Czech Movie

Beauty in Trouble (Kraska v Nesnazich)
After devastating floods in Prague wipe out her family's possessions, Marcela (Anna Geislerova) struggles to raise her children and hold down a job while her husband (Roman Luknar) occupies himself stealing cars. His brushes with the law bring Marcela into contact with one of his victims (Josef Abrham), a man with whom she begins conducting an affair. Richly comic Czech drama co-stars Jana Brejchova, Jiri Schmitzer.


Alice [VHS] (1988)
Fascinating version of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," presented in both live action and animation by Czech master of the surreal, Jan Svankmajer. For adults and children, the film is provocative, eerie and wholly original.

Little Otik (Otesanek) [DVD](2000) DVD
Jan Svankmajer's darkly comic film, based on a Czech fairy tale, tells the story of a barren couple whose inability to conceive a child drives them to carve an offspring out of a wooden stump. But when it begins to come to life, the newborn transforms into a horrific creature with an insatiable appetite. Veronika Zilkova, Jan Hartl, Jaroslava Kretschmerova star. 126 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Czech; Subtitles: English; bonus short "The Flat" (1969); interview; photo gallery; theatrical trailer. In Czech with English subtitles.


I Served The King Of England (Obsluhoval Jsem Anglickeho Krale) [DVD](2006) DVD
In 1930s Prague, Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev) begins an ambitious career in food service, obtaining increasingly satisfying jobs until becoming a headwaiter at a ritzy hotel. His plan to achieve wealth by being close to the wealthy is then diverted by Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia, after which he blindly falls in love with a woman favoring the German cause. Jiri Menzel's romantic comedy co-stars Julia Jentsch, Martin Huba. 119 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Czech Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French. In Czech with English subtitles.



Divided We Fall (2000)
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign film, this stark but sometimes humorous effort is set in a Czechoslovakian town during World War II where the cowardly Josef keeps in good standing with the Nazis and the locals supporting them. But Josef is put on the spot when the Jewish man whose family once employed him seeks shelter. Josef helps him, setting off a series of frightening yet humorous incidents that allows young director Jan Hrebejk to take a fascinating look at the war and human behavior. Boleslav Polivka and Anna Siskova star.