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
František Gondolán
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Jiří Gondolán
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Vojtěch Gondolán
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Ondřej Gondolán
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Miloš Kohout
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Morgiana (1972)
Why? (1987)
Jiří Menzel
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Elementary School (1991)
The Cremator (1968)
Larks on a String (1969)
Oldřich Janovský
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Sňatky z rozumu (1968) (series)
Larks on a String (1969)
Zločin lorda Savila (1967) (TV movie)
Bořivoj Fiala
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Bohumil Koška
Best movies:
Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973)
All My Compatriots (1968)
Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet (1978)
Miloslav Balcar
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
The Firemen's Ball (1967)
The Girl on the Broomstick (1971)
Alena Frimlová
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Nobody Gets the Last Laugh (1965)
How About a Plate of Spinach? (1977)
Rudolf Pešta
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Jarmila Gybasová
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Dark Sun (1980)
Vladimír Hrabánek
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Give the Devil His Due (1984)
Semafor - Největší hity (2005) (video compilation)
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen! (1976)
Antonín Samler
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Svatba jako řemen (1967)
Cops and Robbers (2001) (series)
Eva Vejlová
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Helena Velenovská
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Marie Benetková
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Ivana Horká
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)
Eva Podzimková
Best movies:
Larks on a String (1969)