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Jirí Menzel’s Oscar-winning Closely Observed Trains (1966), adapted from a novel by Bohumil Hrabal, was one of the best-loved films of the short-lived Prague Spring. Now Menzel has returned to Hrabal for his first feature since 1994 – and if it’s not quite on a par with Trains, it shares the same bittersweet humour and teasing political irony. Our hero is Jan (Ivan Barnev), a pint-sized young go-getter with a taste for money, pretty girls and the good life who rises rapidly through the posh hotels of pre-war Prague. But his naive ambition blinds him to the political storm-clouds massing over his country. Menzel is faithful to the novel and makes good use of his stunning Prague locations. A sweet, melancholic film, very Czech in its love of life and gentle sense of loss.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
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