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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Closely Observed Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky) (1966)

Closely Observed Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky) (1966)

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Released 5-Mar-2007

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Drama Theatrical Trailer
Audio Commentary-On selecte scenes by Scott Murray, filmmaker and co-editor o
Trailer-Umbrella Selection
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 1966
Running Time 88:47
RSDL / Flipper RSDL Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Jirí Menzel
Studio
Distributor

Shock Entertainment
Starring Václav Neckár
Josef Somr
Vlastimil Brodský
Vladimír Valenta
Alois Vachek
Ferdinand Kruta
Jitka Bendová
Jitka Zelenohorská
Nada Urbánková
Libuse Havelková
Kveta Fialová
Pavla Marsálková
Milada Jezková
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI $29.95 Music Jirí Sust


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Full Frame Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement Unknown
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Recently I reviewed The Firemans Ball, a comedy with bite from Czech director Milos Forman, one of the high points of the Czech New Wave that lasted from about 1963 to 1968. On the same day in March Umbrella released another acknowledged classic of that movement, Jiri Menzel's, black comedy Closely Observed Trains.

Actually, the title is a source of some confusion as the film has been released in different regions as either Closely Watched Trains or Closely Observed Trains. To me the latter is better as it better sums up the wry humour of the film.

Whatever it is called the film is a minor triumph and picked up the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1968. Meanwhile, Forman had twice been nominated for this award - for Loves of a Blonde in 1967 and The Firemans Ball in 1969 . He would have to wait until One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in 1975 to reach international acclaim and to pick up his own gleaming statuette.

Closely Observed Trains is a rare and genuinely touching coming-of-age story. It is the tale of Milos, a young man at the cusp of adulthood. It is 1943 and Czechoslovakia is under German occupation. Milos gets his first job at the local railway station where not a lot happens and Milos likes it that way. You see, he comes from a family of non-achievers and Milos is intent on following the family tradition.

The German presence at the station is rare. One day a representative turns up and explains to the staff that the Fuhrer has a master plan which involves cunning strategic withdrawals from all over Europe. In the meantime the station workers are to keep their eyes peeled for the trains transporting supplies for the German army, the "closely observed trains" of the title. It is this part of the story which provides a tragic backbone to the film.

The other part of the story, which is justly famous, is the tale of poor Milos' attempts to lose his virginity. He is terribly frightened of girls, even his gorgeous friend Masa and when called upon to perform finds himself " a man but not a man". The train station is full of characters including the superior station master who breeds geese and pigeons for his relaxation, the randy dispatcher who has success with every woman around and the delectable telegrapher. The cast is made up of some excellent Czech performers including Vaclav Neckar as the hapless Milos.

For a film dating from 1967 the depiction of sex, particularly female desire, is remarkably frank and the scene between the dispatcher and the telegrapher is justly regarded as one of the most erotic in all cinema, as he slows works his way up her body with rubber stamps. Menzel shoots the scene with such joy that it becomes both funny and sexy at the same time.

The film is a revelation for its wry and touching blend of the serious, the erotic and the sad. The script was based on a novel by Czech novellist Bohimur Hrabal who finely balanced melancholy and humour in his key works - his last novel (before his untimely fall from a 5th floor window) is currently being filmed.

Closely Observed Trains is one of those films that comes along from time to time entirely unheralded but highly indispensible.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

   Closely Observed Trains is presented on DVD in a 4:3 transfer consistent with it's original aspect ratio.

I was critical of the quality of the transfer of The Firemans Ball . It seemed to me that the movie has just fallen onto DVD without any attempt to restore the film or present it in its best light. Unfortunately Closely Observed Trains comes from the same dank dungeon. There is a constant rain of scratches, blobs and assorted hairs and markings. To an extent the problems are less marked than The Firemans Ball because of the fact that it is shot in black and white and not colour which is more obvious when it is allowed to fade and die. The image is soft with age.

There is occasional print damage which is most pronounced at the edits. The image is grainy but not remarkably so.

There are no serious compression problems although the smoke from the trains does play some games every now and then. The grayscale is a bit tired and some of the scenes are just a tad too dark to work out what is going on. Not having seen the film in the cinema I can't say how much of this is intentional.

The film has yellow removable subtitles. However, there are typographical errors from time to time and at certain points I felt like I wasn't getting the full picture. Interestingly the subtitles on the commentary are slightly different.

Like The Firemans Ball, Closely Observed Trains has been released in Region 1 as part of the Criterion Collection. The film boasts a digitally restored transfer and new subtitles. It goes without saying that the Region 4 release could benefit from both.

Although not commonly seen today Closely Observed Trains is a masterpiece that deserves to be seen at its best.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

  Closely Observed Trains has a Czech mono transfer which is suitable for the film and is consistent with its original soundtrack.

The soundtrack is quite soft and had to be turned up to high volume to listen to the dialogue. The track was noisy and full of pops and crackles. I stopped recording pops after a while but the one at 25.36 deserves mention. It almost made me jump from my seat!

The audio sync was mostly fine but the stationmaster went in and out when he got into a rant.

The music is also worth a mention as it often provides an ironic counterpoint to the action. When Milos is being escorted by the Nazis, perhaps to his death, the music is gentle and bucolic, undermining the incredible tension of the scene.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Theatrical Trailer

The theatrical trailer should be watched once and then scratched off the DVD. Sleazy where the film is sensual and primal, the voice over makes the film out as the next installment in the American Pie franchise. The horror!

Audio Commentary Scott Murray - Selected Scenes

Closely Observed Trains has a commentary on 10 key scenes by filmmaker Scott Murray. In my view, as with Umbrellas Bande a Part this is an excellent way to get to the heart of a film without sitting through a lengthy commentary which inevitably features " and now he walks into the house and gets a glass of water". Murray begins with some general background to the film but is soon able to get beneath the surface talking about Menzels film techniques and the sexual undercurrent of the film. At 38.55 the ten scenes are just enough comment and Murray never overstays his welcome.

Trailers

A selection of Umbrella trailers.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

   The Region 1 version has to be preferred for the superior image and sound quality. It does not benefit from the commentary but still it is a superior product.

Summary

    Closely Observed Trains is such an excellent film that the discovery of it is like finding a long lost friend.

The transfer quality is a real problem but you owe it to yourself to either buy this version or get the Criterion Collection DVD. With a decent transfer this would be a 5 star film. It is essential.

The extras are enjoyable although an insert essay would have been nice.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Trevor Darge (read my bio)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DVR 630H-S, using Component output
DisplayPanasonic TH-50PV60A 50' Plasma. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080i.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationOnkyo TX - SR603
SpeakersOnkyo 6.1 Surround

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