#131: MENZEL, Jiří: Closely Watched Trains (1966)

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MENZEL, Jiří (Czechoslovakia)
Closely Watched Trains [1966]
Spine #131
DVD


At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher's apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot. 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.

93 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Czech
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2001
Director/Writers


From the novel by Bohumil Hrabal.
Screenplay by Hrabal and Jiří Menzel.
Menzel was 28 when he directed Closely Watched Trains.

Other Menzel films in the Collection:

Eclipse Series 32: Capricious Summer (1968)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-page wraparound featuring an essay by Richard Schickel.

Commentary

None.

U.S. theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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