Pat & Mat

Pat & Mat

Pat (left) and Mat (right)
Also known as A je to!, Pat a Mat
Genre Animated television series
Created by Lubomír Beneš
Vladimír Jiránek
Written by Lubomír Beneš
Vladimír Jiránek
Jiří Kubíček
Vendulka Čvančarová
Marek Beneš
others
Directed by Lubomír Beneš
Marek Beneš
others
Theme music composer Petr Skoumal
Composer(s) Luboš Fišer (ep. 1)
Petr Skoumal (ep. 2-91)
Country of origin Czechoslovakia
Czech Republic
No. of episodes 91
Production
Running time 6 - 9 min.
Production company(s) Krátký Film Praha
aiF Studio
Patmat film s.r.o.
others
Release
Original network ČST
ČT
STV
Picture format 4:3 (ep. 1-49, 51-78)
16:9 (ep. 50, 79-91)
Audio format Mono
Original release 1976 – present
External links
Official website

Pat & Mat (Czech: A je to!, Pat a Mat) is a Czech stop-motion animated series featuring two handymen: Pat and Mat (Czech for "stalemate" and "checkmate", respectively, which ultimately come from Persian terms in chess: pāt (Persian: پات‎‎) and māt (Persian: مات‎‎), the latter word being the root for English checkmate). It was created by Lubomír Beneš and Vladimír Jiránek.

The show

The show features the two characters facing mostly self-made problems, trying to solve them using any possible and impossible tools and construction gadgets. This leads to even more problems and yet, eventually, the two manage to get a working result with a mostly surprising solution.

According to the authors, it is the manual ineptitude that inspires the stories. The humour is not the only feature of the show. Another feature is having an optimistic approach towards life. The two characters always get into problematic situations, but they never give up until they solve the problem in imaginative ways.[1]

The show is also memorable for its soundtrack, composed by the late Petr Skoumal, of which the main parts consist of the theme song and a harmonica tune.

History

The two characters first appeared in a 1976 short film entitled Kuťáci (The Tinkers). Later, the characters appeared in more shorts, making their own series on Slovak TV entitled ... A je to! (... And that's it!), where they got their final look. The two handymen got their names Pat and Mat in 1989, and this became the name of the show.

While creating the two characters, the authors had in mind especially entertainment for adults, but the show became popular with all audiences. However, in former Czechoslovakia, the first 29 episodes of the series could have been produced as children's TV programme only, in the short's format of 7–9 minutes.

Thanks to its distinct lack of spoken dialogue, the show became popular throughout the world, being aired in nations that include Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia), Sweden, Syria, Iraq, Poland, former Yugoslavia, Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, Finland, Japan, Norway, Spain, Iran, Hungary, Jordan, South Africa, and South Korea. In the Netherlands, the characters are given dubbed dialogue (with the voices of Kees Prins and Siem van Leeuwen)

In 1990, shortly after the communist regime collapsed and Czechoslovakia became more open to the world (and later the Czech and Slovak republics), Lubomír Beneš founded his own AIF Studio in Prague (production) and Zürich (marketing, sales, financing), where he and his team produced 14 more episodes, and introduced all 49 of them to the international market.

Three years after Beneš's death in 1995, his studio went into bankruptcy, igniting some copyright issues over the characters and the 50th episode, which therefore was never released. In the meantime, Beneš's son Marek founded his own studio, Patmat film. Production of episodes was resumed in 2002 by Ateliéry Bonton Zlín, resulting in 28 episodes produced by three studios (Ateliéry Bonton, Anima and Patmat) in just three years. Many crew members were veterans who worked on the original TV series.

The characters were revived once again in 2011 by Beneš for a new series, Pat a Mat na venkově (Pat & Mat in the Country). The pilot, Postele (The Beds), produced in 2009, premiered at the 50th Zlín Film Festival in 2010.[2] Twelve more episodes followed from 2011 to 2015, produced at Patmat film and filmed in 16:9. Beneš directed and wrote all 13 episodes. The episodes were released on DVD in 2013 and received their TV premiere on the Dutch channel VPRO on 9 June 2013. New episodes are currently in production.[3]

Cinema

To celebrate the show's 40th anniversary, in some countries including the Netherlands, seven new episodes were shown in cinema in 2016.[4] Gusto Entertainment announced in December 2015 that there will be a full-length feature film that will be released in cinemas in 2016.

