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(out of 5)
Jan Sverak’s best film is this delightful memoir of growing up in World War II Czechoslovakia. A little boy lives in his small village with his electrical engineer father and housewife mother, getting into all sorts of trouble at school with his other equally feisty classmates. When their teacher is replaced by a militant soldier, the kids think their fun is over; when we learn that the teacher has a weakness for beautiful young women, however, we know the fun is just beginning. Childhood antics are an old film staple, but in Sverak’s beautiful film, photographed in nostalgic golden colours, it all feels fresh and new and has a marvelous sense of adventure to it.
Directed by Jan Sverak
Story and screenplay by Zdenek Sverak
Cinematography by F.A. Brabec
Music by Jiri Svoboda
Production Design by Gabriela Kubenova, Vladimir Labsky
Costume Design by Jan Kropacek
Film Editing by Alois Fisarek
Academy Award Nomination
Best Foreign Language Film (Czechoslovakia)
