Summary
For many directors of the day, the transition from the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave to the 1970s “normalisation” era was a very painful one. Director Jiří Menzel may have had an Oscar under his belt for the celebrated Ostře sledované vlaky (Closely Watched Trains, 1966), but his adaptation of Bohumil Hrabal's novel Skřivánci na niti (Skylarks on the String) found itself locked away in a vault by the authorities until after the Velvet Revolution (though produced in 1969 it was only released as late as 1990). Although Menzel was at the peak of his directorial powers, the experience meant he did not return to film directing until 1974 with this doctrinarian “building a better future” film about a young clockmaker (Jan Hrušínský), who after leaving the army only finds his true fulfilment while working on the construction of an electricity plant in Dalešice. Among these “right-minded” workers, the man discovers the real meaning of life and finds the strength to split up from his bourgeoisie-minded girlfriend. Despite lacking Menzel’s personal stamps of playfulness and poeticism, the film can be described as a solid piece of work. Zdeněk Svěrák serves as co-writer alongside Menzel – the pair would cooperate heavily on projects over the ensuing decades.
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