Festivals, awards, prizes

Several Pat & Mat episodes have received prizes and awards at world animation festivals during the years.

From the latest ones directed by Lubomír Beneš, the 38th episode The Cyclists, animated by Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, participated at the "Annecy '93" (Annecy, France) animation festival competition, and has been invited to a number of other world festivals.

The Cyclists has also been included in the selection "The Best of Annecy '93" by Cinémathèque Québécoise (Montreal), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley), Museum of Modern Art (New York) and presented by these institutions in their autumn 1993 show.

The 44th episode The Billiards, animated by František Váša, has been selected for the "Annecy '95" competition, and invited to almost all other world film festivals.

The Billiards got two prizes at the World Animation Celebration in Agoura (CA), March 1997:

The 50th episode Playing Cards (original name Karty) written, animated and directed by František Váša, has been selected for the "Annecy '99" TV competition.

Controversies

Czechoslovakia

Pat (right) and Mat (left) during the 1979-1985 era.

In socialist Czechoslovakia, the authors had to explain their "subversive" characters and stories to the Prague watch-dogs of the regime, with one of the questions being whether they chose the shirt colours, red and yellow, to make fun of the Soviet-Chinese tensions. However, their explanations were "unsatisfactory", and so the "ideologic impurity" remained and further production on Pat & Mat was banned. Yet, the Slovak colleagues from Czechoslovak TV in Bratislava gave Pat & Mat the necessary support and assigned them production means so the production resumed in the same Czech studio in Prague where Lubomír Beneš and his crew worked, under their Slovak cover (28 episodes, 1979–1985). However, Mat's shirt was changed from red to a neutral grey (which changed back to red in 1989).

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the children programmers of German-language Swiss TV excluded some of the episodes from broadcasting because they contained high amounts of slapstick violence, which they deemed "too dangerous", while the French- and Italian-language channels had no such problems.

Home media

After appearing on VHS for a decade, the first 35 episodes were released on DVD in the early 2000s, with the 28 new episodes ending the releases in 2005. Shorts from the AIF era were initially unavailable because of copyright issues,[5] which continued until 2007, when the remaining aired episodes appeared on DVD for the first time.[6]

List of show title in other languages

Original
Other languages (in alphabetic order)

* In the Dutch version the characters talk, whereas in the original and all other countries there is no dialogue. Pat is voiced by Kees Prins and Mat by Simon van Leeuwen.

