The film tells the story of an enthusiastic young man who joins a textile factory in the late 1950s and assumes that a promising career awaits him - the protagonist is therefore constantly comparing himself to his favourite literary model, the equally ambitious Julian Sorel from Stendhal's fresco The Red and the Black. The result, however, lacks the necessary conviction, the ability to draw the viewer into his world, and remains too contrived, as the chosen period has become a mere non-committal backdrop for amorous games.
Jiří Pomeje
Ing. Marek Paar
Dagmar Bláhová
Ing. Zina Zachová
Jiří Bartoška
Dr. Arnošt Tittelbach, Zinin milenec
Pavel Pípal
Bohdan Bukvaj, Zinin bývalý milenec
Nela Boudová
laborantka Zdeňka, Trmalova žena
Taťjana Medvecká
asistentka Vilma
Josef Bek
ředitel Primatexu Tomáš Salivar
Petr Čepek
Artl, slepý krajský inspektor
Jiřina Jirásková
Artlova žena
Monika Žáková
knihovnice Stázi
Bronislav Poloczek
Mirek Ryvola
Petr Meissel
vodohospodář Oskar, Markův bývalý spolužák
Jana Andresíková
Irma, dáma z ministerstva
Jana Šulcová
Dita Tittelbachová, Arnoštova žena
Vladimír Krška
Ignác Strejcovský, ředitel závodu v Hurtově
Oldřich Vízner
ekonomický náměstek Just
Václav Knop
Hakl
Petr Hanus
Ing. Hruška
Jiří Hálek
Hora
Eva Tauchenová
Volrábova žena
Klára Pollertová
telefonistka Dáša
Josef Vajnar
Kolínský
Hanuš Bor
Budík
Rudolf Kubík
Jarda
Jiří Bábek
Šeps
Miriam Chytilová
telefonistka
Martina Adamcová