Episode Details

(1966, Country: Czechoslovakia, Language: Czech|German, Genres: Comedy|Drama|Romance|War, B&W)
Director: Jiri Menzel
Writers: Bohumil Hrabal (novel), Bohumil Hrabal (screenplay)
Stars: Vaclav Neckar, Josef Somr, Vlastimil Brodsky

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.

Discussion Guest: Leonard Quart / Cineaste Magazine.