List of episodes

N/e Year of production English Title Czech Title
(Slovak in 1979-1985)		 Episode Director
Pilot
produced in the Barrandov animation studios (Krátký Film), Prague
1 1976 Tinkers Kuťáci Lubomír Beneš
...A je to!
produced in the Barrandov animation studios (Krátký Film), Prague, courtesy of Czechoslovak Television, Bratislava
2 1979 Wallpaper Tapety Lubomír Beneš
3 1979 Workshop Dielňa Lubomír Beneš
4 1979 Carpet Koberec Lubomír Beneš
5 1979 Rocking Chair Hojdacie kreslo Lubomír Beneš
6 1979 Picture Obraz Lubomír Beneš
7 1979 Garage Garáž Lubomír Beneš
8 1979 The Light Svetlo Lubomír Beneš
9 1981 Gramophone Gramofón Lubomír Beneš
10 1981 Grill Gril Lubomír Beneš
11 1982 Moving Day Sťahovanie Lubomír Beneš
12 1982 Water Voda Lubomír Beneš
13 1982 Garden Záhradka Lubomír Beneš
14 1982 Paint Job Maľovanie Lubomír Beneš
15 1982 Crossword Puzzle Krížovka Lubomír Beneš
16 1982 Jumpers (Aerials) Skokani Lubomír Beneš
17 1983 Birdhouse Búdka Lubomír Beneš
18 1983 Laundry Day Veľké pranie Lubomír Beneš
19 1983 Breakfast in Grass Raňajky v tráve Lubomír Beneš
20 1983 Washing Machine Práčka Lubomír Beneš
21 1983 Rain Dážď Lubomír Beneš
22 1983 The Gym Telocvičňa Lubomír Beneš
23 1984 Trip Výlet Lubomír Beneš
24 1984 Winemakers Vinári Lubomír Beneš
25 1984 Skates Korčule Lubomír Beneš
26 1984 Piano Klavír Lubomír Beneš
27 1985 Potters Hrnčiari Lubomír Beneš
28 1985 Malfunction Porucha Lubomír Beneš
29 1985 Apple Jablko Lubomír Beneš
Pat & Mat
produced in the Barrandov animation studios (Krátký Film), Prague
30 1989 The Key Klíč Lubomír Beneš
31 1989 Furniture Nábytek Lubomír Beneš
32 1990 Lawnmower Sekačka Lubomír Beneš
33 1990 Cleaning Day Generální úklid Lubomír Beneš
34 1990 Door Dveře Lubomír Beneš
35 1990 Roof Střecha Lubomír Beneš
Pat & Mat
produced in the authors' AIF Studio, Prague
36 1992 Biscuits Sušenky Marek Beneš
37 1992 Garage Door Vrata Lubomír Beneš
38 1992 Cyclists Cyklisti Lubomír Beneš
39 1992 Tiles Dlaždice Lubomír Beneš
40 1992 Parquet Parkety Lubomír Beneš
41 1992 Gutter Pipe Okap Marek Beneš
42 1992 Convertible Kabriolet Lubomír Beneš
43 1994 Accident Nehoda Lubomír Beneš
44 1994 Billiard Kulečník Lubomír Beneš
45 1994 Hedgerow Živý plot Lubomír Beneš
46 1994 The Safe Trezor Lubomír Beneš
47 1994 Fender Blatník Lubomír Beneš
48 1994 Model Builders Modeláři Lubomír Beneš
49 1994 Windsurfing Windsurfing Lubomír Beneš
episode not released for distribution
(produced by part of the former Lubomír Beneš's team without his heirs' consent)
50 1998 The Cards Karty František Váša
Pat a Mat, Pat a Mat se vracejí
(followers, with Marek Beneš or his consent)
51 2002 Puzzle Puzzle Marek Beneš
52 2003 Roasted Sausages Opékají špekáčky Ladislav Pálka
53 2003 Roof Repair Opravují střechu Ladislav Pálka
54 2003 Black Box Černá bedýnka Vlasta Pospíšilová
55 2003 Wheels Kolečka Vlasta Pospíšilová
56 2003 Dog House Psí bouda Milan Šebesta
57 2003 Lacquering the Floor Natírají podlahu Ladislav Pálka
58 2003 The Greenhouse Skleník Marek Beneš
59 2003 The Swing Houpačka Marek Beneš
60 2003 Unwanted Guest Nezvaný návštěvník Marek Beneš
61 2003 Bodyguards Bodygárdi Marek Beneš
62 2003 Painting The Windows Natírají okna Marek Beneš
63 2003 Easter Egg Velikonoční vajíčko Vlasta Pospíšilová
64 2003 Slim Figure Štíhlá linie Vlasta Pospíšilová
65 2003 Vending Machine Automat Marek Beneš
66 2003 Autodrome Autodráha Marek Beneš
67 2003 Aquarium Akvárium Marek Beneš
68 2003 Canning Zavařují Ladislav Pálka
69 2003 Hang Glider Rogalo Ladislav Pálka
70 2003 Christmas Cake Vánočka Milan Šebesta
71 2003 Flu Stůňou Ladislav Pálka
72 2003 Fax Machine Fax Josef Lamka
73 2003 Strawberries Jahody Vlasta Pospíšilová
74 2004 Playing Golf Hrají golf Ladislav Pálka
75 2004 Bottle Cap Někam to zapadlo Vlasta Pospíšilová
76 2004 Swimming Pool Kopají bazén Marek Beneš
77 2004 Hanging A Painting Věší krajinu Marek Beneš
78 2004 Christmas Tree Vánoční stromeček Marek Beneš
Pat a Mat na venkově
produced by Patmat film, Prague
79 2009 Beds Postele Marek Beneš
80 2011 Paper Plates Papírový servis Marek Beneš
81 2011 Water Supply Vodovod Marek Beneš
82 2011 Projector Promítačka Marek Beneš
83 2012 Vacuum Cleaner Vysavač Marek Beneš
84 2012 The Floor Podlaha Marek Beneš
85 2012 The Pool Bazén Marek Beneš
86 2013 Deadwood Suchý strom Marek Beneš
87 2014 Orange juice Pomerančová šťáva Marek Beneš
88 2014 Bicycle Rotoped Marek Beneš
89 2015 Cactus Kaktus Marek Beneš
90 2015 Cover Slunecni clona Marek Beneš
91 2015 Bathroom tiles Obkladacky Marek Beneš

