The 15 most philosophical comedy movies of all time. In the story, based on bohumil hrabals novel of the same name, vaclav neckar plays a czech railroad worker during the nazi occupation. Ostre sledovane vlaky is a 1966 czechoslovak film directed by jiri menzel and is one of the bestknown products of the. The story is set in prague towards the end of the second world war. Closely watched trains is the subtle and poetic portrait of milos hrma, a timid. Closely watched trains is the perfect example of a smart comedy. This forgiving bent is on ample display in closely watched trains one of the more moving debut features of the 1960s. In the story we follow young milos during the last days of wwii. Closely watched trains dvd 1966 region 1 us import ntsc. It has subtitles and is in black and white actually a strength as it is superb film stock. Jiri menzels closely watched trains, his debut film which he made at the age of 28 and which one the academy award for foreign language film that year, is at once one of the simplest examples of a comingofage film and one of the most layered ones. Closely watched trains 1966 cast and crew moviefone.
From jiri menzels famous film closely watched trains from 1966. He undergoes several philosophical changes as he becomes attracted to the czech underground. Sadly for fans of the film franchise, how to train your dragons director dean deblois. This is the trailer to closely watched trains taken from the criterion dvd. A reference guide to film themes, settings, and series, by richard b. Bohumil hrabal the close watcher of trains art bin. It is a comingofage story about a young man working at a train station in germanoccupied czechoslovakia during world war ii. Closely observed trains won the best foreign film oscar and sparked a brief craze for czech filmmaking in the west.
Closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal is the coming of age story of milos hrma, a young man in czechoslovakia. 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. View the tcmdb entry for closely watched trains 1967. Closely watched trains, a czechoslovakian movie directed by jiri menzel in 1966, won the award in the best foreign language film category in 1968. A real charmer from the heyday of the czech new wave, set during the german occupation but totally immersed in the pubescent problems of a youth. Our oblivious hero works as a train stationmaster trainee, woos the ladies, and encounters all sorts of odd people while apparently unaware that a war is going on around him. He is ineptly led into an erotic encounter with a beautiful girl and fails to perform.
It was released in the united kingdom as closely observed trains. Renowned film scholar georges sadoul in his dictionary of films wrote, jiri menzels first feature recalls the work of milos forman in its elliptically funny, but tender observation of the quirks of humanity. Jiri menzel closely watches a young man whose life revolves. Closely watched trains trailer turner classic movies. This oscarwinning czech film based on the german occupation of the country during wwii is as heralded as it is surprisingly simplistic. Pack with lots of characters, acute observations of people, sexy, funny and sad in their turn. When i saw this film, about twenty years ago, i knew nothing about bohumil hrabal, the author of the novel, and jiri menzel, the director.
The film has certainly dated in its unabashed sexism, but its message of smaller personal concerns being swamped by greater political ones is still touching. Closely watched trains 1966 josef somr and jitka zelenohorska in closely watched. This film is a stylish and sensitive examination of adolescent fears and insecurities, a topic that never ever goes out of fashion. Closely watched trains 1966 greatest film scenes vishadan m. One of my alltime favourite films since i saw this at the film school. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Day after day as he watches trains fly by, he torments himself. Jiri menzel, closely observed trains 1966 closely watched trains, closely. Closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal goodreads.
It has won several international awards, including an oscar for best foreign film in 1967. Indeed, if youre charged up emotionally, youd better lie down for an hour or. Closely watched trains npr coverage of closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal and translated by edith pargeter. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and selfdiscovery, encountering a universe of frustration. The hidden world performed incredibly well in cinemas and has now. Closely watched trains 1966 directed by jiri menzel. Ostre sledovane vlaky is a 1966 czechoslovak film directed by jiri menzel and is one of the bestknown products of the czechoslovak new wave.
Closely observed trains, however, won hollywoods best foreign language film. Bohumil hrabal 191497 began writing stories when he was a member of an underground literary group in postwar czechoslovakia that. Closely watched trains 1966 greatest film scenes youtube. Closely watched trains 1966 the criterion collection. Beyond menzel, the name to survive is milos forman, whose the firemans ball 1968 was very much of a piece with the film under discussion, and who then of course went on to great success in hollywood with one flew over the cuckoos nest 1975 and amadeus 1984. Its wwii and czechoslovakia is under the control of the third reich. As the main character and narrator, twentytwo year old milos hrma tells the story of his time working at a. Arrow has done a great job with the transfer and special. But this approach, which i put forth so ponderously, is gauzy in hrabal, lightly, artfully deployed. An apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and.
Rent closely watched trains 1966 on dvd and bluray. It comes from czechoslovakia and isnt pushy like those big american movies. Wry and tender, academy awardwinning closely watched trains is a masterpiece of human observation and one of the bestloved films of the czech new. Closely watched trains is a slender but tightly and skillfully written novella. Closely watched trains, a 1965 comingofage novella by the czech writer bohumil hrabal. Another source of entries was the list of movies that either take place on trains or feature memorable train scenes given in the movie list book. The relatively short history of film is packed to the gills with urban legends, both true and false, so it shouldnt come as a surprise that one of the firstever movie screenings is also the source of films most longstanding legends. Czech director jiri menzels closely watched trains ostre sledovane vlaky was the recipient of the academy award for best foreign language film in 1967. Closely observed trains itself won an oscar for best foreign film. Guised as a coming of age story of a young man, milos hrma, it is really the coming of age story of a country. Hrabals postwar classic about a young mans coming of age in germanoccupied czechoslovakia is among his most beloved and accessible works.
Jiri menzel, its director, stayed and was unable to make films for some time. Closely watched trains 1966 the movie database tmdb. Did one of the first film audiences panic over footage of. A funny look at a dramatic world through the eyes of railway workers in a small town in wartime czechoslovakia. Later i knew about the situation that many talented people went through in czechoslovakia after the prague springtime and the invasion of the country by the soviet tanks in 1968. But watched trains is really milos coming of age story, complete with the requisite. A scene from 1966 czechoslovakian film closely watched trains ostre sledovane directed by jiri menzel. Closely watched trains is a quiet, charming, very, human film.
Closely watched trains at a village railway station in occupied czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatchers apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Armstrong and mary willems armstrong 1990, mcfarland, isbn 0899502407. Jiri menzels closely observed trains 1966 the author. It merges a typical comingofage story with large amounts of humor and a somewhat uncommon war story. Closely watched trains 1966 6 11181966 xc comedy, drama, war 1h 33m user score. Closely watched trains is the subtle and poetic portrait of milos hrma, a timid young railroad apprentice who insulates himself with fantasy against a reality filled with cruelty and grief. September 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message. Closely observed trains won menzel a best foreign film oscar when he. Its no wonder ken loach regards this as a favourite film.
In a small town still occupied by the germans as world war iis tide is turning toward the allies, apprentice trainwatcher milos is oblivious to the war. I dont know if im ready to declare closely watched trains a masterpiece yet, but, im pretty close. Although no one will ever arrive at a definitive answer about who invented cinema probably because no single person was responsible, louis lumiere 18641948 has one of the strongest claims because he. Closely watched trains 1966 is one of them fereign films. This article needs additional citations for verification. 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 rewatching. At a village railway station in occupied czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatchers apprentice longs to liberate himself. Closely watched trains film by menzel 1966 britannica. Trainee milos has just joined the railway company and is learning the job.
1172 990 1133 266 96 121 666 904 364 1291 839 658 619 844 169 621 1187 889 1446 851 1161 915 919 964 1156 1315 268 1042 1462 451 673 985 284 160 399 1136 768 378 1190 972 975 1168 563 1409 787