Dok Night _ SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXICINEMA _ CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS 1966 (Ostre sledované vlaky)

CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS   1966
(Ostre sledované vlaky)

Directed by Jiří Menzel
93 minutes
In Czech with English subtitles

Winner of the Academy award for Best Foreign film in 1967, this is one of the most charming and beautiful films in the history of cinema. Made in that small gap of freedom before the Russian tanks came into Prague in 68, this film captures perfectly the spirit of the times.

Jiří Menzel’s funny, tragic 1966 film, set during the 1940’s in Czechoslovakia is a real piece of nostalgia. The scene is during World War II and the Nazis are officially in control, and actively imposing their bureaucracy on the nation. Vaclav Neckar stars as a youth working at a village railway depot, whose chief preoccupation is a desire for sexual adventure, but who secondarily also sees the necessity of joining the Resistance movement. He spends most of his time doing as little work as possible, avoiding the eye of his boss, and flirting with the young female conductor of a passing train. The film has a nice mix of rural lethargy, surreal hints, poetic humor and exudes a vibrant sensuality. Finally, there is something else: the shock of a confrontation between one’s dreams and a real-world obligation, particularly in a world gone mad through no fault of one’s own.

It’s a real gem of the Czech New Wave movement, and one that never gets tiring no matter how many times one sees it… it’s like playing your favorite record. And what’s more is it is able to tap into a kind of magic that no movie today can conjure up with all our so-called progress and high-tech prowess… in fact with every step we take ‘forward’ we are losing something essential. The key words to describe this movie are bittersweet and lyrical.

One viewer’s comment: “Closely Watched Trains is my favorite movie ever. 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. Its structure will make any film student drool with envy. The acting is flawless. It’s just a beautiful work of art.”