Konec starých časů

In the course of 1989, as he busied himself with the finishing touches on this film, Jiří Menzel had no idea how topical the title of his comedy would soon become: in the autumn of that year, Czechoslovakia´s communist regime collapsed. To be sure, this is a story set in the 1920s, in which a stately home in rural Bohemia is visited by Alexei Megalrogov, the quintessential Russian aristocrat, who instantly wins everyone over by his impeccable manners and savoir-vivre. In an inspired hyperbole members of the post-war newly rich class who vainly aspire to refinement, are confronted with the charm of an eccentric, adventurer and possibly impostor, yielding a spectacle that is at once funny and nostalgic, shedding a furtive tear for the good old times of the title.

Year Of Production: 1989
Running time: 93 minutes
Produced by: Film Studios Barrandov
Genre: comedy
Language Versions: Czech
Directed By: Jiří Menzel
Screenplay: Jiří Blažek, Jiří Menzel
Awards and nominations:
1990 IFF Los Angeles ? Cinetex International Comedy ? Best Director, Best Film; 1990 IFF Rueil Malmaison ? The Golden Eagle; 1989 Montréal World Film Festival ? Best Director