Thursday, July 26, 2012
CLASSICS
I am going to watch a few long time favorites from Eastern Europe. The Sixties.
Today's was the Criterion restoration of
Ostre sledované vlaky / Closely Watched Trains (1966)
A small Czech town is isolated from the war. A few Germans. Nothing more.
A young guy, naive and untested in life is about to take a job which, in the family tradition, pretty much guarantees that he will not have to work too hard. A train clerk.
He gets to grow up slowly and then a lot as the war comes to the town's very door.
This is a series of vignettes, beautifully rendered.
These films were made just after the War and in the middle of repressive communist regimes so they are mostly wry, humorous and sometimes mocking stories about bureaucrats and authoritarian regimes.
This is a 5 out of Netflix5 because I have seen it many times. This time was as good as the first.
A "closely watched train" is a train that has special armored protection.
Here is a preview from the time. It is about sex but far more. Sex is how they got people into the theater. Those sexy Europeans.
Labels: best films, films
