Skřivánci na niti

Another joint project of director Jiří Menzel and author Bohumil Hrabal, from the outset this film stood little chance of reaching the cinemas and audiences in its home country, owing to an ever more stringent censorship as concomitant of the overall sultry atmosphere in the aftermath of the Soviet-led invasion of 1968. Presenting an unorthodox view of the 1950s era, its story is set in the steelworks of Kladno, near Prague, one of the spots where the communist regime concentrated "enemies of socialism." Unfurling on the screen here is a bizarre mix of fates of former intellectuals and small businessmen. Apart from sequences of faithful portrayal of a whole catalogue of absurdities accompanying their day-to-day life, the film is notable for its poetic language conveying a strong message imbued with aspiration to freedom and human solidarity. It had to wait for its official premiere until December 1989, when it received an amazingly warm welcome and became a box-office hit at home.

Year Of Production: 1969
Running time: 91 minutes
Produced by: Film Studios Barrandov
Genre: comedy/drama/romance
Language Versions: Czech with English subtitles
Directed By: Jiří Menzel
Screenplay: Jiří Menzel, Bohumil Hrabal
Awards and nominations:
1990 Berlin International Film Festival ? The Golden Berlin Bear; 1990 Berlin International Film Festival - The FIPRESCI Award ? Honorable Mention; 1990 Pilsen Film Festival, Czech Republic ? Golden Kingfisher