Sep. 4, 2008. Set in the late 1940s, the film concerns the treatment of suspect "bourgeois elements", a professor, a saxophonist, and a milkman, who are put to work in a junkyard for rehabilitation. A bumbling railroad dispatcher joins the resistance in World War II to impress the girls. The charm of his film is in the quietness and slyness of his earthy comedy, the wonderful finesse of understatements, the wise and humorous understanding of primal sex. Jiri Menzel 'closely watches' a young man whose life revolves around a desire to lose his virginity, when he is not "busy" guarding a railway platform, literally watching and waving at the trains. The film premiered in Czechoslovakia on 18 November 1966. closely watched trains - Rent Movies and TV Shows on DVD and Blu-ray. The Question and Answer section for Closely Watched Trains is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.. An evocation of the childhood memories of Bohumil Hrabal in his provincial town of Nymburk, dominated by the local brewery. Noam Dvir. Jiri Menzel at the Algonquin Hotel in 1968. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch Closely Watched Trains (1966) on-demand. In the meantime, we are lucky to have Closely Watched Trains, a film that remains as fresh and potent as it was when we first saw it so many years ago, a film that continues to reward many a close re-watching. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Closely Watched Trains is a Czech film that won the Oscar for best foreign film in 1967. Closely Watched Trains is a a film to be watched again and again. Crowther wrote: What it appears Mr. Menzel is aiming at all through his film is just a wonderfully sly, sardonic picture of the embarrassments of a youth coming of age in a peculiarly innocent yet worldly provincial environment. It was released in the United Kingdom as Closely Observed Trains. Fast, free delivery. The film won several international awards: 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel, Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival, List of submissions to the 40th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, List of Czechoslovakia submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners", "Closely Watched Trains" Wins Foreign Language Film: 1968 Oscars, Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Closely_Watched_Trains&oldid=1011257407, Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners, Czech resistance to Nazi occupation in film, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 March 2021, at 21:59. It comes from Czechoslovakia and isn't pushy like those big American movies; it will not force its point of view on you, or sweep you up in a tide of emotion. GD-12987; Vinyl LP). Closely Watched Trains Directed by Jiří Menzel • 1966 • Czechoslovakia Starring Václav Neckář, Josef Somr, Vlastimil Brodský At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Set in Central Europe during World War II, a demented cremator believes cremation relieves earthly suffering and sets out to save the world. Czechoslovakia 1918. Print article. The Germans and their collaborators are on edge, since their trains are being attacked by the partisans. Share in Twitter. Rated #926 in the best albums of 1987. Genres: Post-Punk. A volunteer fire department throws a party for their former boss with the whole town invited, but nothing goes as planned. Does Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, and 50+ streaming services have Closely Watched Trains (1966)? Closely Watched Trains (in Czech Ostře sledované vlaky), is a 1966 Czech film by Jiří Menzel, based on a short novel of the same name by famous Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal.It has won several international awards, including an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1967. Ask Your Own Question Title: "Closely Watched Trains" is a quiet, charming, very, human film. Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal is the coming of age story of Milos Hrma, a young man in Czechoslovakia. AKA: Ostre sledované vlaky, Поiзди пiд пильним спостереженням, Closely Observed Trains. Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic. Set in the country, during the German occupation. It is a coming-of-age story about a young man working at a train station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Zen Read. View production, box office, & company info. A look at the glamorous life at an old-world Prague hotel. Richard Schickel is a film critic for Time. In his study of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Peter Hames places the film in a broader context, connecting it inter alia to the most famous anti-hero of Czech literature, Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk, a fictional World War 1 soldier whose artful evasion of duty and undermining of authority are sometimes held to epitomize characteristic Czech qualities: In its attitudes, if not its form, Closely Observed Trains is the Czech film that comes closest to the humour and satire of The Good Soldier Švejk, not least because it is prepared to include the reality of the war as a necessary aspect of its comic vision. Its structure will make any film student drool with envy. It was produced by Barrandov Studios and filmed on location in Central Bohemia. Was this review helpful to you? Closely Watched Trains, an Album by Glorious Din. The sometimes pompous stationmaster is an enthusiastic pigeon-breeder with a kind wife, but is envious of the train dispatcher Hubička's success with women. It's a story (in a form of a mosaic of short episodes and pictures) about the sadness and happiness of inhabitants... See full summary ». Closely Watched Trains is a slender but tightly and skillfully written novella. The attack on ideological dogmatism, bureaucracy and anachronistic moral values undoubtedly strikes wider targets than the period of Nazi