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Arrow Films
An apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and becomes despondent when he is unable to perform.
- Arrow Academy
- Jiřà Menzel
- 15
- English
- Czech
- 2
- Free
- Arrow Academy
Closely Observed Trains Blu-ray+DVD
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Arrow Films
An apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and becomes despondent when he is unable to perform.
- Arrow Academy
- Jiřà Menzel
- 15
- English
- Czech
- 2
- Free
- Arrow Academy
Customer Reviews
Top Customer Reviews
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A Masterpiece in a Beautiful Package
Wow! What a movie! For anyone who's into Czech cinema, or anyone who enjoys exploring the Czech New Wave, I highly recommend getting the blu-ray from Arrow Films/Arrow Academy. This 4K restoration of Closely Watched ("Observed") Trains is fantastic! Plus, the supplements are fascinating, and it's an All Region release for convenience. As for the film itself, Closely Watched Trains just blew me away. I can see why it took the Foreign Film Oscar in '67. Jiřà Menzel's feature debut is not only a masterwork of Czech Cinema, but honestly sort of a masterpiece. Very few films I've personally seen manage to brilliantly balance tones and themes like Menzel does here. This film is so light-hearted and sympathetic and funny on the surface, but the constant penetration (no pun intended) of the looming war and impending darkness creates really a visceral experience of life at a Czech train station during WW2. Thinking about the film after it ended, I sort of realized just how subversive it is about gender norms, sexuality, and even narrative conventions, both in the sense of storytelling narrative and the types of narratives which people use to mold culture and society in real life. The ending of Closely Watched Trains takes a turn I did not expect, but the last 5 minutes of the film expertly put into question what makes a hero in this film as well as in the world at large. I also have to mention how absolutely gorgeous this movie is. The way it's shot and framed is so particular about what the audience needs to see, both for dramatic effect and to supplement humor. And certain frames, namely shots of various moving trains, really bring in the beauty of everyday life in such an engaging way. I'm glad I finally watched this wonderful film, and I would definitely suggest it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
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A bit dated but enjoyable.
Great presentation of the film. Very satisfied.
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Great edition!
This is a very special movie to me so I was worried that the edition wouldn't be as good as the movie deserved it. But I got surprised and the sound and video are amazing.
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