Closely Watched Trains

1966 [CZECH]

Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance / War

13
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 86% · 21 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 86% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.6/10 10 14842 14.8K

based on novel or book world war ii coming of age railroad sexual awakening czech new wave

Plot summary

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.

Director

Jirí Menzel Photo
Jirí Menzel

Top cast

Václav Kotva Photo
Václav Kotva as Kontrolor
Miloslav Homola Photo
Miloslav Homola as Remeslník
Milon Novotny Photo
Milon Novotny as Farár
Jirí Kodet Photo
Jirí Kodet as SS-man
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
852.99 MB
1280*932
Czech 2.0
NR
Subtitles cz  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 2
1.55 GB
1472*1072
Czech 2.0
NR
Subtitles cz  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Ham_and_Egger 9 / 10

"Do you know what Czechs are? Laughing animals."

It's amazing just how many visual sex metaphors director Jirí Menzel managed to cram into 92 minutes, without ever becoming ridiculous or losing the plot. It makes Hitchcock's train going into the tunnel shot from 'North By Northwest' look like the work of a rank amateur.Ostensibly 'Closely Watched Trains' is the story of Trainee Milos Hrma (Václav Neckár) starting his job at the local train station during the Nazi occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia (only I guess it wasn't, because it was officially absorbed by the Reich). Throughout most of the film the war, complete with what the local Nazi functionary describes as "beautiful tactical withdrawals," is a long way off and Milos has more important matters to attend to. Specifically he's trying to lose his virginity and deal with another problem common to young men everywhere, one which the local doctor advises him to solve by thinking about football during critical moments.Made in 1966, when some Czechs were clearly already looking ahead to 1968's Prague Spring, the film slyly uses the Nazis as a stand-in for the Soviets. As proof of this, and the Hollywood establishment's anti-Communist bent in the late 60s, 'Closely Watched Trains' won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968. It is, however, imminently deserving of the win on its own merits.History lessons aside 'Closely Watched Trains' is beautifully shot, well acted, and absurdly hilarious, while still tasting of tragedy. Excellent.
Reviewed by lastliberal 8 / 10

Unusual use of stamp pads!

Imagine coming of age in a time when you are surrounded by sexual images. This Academy Award winning film can be the Czechoslovakian version of so many of the Judd Apatow films we see today.Brilliantly photographed in black and white, it shows Milos (Václav Neckár) trying to become a man. His first opportunity with his girlfriend Masa (Jitka Bendová) ends in disaster and he attempts suicide. His doctor advises him to get a more experienced woman to teach him, so he goes on a quest to find one.This all takes place during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, so there are many political overtones to the film. It is hilarious as Milos works at a train station where his coworker Hubicka (Josef Somr) doesn't seem to have problems getting action whenever he wants.He does manage to arrange help for Milos, but tragedy strikes before he is able to use his new found knowledge with his girlfriend.An excellent picture and a real funny story that manages to avoid the crudity of modern tales of the same sort.
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