Occupation. Closely Watched Trains Questions and Answers. It was produced by Barrandov Studiosand filmed on location in Central Bohemia. [7] Release outside Czechoslovakia took place in the following year. The young Miloš Hrma, who speaks with misplaced pride of his family of misfits and malingerers, is engaged as a newly trained station guard in a small railway station during the Second World War and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. Set in the country, during the German occupation. It is 90 minutes of cinematic perfection: funny, sad, exquisitely shot, beautiful to look at (watch it twice, so that the second time around you can focus on Menzel's genius in composing his shots), and insightful--profound, even. The next day, at the crucial moment when the ammunition train is approaching, Hubička is caught up in a farcical disciplinary hearing, overseen by Zedníček, over his rubber-stamping of Zdenička's backside. Get email notification for articles from Noam Dvir Follow. Reality movie of a few days in the life of a Czech teenager when he starts work. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Relea… Her mother sees the stamps and complains to Hubička's superiors, and the ensuing scandal helps to frustrate the stationmaster's ambition of being promoted to inspector. In Hubička's place, Miloš, liberated by his experience with Viktoria from his former passivity, takes the time bomb and drops it from a semaphore gantry, that extends transversely above the tracks, onto the train. [4] Now Hubička and the other railwaymen are indeed laughing — to express their joy at the blow to the Nazi occupiers — and it is left to a wistful Máša to pick up Miloš's uniform cap, hurled across the station by the power of the blast. This FAQ is empty. During the nightshift, Hubička flirts with the young telegraphist, Zdenička, and imprints her thighs and buttocks with the office's rubber stamps. Share in Twitter. Oscar for best foreign film in 1967. The film is based on a 1965 novel by Bohumil Hrabal. The dark stain war leaves behind, though, cannot be erased just that easily. Stream & Watch Online Powered by JustWatch. Closely Watched Trains subtitles. And it is in the brilliance with which he counterpoints the casual affairs of his country characters with the realness, the urgency and significance of those passing trains. The film is based on a 1965 novel of the same name by the noted Czech author Bohumil Hrabal, whose work Jiří Menzel had already begun to adapt in 1965 in the short The Death of Mr. Balthazar, a segment from the anthology film of Hrabal stories Pearls from the Deep. [5] Menzel's first choice for the lead role of Miloš was Vladimír Pucholt, who however was occupied filming Jiří Krejčík's Svatba jako řemen. He is saved, and a young doctor explains to him that ejaculatio praecox is normal at Miloš's age. Unlike most films of this sort, Closely Watched Trains doesn't immediately focus on the evils of Fascism. The experienced Hubička presses for details of their relationship and realizes that Miloš is still a virgin. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. Add the first question. The film is based on a 1965 novel by Bohumil Hrabal. Use the HTML below. They collaborated on the script of the long-banned film Larks on a String, filmed in 1969 but not released until 1990. A glamorous Resistance agent (a circus artist in peacetime), code-named Viktoria Freie, delivers a time bomb to Hubička for use in blowing up a large ammunition train. It's just a beautiful work of art. Send in e-mail Send in e-mail. A machine-gunner on the train, spotting Miloš, sprays him with bullets, and his body falls onto the train. It was released in the United Kingdom as Closely Observed Trains. Set during World War II, Closely Watched Trains stars Vaclav Neckar as Milo, a young man who lands a job with a railroad at the moment that the German Army begins its occupation of his hometown. 'Closely Watched Trains' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Criterion Channel, Apple iTunes, and Kanopy . Insofar as these conditions recur, under the Nazi Occupation or elsewhere, the response will be the same.[5]. Closely Watched Trains . The idyll of the railway station is periodically disturbed by the arrival of the councillor, Zedníček, a Nazi collaborator, who spouts propaganda at the staff without success. Poor Milos suffers from a severe case of premature ejaculation. (1966). It is Jiri Menzel's "Closely Watched Trains," which was presented here in June in a showing of Czechoslovak films at the Museum of Modern Art under the banal title of "A Difficult Love." Closely Watched Trains (Czech: Ostře sledované vlaky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Bohumil Hrabal's novel (or novella, more precisely) Closely Watched Trains first hit the scene in 1965. Although with no aristocratic background, he is a man of fortune and ... See full summary ». Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called Closely Watched Trains "as expert and moving in its way as was Jan Kadár's and Elmar Klos's The Shop on Main Street or Milos Forman's Loves of a Blonde," two roughly contemporary films from Czechoslovakia. His sense for witty situations is as impressive as his adroit handling of the players. Find the cheapest option or how to watch … No late fees. I understand how, but why? Share in Facebook. It is a coming-of-age story about a young man working at a train station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. A young man follows his father's footsteps and joins the railway company, where he learns the job and has his first affair. With the Nazi collaborator Zedníček winding up the disciplinary hearing, dismissing the Czech people as "nothing but laughing hyenas" (a phrase actually employed by the senior Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich[3]), the implicit retort to his jibe comes in the form of a