The 50th episode The Cards (original name Karty) completed in 1998 by some people of the original AIF Studio and originally prepared with Lubomir Beneš, was to be the beginning of a new format of the show. It was directed, animated and written by František Váša, different from earlier episodes and filmed in widescreen format (16:9), slightly longer (lasting 11 minutes), had a dialogue, a new soundtrack and new opening and closing sequences.[7] The characters were voiced by Czech actor David Nykl.[8]

The original plan, of Beneš and Jiránek, was to make further episodes of the new series, possibly also half-hours, and a feature film.[7][9] Its implementation, however, did not come into effect due to embezzlement of funds and trust by two members of the former Czech management. And, as made without any knowledge of Lubomír Beneš' heirs, it was the only episode filmed that was not distributed or released as the Zurich management member and worldwide distributor refused to do so, while terminating any contacts to the Prague former colleagues.[7]

Lubomír Beneš died in 1995, and the two of the Czech management of the then quickly dissipating Prague AIF Studio didn't have access to the rights to the characters any longer, as both Marek Beneš and Vladimír Jiránek left their studio in grave disagreement with them. The Prague management planned to get the rights from Lubomir Beneš's heirs, but they had to sort the embezzlement part first. One of them even promised to do so in a meeting with the angry team, yet soon after they completed the episode they decided to declare bankruptcy. Due to these circumstances, this episode has never been released or distributed.[7]

The only trace from this episode was a screenshot posted on the AIF Studio Pat & Mat (original) website.[7] However, the former management set up their studio called Animation People and posted more screenshots on their website. The screenshots disappeared in the middle of September 2010 when the studio modified their website. However, the same studio later uploaded a small clip of the episode on the website.[10] The episode was eventually uploaded to YouTube, sourced from a Korean VHS.[11]

Books

At least two books with the series' characters were published:

Video game

On 1 August 2007 a Czech computer development company, Centauri Production, announced on their website that they have secured the rights to Pat and Mat to create a video game of the same name. The game was released in Czech Republic on 1 October 2009. It was released in other EU countries in 2010. The game is available in English and Czech. It is also available for purchase via Steam[12] and Desura.[13]

Merchandise

There is a wide range of all kind of merchandise articles of Pat & Mat, including games, dolls, key rings, office material, posters, T-shirts, etc.. In Dutch supermarkets also food including cookies is available.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Pat & Mat/...and that's it! series - More About". Patandmat.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  2. ↑ "Detail filmu | Pat a Mat na venkově: Postele | 54. ZLÍN FILM FESTIVAL 2014 - Mezinárodní festival pro děti a mládež". Zlinfest.cz. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  3. ↑ "ze zijn terug! - VPRO". Vpro.nl. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  4. ↑ (Dutch)
  5. ↑ Jürg Schaeppi. "Pat & Mat | Fansite". Schaeppi.tv. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  6. ↑ "Pat a Mat speciál ... A je to! (2007) [TV seriál] - režie: Lubomír Beneš, Marek Beneš". Fdb.cz. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 AIF Studio Zurich > Contact (article revision, version of 21 November 12, 9:36 am, 24 November 12, 20:10 CET)
  8. ↑ © Citia (2013-06-15). "> About > Archives > 1999 > Official Selection > Film Index". Annecy. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  9. ↑ "Pat & Mat/...and that's it! series - About". Patandmat.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  10. ↑ "Animation technologies". Animation.cz. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  11. ↑ "Video of the 50th episode". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  12. ↑ "Save 50% on Pat & Mat on Steam". Store.steampowered.com. 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  13. ↑ "Pat & Mat Windows game". Desura. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  14. ↑

External links

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