The hidden world performed incredibly well in cinemas and has now. Closely watched trains 1966 the criterion collection. 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. Closely observed trains won menzel a best foreign film oscar when he. It merges a typical comingofage story with large amounts of humor and a somewhat uncommon war story. 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. Closely watched trains 1966 greatest film scenes youtube. Closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal goodreads. 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. Arrow has done a great job with the transfer and special.
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. Closely watched trains is a slender but tightly and skillfully written novella. Rent closely watched trains 1966 on dvd and bluray. But watched trains is really milos coming of age story, complete with the requisite. Closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal is the coming of age story of milos hrma, a young man in czechoslovakia. Closely watched trains 1966 greatest film scenes vishadan m. This film is a stylish and sensitive examination of adolescent fears and insecurities, a topic that never ever goes out of fashion. But this approach, which i put forth so ponderously, is gauzy in hrabal, lightly, artfully deployed. Its wwii and czechoslovakia is under the control of the third reich. Jiri menzel, closely observed trains 1966 closely watched trains, closely. Closely watched trains is the perfect example of a smart comedy. This article needs additional citations for verification. Closely watched trains film by menzel 1966 britannica.
Closely watched trains, a 1965 comingofage novella by the czech writer bohumil hrabal. A funny look at a dramatic world through the eyes of railway workers in a small town in wartime czechoslovakia. Day after day as he watches trains fly by, he torments himself. 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. Closely watched trains 1966 6 11181966 xc comedy, drama, war 1h 33m user score. A reference guide to film themes, settings, and series, by richard b.
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. The 15 most philosophical comedy movies of all time. As the main character and narrator, twentytwo year old milos hrma tells the story of his time working at a. 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.
From jiri menzels famous film closely watched trains from 1966. One of my alltime favourite films since i saw this at the film school. Closely watched trains at a village railway station in occupied czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatchers apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Closely watched trains is a quiet, charming, very, human film. Closely watched trains 1966 is one of them fereign films. Closely watched trains trailer turner classic movies. Closely watched trains npr coverage of closely watched trains by bohumil hrabal and translated by edith pargeter. Closely observed trains itself won an oscar for best foreign film. Bohumil hrabal the close watcher of trains art bin. Guised as a coming of age story of a young man, milos hrma, it is really the coming of age story of a country. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. September 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message. Trainee milos has just joined the railway company and is learning the job. Jiri menzel, its director, stayed and was unable to make films for some time.
It was released in the united kingdom as closely observed trains. 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. 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. Hrabals postwar classic about a young mans coming of age in germanoccupied czechoslovakia is among his most beloved and accessible works. He is ineptly led into an erotic encounter with a beautiful girl and fails to perform. Closely watched trains is the subtle and poetic portrait of milos hrma, a timid. Ostre sledovane vlaky is a 1966 czechoslovak film directed by jiri menzel and is one of the bestknown products of the. Closely watched trains dvd 1966 region 1 us import ntsc. Czech director jiri menzels closely watched trains ostre sledovane vlaky was the recipient of the academy award for best foreign language film in 1967. In the story we follow young milos during the last days of wwii. Pack with lots of characters, acute observations of people, sexy, funny and sad in their turn.
This forgiving bent is on ample display in closely watched trains one of the more moving debut features of the 1960s. 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. At a village railway station in occupied czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatchers apprentice longs to liberate himself. 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 observed trains, however, won hollywoods best foreign language film. Closely watched trains, a czechoslovakian movie directed by jiri menzel in 1966, won the award in the best foreign language film category in 1968. Closely watched trains 1966 cast and crew moviefone.
It has won several international awards, including an oscar for best foreign film in 1967. Ostre sledovane vlaky is a 1966 czechoslovak film directed by jiri menzel and is one of the bestknown products of the czechoslovak new wave. 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. A scene from 1966 czechoslovakian film closely watched trains ostre sledovane directed by jiri menzel. This oscarwinning czech film based on the german occupation of the country during wwii is as heralded as it is surprisingly simplistic. View the tcmdb entry for closely watched trains 1967. It has subtitles and is in black and white actually a strength as it is superb film stock. 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. Its no wonder ken loach regards this as a favourite film. Closely watched trains 1966 directed by jiri menzel. Armstrong and mary willems armstrong 1990, mcfarland, isbn 0899502407. Sadly for fans of the film franchise, how to train your dragons director dean deblois.
It is a comingofage story about a young man working at a train station in germanoccupied czechoslovakia during world war ii. 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. Closely watched trains 1966 the movie database tmdb. Bohumil hrabal 191497 began writing stories when he was a member of an underground literary group in postwar czechoslovakia that. See the full list of closely watched trains cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. The story is set in prague towards the end of the second world war. Closely watched trains 1966 josef somr and jitka zelenohorska in closely watched. An apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and. Jiri menzel closely watches a young man whose life revolves. Closely observed trains won the best foreign film oscar and sparked a brief craze for czech filmmaking in the west. In the story, based on bohumil hrabals novel of the same name, vaclav neckar plays a czech railroad worker during the nazi occupation. Did one of the first film audiences panic over footage of. He undergoes several philosophical changes as he becomes attracted to the czech underground.
I dont think ive ever seen a film so filled with metaphor and sly social criticism. This is the trailer to closely watched trains taken from the criterion dvd. Jiri menzels closely observed trains 1966 the author. 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. The setting is germanoccupied czechoslovakia during wwii. It comes from czechoslovakia and isnt pushy like those big american movies. 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. 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.
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