huge series of explosions that destroys the train. At one point Menzel considered playing the role himself, but concluded that at almost 28 he was too old. He admires himself in his new uniform, and looks forward, like his prematurely retired railwayman father, to avoiding real work. A factory manager in rural Czechoslovakia bargains with the army to send men to the area, to boost the morale of his young female workers, deprived of male company since the local boys have... See full summary ». Michael Crew . Locations were used in and around the station building in Loděnice. Its economy of expression, darkly spiced with humor, is in sharp contrast to the seriousness of its intent – an anthem for doomed youth set in German occupied Czechoslovakia in 1945. A special word of praise must go to Bohumil Hrabal, the creator of the literary original; the many amusing gags and imaginative situations are primarily his. Please resist any impulse to see it as a "political" film--it is nothing of the sort. This movie is based on texts of Bohumil Hrabal, world-known Czech prosaic. Miloš holds an as-yet platonic love for the pretty, young conductor Máša. A young man follows his father's footsteps and joins the railway company, where he learns the job and has his first affair. A carpenter in the Fascist Slovak State is appointed "Aryan controller" of a Jewish widow's store. Closely Watched Trains December 18, 2016 Harry Like Postriziny, Closely Watched Trains began as a Czech novel by Bohumil Hrabal, was adapted into a film by Jiri Menzel, and then became a popular stage show. Fifteen non-professional actors were tested, before the wife of Ladislav Fikar (a poet and publisher) came up with the suggestion of the pop singer Václav Neckář. [8], The 28-year-old Jiri Menzel registers a remarkable directorial debut. Written by The opening scene of the gem of Czech new wave of late 1960s; "Closely Watched Trains" by Jiří Menzel. The Question and Answer section for Closely Watched Trains is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.. [6] The association between Menzel and Hrabal was to continue. Milos Hrma is a timid railroad apprentice who insulates himself with fantasy against a reality filled with cruelty and grief. The doctor recommends Miloš to "think of something else" (at which point Miloš volunteers an interest in football), and to seek the assistance of an experienced woman. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Agnieszka Holland (‘Charlatan’) on her Czech International Feature Oscar contender: ‘It’s an intimate story with an epic scope’ [Exclusive Video Interview], Streaming Spotlight: trains on film by Jennie Kermode, Favorite Movies of a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, Lesser-Known Author and Auteur Collaborations, 35 Oldest Oscar Winning Best Foreign Language Films. Closely Watched Trains takes a very dark turn about forty-five minutes in, and I don't quite understand why. It is the story of the curiously naive railwayman/kid Milos Hrma who overcomes his sexual impotence by succesfully consummating intercourse with an older woman. Closely Watched Trains is a 1966 screenplay by Czech writer and director Jiří Menzel.Part of the New Wave movement in Czechoslovakian literature and film, characterized by dark humor and surreal dialogue and events, it concerns a young man who lives in Czechoslovakia during World War II. Wry and tender, Academy Award™-winning Closely Watched Trains is a masterpiece of human observation and one of the best-loved films of the Czech New Wave. Closely Watched Trains (Czech: Ostře sledované vlaky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It's a coming-of-age type story that delves into the viewers psyche, young Milos who has some troubles with his girlfriend, seems to have this dwell on his life. Wry and tender, Academy Award®-winning Closely Watched Trains is a masterpiece of human observation and one of the best-loved films of the Czech New Wave. [3] Barrandov Studios first offered the film project to the more experienced directors Evald Schorm and Vera Chytilova, neither of whom saw a way to adapt the book to film,[5] before offering it to Menzel as his feature-film debut. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? After coming home from a Party gathering one night, a Czech official becomes convinced that he is about to be the subject of a political purge and tries to do damage control, while also dealing with his turbulent marriage. The story is set in Prague towards the end of the Second World War. It merges a typical Coming-of-Age Story with large amounts of humor and a somewhat uncommon war story. Discover something for everyone this month with some choice picks for the best movies and TV to stream in April. Ask Your Own Question The acting is flawless, particularly the performance by Josef Somr as train-dispatcher Hubicka. There was a fantastic, delightful air to this picture before the turn. At Hubička's request, the "experienced" Viktoria also helps Miloš to resolve his sexual problem. Send in e-mail Send in e-mail. However, it would be wrong to reduce the film to a coded reflection on contemporary Czech society: the attitudes and ideas derive from the same conditions that originally inspired Hašek. Day after day as he watches trains fly by, he torments himself with the suspicion that he himself is being watched and with fears of impotency. Closely Watched Trains is my favorite movie ever. Instead, Menzel universalizes a political story by delving deeper into the psychology of his main … The cast is composed of wonderful types down the line.[9]. [5] Menzel has related that he himself took on the cameo role of the doctor only at the last minute after the actor originally cast failed to show up for shooting. There is not one superfluous word or allusion. Closely Watched Trains Questions and Answers. 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