Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále (2006)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Jirí Menzel

Writers:

Bohumil Hrabal (novel)
Jirí Menzel (writer)

Release Date:

11 January 2007 (Czech Republic)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | War

Plot:

A look at the glamorous life at an old-world Prague hotel.

Plot Keywords:

Waiter | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship | 1930s | Window Dresser | Nazi

Awards:

8 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ivan Barnev	...	Jan Díte, younger
Oldrich Kaiser	...	Jan Díte, older
Julia Jentsch	...	Líza
Martin Huba	...	Skrivánek
Marián Labuda	...	Walden
Milan Lasica	...	Professor
Josef Abrhám	...	Hotelier Brandejs
Jirí Lábus	...	Hotel Boss
Jaromír Dulava	...	Waiter Karel
Pavel Nový	...	General
István Szabó	...	Stock Marketeer
Tonya Graves	...	Abyssinian Emperor
Rudolf Hrusínský	...	Tichota
Petr Ctvrtnícek	...	Stockbroker
Jirí Sesták	...	Waiter

Also Known As:

I Served the King of England (International: English title)
Obsluhoval som anglického krála (Slovakia)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and nudity.

Runtime:

Czech Republic:120 min

Country:

Czech Republic | Slovakia

Language:

Czech | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Slovakia:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | USA:R | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

Harrachov, Czech Republic

Company:

AQS

Trivia:

Czech Republic's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the montage of Jan making love to Lise, stock footage is shown of SS men marching through the streets of Prague. The same footage is later reused by flipping the film from left to right, which is evident by the Nazi armbands moving from their left arms to their right arms and swastikas reversing direction.

Soundtrack:

Rapsodie krvaveho mesice

Czech Film Checks All The Boxes

A deeply endearing film, Obsluhoval jsem Anglickeho Krale is a wonderful cinematic novelisation which is a drama with moments of comedy (rather than a comedy drama) of bittersweet proportions. It is a wonderful assumation of the human spirit which in times is naive but deeply profound and loyal.

Our protagonist is easily identifiable and we as an audience immediately connect to a man who is impossible not to love for his comedic and charming personality, but who carries the same flaws as so many of us. Brought almost perfectly to life via the use of Ivan Barnev and Oldrich Kaiser, who act out to almost complete perfection, the growing Jan Dite as his unwavering enthusiasm charm and naiveté is replaced by a world wearied figure who begins to appreciate the simple moments in life rather than the quick, rich or glamorous as he charts his life throughout the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) in World War II.

Having lived in Prague for several years I felt the connection between the author Bohumil Hrabal and this architectural beauty that is the Czech Republic's capital city. However, a bond is also felt with the more traditional Czech elements of Bavarian villages in idealistic rural settings and the simple complexities of the Czech countryside.

I Served The English King is hugely enjoyable film whose first hour is engrossing to the point of ridiculousness. It is ultimately a hugely successful first hour of cinema drama at its fullest potential, being able to entice the audience into a riveted state where the next scene is as important as the one being viewed. While the second half, or perhaps even last third, is slightly slower and much darker, as Jan begins furthering relations with characters who were not much favoured at the time, the director and actor manages it so our protagonists charm remains, and the persona presented is one of blissful naiveté and unwavering love and loyalty, when many would see ignorance and stupidity.

I Served The English King was not only the first book I read by a Czech author, but also the first film viewed, and while most novel to film comparisons will favour the novel due to cinemas inability to capture every act or essence of the novel, the director Jiri Menzel does a wonderful job of capturing the majority and more importantly the essence. I Served The English King is a hugely engaging, moving and somewhat personal experience, and while most definitely not perfect the flaws in this film are irrelevant and do not merit discussion in comparison to the film as a whole. This is cinema at its barest, a film about human existence where you come out rewarded for the experience. No puns about cheques, checks or Czechs this is a damned good film which demands all lovers of films attention.