Directed by:
Jiří MenzelCinematography:
Jaromír ŠofrComposer:
Jiří ŠustCast:
Rudolf Hrušínský, Vlastimil Brodský, Václav Neckář, Jitka Zelenohorská, Jaroslav Satoranský, Vladimír Šmeral, Ferdinand Krůta, František Řehák (more)Plots(1)
Shot in 1968, whilst Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief moment of political liberalization, Larks on a String is a searing political satire from director Jirí Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Like their earlier Oscar-winning triumph Closely Observed Trains, it audaciously combines black humour with grim reality. Set in a scrap metal yard where dissidents are interned to be ‘re-educated’, the film is both a powerful critique of totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Promptly banned by the Communist regime, the film remained unseen until 1990, when it was released to great acclaim, winning the grand prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Now regarded as a lost masterpiece, Menzel's wry comic drama is a hymn to humanity and nonconformity. (Second Run)
(more)Cast
Gustav Oplustil
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Svatba jako řemen (1967)
Bedtime Story (1967)
Vlasta Jelínková
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
My Sweet Little Village (1985)
Secluded, Near Woods (1976)
Sňatky z rozumu (1968) (series)
Věra Galatíková
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Jako kníže Rohan (1983) (TV movie)
Revizor (1971) (theatrical recording)
All My Compatriots (1968)
Zora Jiráková
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Snowdrop Festival (1983)
Larks on a String (1969)
Accused (1964)
Jiřina Třebická
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Dobří holubi se vracejí (1988)
Love Between the Raindrops (1979)
Stella Zázvorková
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Cosy Dens (1999)
Těžká Barbora (1960) (theatrical recording)
Kolya (1996)
Otakar Brousek st.
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Cyrano z Bergeracu (1986) (theatrical recording)
Král Krysa (1979) (theatrical recording)
Muž v pozadí (1995) (series)
Jan Teplý st.
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Ubohý pan Kufalt (1981) (TV movie)
The Ear (1970)
Happy End (1967)
Eva Blažková
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
All My Compatriots (1968)
Larks on a String (1969)
Morgiana (1972)
Zdena Burdová
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
You Are a Widow, Sir (1970)
The Girl on the Broomstick (1971)
Hana Talpová
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Men About Town (1969)
Larks on a String (1969)
Dařbuján a Pandrhola (1959)
Eva Rubínová
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
On the Comet (1970)
You Are a Widow, Sir (1970)
Jindřiška Gabriela Preissová
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Witchhammer (1969)
Larks on a String (1969)
Case for a Rookie Hangman (1969)
Miroslav Saic
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Přítelkyně z domu smutku (1992) (series)
Veselé windsorské paničky (1974) (theatrical recording)
Karel Hovorka st.
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Jako kníže Rohan (1983) (TV movie)
The Cremator (1968)
Secluded, Near Woods (1976)
Alois Vachek
Best movies:
Witchhammer (1969)
Secluded, Near Woods (1976)
Larks on a String (1969)
Jan Vala
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Joachim, Put It in the Machine (1974)
Larks on a String (1969)
Dvacet let Olympicu (1983) (concert) - moderator
Jiří Kasík
Best movies:
Lemonade Joe (1964)
The Snowdrop Festival (1983)
Happy End (1967)
Rudolf Kalina
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Jako kníže Rohan (1983) (TV movie)
Secluded, Near Woods (1976)
Men About Town (1969)
Antonín Gondolán
Slovak state
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
If a Thousand Clarinets (1964)
Má láska s Jakubem (1982)