Closely Observed Trains (1966) ( Closely Watched Trains )

Closely Observed Trains (1966) (Blu-Ray) (*)

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Alternate Title: Closely Watched Trains
Screened, competed or awarded at:
BAFTA Awards
Golden Globes
Oscar Academy Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
Czech ( Mono )
English ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C )

Running Time:
92 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Black & White
Remastered

Movie filmed in 1966 and produced in:
Czech Republic ( Russia, Eastern Europe )

Directed By:
Jiri Menzel

Written By:
Bohumil Hrabal
Jiri Menzel

Actors:
Václav Neckár ..... Trainee Milos Hrma
Josef Somr ..... Train dispatcher Hubicka
Vlastimil Brodský ..... Counselor Zednicek
Vladimír Valenta ..... Stationmaster Max
Alois Vachek ..... Novak
Ferdinand Kruta ..... Masa's Uncle Noneman
Jitka Bendová ..... Conducteress Masa
Jitka Zelenohorská ..... Zdenka
Nada Urbánková ..... Victoria Freie
Libuse Havelková ..... Max's wife
Kveta Fialová ..... The countess
Pavla Marsálková ..... Mother
Milada Jezková ..... Zdenka's mother
Václav Fiser ..... Plasterer (as V. Fiser)

Synopsis:

Shy teenage virgin Milo gets his first job as a railway dispatcher and is suddenly forced to confront the realities of the adult world, not least the temptations of the opposite sex. But they in turn are more attracted to his more experienced colleague Hubi ka and his distinctive way with an inkpad and rubber stamp... This could easily have fuelled a light comedy, but Ji í Menzel s bittersweet feature debut is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, and the various farcical goings-on threaten to distract attention from the far more pressing business of staying alive especially since German trains are being attacked by resistance fighters and everyone is under suspicion of collaboration. Co-written by the great Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal (author of the classic source novella), Closely Observed Trains won Menzel a Best Foreign Film Oscar when he was still in his twenties, and it remains one of the best-loved of all Czech films.

Czech director Jiri Menzel's Closely Watched Trains (Ostre sledovane vlaky) was the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1967. In the story, based on Bohumil Hrabal's novel of the same name, Vaclav Neckar plays a Czech railroad worker during the Nazi occupation. He undergoes several philosophical changes as he becomes attracted to the Czech underground. Determining at last that his own existence hardly matters in the scheme of things, Neckar volunteers for a suicide mission. Ordered by the Czech Communist government to return his Oscar, Menzel refused, opting instead to make a 'repentance' film which sang the praises of collectivism. This second film has long since been forgotten, while Closely Watched Trains remains on record as one of the biggest financial successes of the Eastern European Cinema.

An apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and becomes despondent when he is unable to perform.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 01 March, 2016.

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