Closely Watched Trains
(Ostre sledované vlaky)

Screening on Film

Directed by Jiri Menzel.
With Vaclav Neckar, Josef Somr, Vlastimil Brodsky.
Czechoslovakia, 1966, 35mm, color and b&w, 92 min.
Czech and German with English subtitles.

Released at the height of the excitement surrounding the Czech New Wave, Menzel’s debut film sticks closely to the experiences of its protagonist, providing a concentrated and empathetic look at an individual’s experience in the context of vast historical change. Milos (Neckar) comes of age as a trainee at a rail station through which Nazi supply trains pass; his sexual initiation enables him to commit a previously unthinkable act of bravery. The film’s delicate balance of humanism, sensuality, and satire underscores its powerful political message.