still sung in pubs and on constr...
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Ta naše písnička česká
1949
I andělé ztrácejí trpělivost
0/0
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I andělé ztrácejí trpělivost
1986
Statečný Azmun
0/0
In a seaside village, fishermen have no catch and are starving. The bravest of them, Azmun, sets off to the land of the "sea grandfather" to help him....
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Statečný Azmun
1968
Přísně tajné premiéry
7/3
A crime writer is accused of being too imaginative and his ideas unworkable, but everything changes when an international criminal demands his profess...
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Přísně tajné premiéry
1954
Nedělní dostaveníčko
0/0
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Nedělní dostaveníčko
1978
Co je platno kárat, co je platno kázat
3.7/3
The story of how it turned out when a young lawyer tried to intellectually elevate a cute dancer from Prague's bohemian milieu. Journalist Šmíd introd...
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Co je platno kárat, co je platno kázat
1985
Santa Lucia
6/1
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Santa Lucia
1991
Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes
8/3
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Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes
1956
Medvěd
0/0
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Medvěd
1960
Zkouška pokračuje
5/2
As a young actor František Lukávec and his teacher Vladimir Tuma became enemies. František insisted that Tuma was dismissed from the school as a react...
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Zkouška pokračuje
1973
Three Wishes for Cinderella
7.48/381
Popelka, a resourceful and independent young girl, is a servant in her stepmother's house and confides in her closest friend the owl. When she comes a...
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Three Wishes for Cinderella
1987
The Octopuses from the Second Floor
6.643/14
While on vacation with their bickering parents, young Eva and her little brother Johnny find in a polluted lake two strange friendly sentient octopuse...
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The Octopuses from the Second Floor
1986
Young Wine
8/2
Third wine session, this time with a computer. The film was made in direct relation to the audience success of the previous two: "Stormy Wine" and "Ri...
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Young Wine
1986
Území strachu
0/0
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