A quiet railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia during the final stages of WWII. Plot and Key Characters

(1966) is a landmark of world cinema and a cornerstone of the Czechoslovak New Wave . Directed by Jiří Menzel and based on a novella by Bohumil Hrabal, it masterfully blends deadpan comedy with tragic wartime reality. Production Overview Director: Jiří Menzel (his feature debut at age 27).

Adapted from the 1965 novella by Bohumil Hrabal . Release: 1966 (Czechoslovakia); 1967 (International).

The film follows (Václav Neckář), a bumbling, naive apprentice train dispatcher. Unlike traditional war films, the "hero" is initially indifferent to the conflict, preoccupied instead with his own sexual insecurities and desire to lose his virginity. Core Storyline Closely Watched Trains movie review - Roger Ebert