Vote on this title
Click on a gene to vote or discover related titles.
-
Mood:
- HumorousSentimentalBittersweetAtmosphericStylized
-
Plot:
- Follow Your DreamRise and FallRich and PoorSocial DifferencesAmbitionHopesLove and RomanceSociety more...
-
Genres:
- DramaForeignComedyPeriod
-
Time/Period:
- 20s20th CenturyWorld War 2
-
Place:
- Hotel
-
Praise:
- Award WinnerCritically AcclaimedBerlin Festival WinnerPrestigious Awards
-
Based on:
- Based on Book
-
Attitudes:
- Semi SeriousRealistic
-
Flag:
- Nudity
Does this gene fit I Served the King of England?
Find it on:
| IMDb | |
| Rotten Tomatoes |
I Served the King of England, 2006
Czech, German
Czech Republic, Slovakia
Profile of I Served the King of England
The mood of I Served the King of England is bittersweet, sentimental, and humorous. The plot centers around being rich or poor, a rise and fall, and following your dreams. It is a drama, foreign, and comedy movie. In approach, I Served the King of England is realistic. It takes place, at least partly, in a hotel. It happens in the 1920s and during World War 2. I Served the King of England is based on a book. The movie is known for being critically acclaimed and a Berlin festival winner. Note that it includes nudity.
Summary of I Served the King of England
Czech director Jiri Menzel has worked only sporadically since making a splash in the 1960s with lauded features such as CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS. I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND is another welcome invitation to witness Menzel's singular vision, which is liberally sprinkled with homage to silent features, vaudeville, and slapstick. The film tells the story of Jan Dite, an ordinary Czech citizen who reflects on life after being released from jail. Much of the film is told in flashback, with Menzel transporting his audience back to Dite's younger days in Prague, both before and during World War II, where the young restaurant worker does whatever it takes to fulfill his dreams of becoming a millionaire. His reckless and frequently hilarious path to achieving his goal becomes the backbone of the movie, and Menzel deftly edits back and forth between the older and younger versions of Dite as his history is revealed.
The younger version of Dite is played to excellent effect by Ivan Barnev, who manages to make the character extremely compelling. Barnev and Menzel even conspire to find humor in Dite's darkest hours, such as his marriage to a Nazi (played by Julia Jentsch) and his job in a Czech "breeding center" set up to produce Hitler youth. Food and sex become important parts of the storyline as Dite demonstrates his passion for both, and the rampant urges of his younger self are neatly tempered by Menzel's flash-forwards to the older version of the character (played by Oldrich Kaiser). Like CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS, this feature is an adaptation of a novel by Czech writer Bohumil Hrabel, and it's another hugely entertaining and utterly peerless piece of work from an inspired director.
Details
| Language: | Czech, German |
| Country: | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| Release date: | October 2007 |
| Runtime: | 120 min |
Cast and Crew
as Jan Díte, younger
as Jan Díte, older
as Líza
Photos
Clips
Critics Reviews
Variety
- |
- by: Eddie Cockrell
The Onion (A.V. Club)
- |
- by: Scott Tobias
Users Reviews
- 19.March.2009
- |
- by: Vic
- Vic rated this movie6/10Okay
