Jiří Menzel

Acting

Jiří Menzel

Born February 23, 1938 · Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Died September 5, 2020 · aged 82

Jiří Menzel (Czech: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈmɛntsl̩] was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films are adapted from works by Czech writers such as Bohumil Hrabal and Vladislav Vančura. Menzel, a member of the Czech New Wave, became internationally famous in 1967, when …

Known For

Heart TremorsHeart Tremors · 1981
Heart Tremors
5.21981
MovieDrama
The general practitioner Balla and his wife abandoning her higher education begin their common life in the small mountain village in the hope of quick enrichment and return to the capital. Despite Éva and Emma, the two school mistresses longing for love and Demeter, the dove-keeper obsessed with a desire for flight life is boring in the country.
Passing FancyPassing Fancy · 1983
Passing Fancy
7.01983
MovieDrama
The main character of the story which takes place in the twenties in Budapest is the poet Dr. Rácz György, who returns after ten years of absence. In a café he meets his former friend Lajos, who has just broken up with his lover, Márta, because of the wife of professor Büchler. The transiently formed, rootless Rácz gets entangled into the sophisticated, complicated love affairs of bored or tired ladies.
Straw HatStraw Hat · 1972
Straw Hat
5.61972
MovieComedy
Slacker Maurice Fadinar wasted his whole inheritance and the only way out of this situation, as it seems, to marry Helen Nonankur - daughter of a wealthy farmer. At the last meeting with his mistress in a nearby forest Fadinar's horse eats straw hat which belongs to a married lady, spending time in the company of young and hot Lieutenant Emil. Emil literally puts a knife to Maurice throat - or the lady will get back the exact same hat immediately, or he will arrange such a scandal that no wedding will not happen ...
Minden szerdánMinden szerdán · 1979
Minden szerdán
7.01979
MovieDrama
Stephen, living in a troubled family, breaks into a grocery store and wreaks vandalism. He is sent to a reform school. Later he works in a cleaning brigade and accidentally meets József Draskóczi, who denounced him. Draskóczi lives in an unloving, troubled atmosphere with his barren daughter and cynical son-in-law, ascetic about his youthful communist beliefs. He feels responsible for Istvan's fate, offering him a human voice and love. Despite his daughter's hysterical jealousy, he sends Istvan to school and then, through his previous connections, provides him with an apartment...
Operation DunajOperation Dunaj · 2009
Operation Dunaj
5.22009
MovieComedyHistory
Operation Danube was the cover name for the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968. The fleet of Polish tanks which arrive to liberate their neighbor, ostensibly threatened by a counter-revolution, includes the old tank nicknamed Ladybird, which is the last to leave the barracks.
Dita SaxováDita Saxová · 1968
Dita Saxová
5.91968
MovieDrama
​In 1947 Prague, Holocaust survivor Dita lives in a hostel for orphans, acting as a protective mentor to a younger girl while failing to fix her own shattered life. Unable to form lasting bonds or find a place in a society that has moved on, she drifts through emotional isolation.
DaisiesDaisies · 1966
Daisies
7.31966
MovieComedyDrama
Two teenage girls embark on a series of destructive pranks in which they consume and destroy the world around them.
To Make a Comedy Is No FunTo Make a Comedy Is No Fun · 2016
To Make a Comedy Is No Fun
5.82016
MovieDocumentary
Documentary feature about Czech director Jiří Menzel, featuring Menzel himself as well as Miloš Forman, Emir Kusturica, István Szabó and others.

Movies

Heart TremorsHeart Tremors · 1981
Heart Tremors
5.21981
MovieDrama
The general practitioner Balla and his wife abandoning her higher education begin their common life in the small mountain village in the hope of quick enrichment and return to the capital. Despite Éva and Emma, the two school mistresses longing for love and Demeter, the dove-keeper obsessed with a desire for flight life is boring in the country.
Passing FancyPassing Fancy · 1983
Passing Fancy
7.01983
MovieDrama
The main character of the story which takes place in the twenties in Budapest is the poet Dr. Rácz György, who returns after ten years of absence. In a café he meets his former friend Lajos, who has just broken up with his lover, Márta, because of the wife of professor Büchler. The transiently formed, rootless Rácz gets entangled into the sophisticated, complicated love affairs of bored or tired ladies.
Straw HatStraw Hat · 1972
Straw Hat
5.61972
MovieComedy
Slacker Maurice Fadinar wasted his whole inheritance and the only way out of this situation, as it seems, to marry Helen Nonankur - daughter of a wealthy farmer. At the last meeting with his mistress in a nearby forest Fadinar's horse eats straw hat which belongs to a married lady, spending time in the company of young and hot Lieutenant Emil. Emil literally puts a knife to Maurice throat - or the lady will get back the exact same hat immediately, or he will arrange such a scandal that no wedding will not happen ...
Minden szerdánMinden szerdán · 1979
Minden szerdán
7.01979
MovieDrama
Stephen, living in a troubled family, breaks into a grocery store and wreaks vandalism. He is sent to a reform school. Later he works in a cleaning brigade and accidentally meets József Draskóczi, who denounced him. Draskóczi lives in an unloving, troubled atmosphere with his barren daughter and cynical son-in-law, ascetic about his youthful communist beliefs. He feels responsible for Istvan's fate, offering him a human voice and love. Despite his daughter's hysterical jealousy, he sends Istvan to school and then, through his previous connections, provides him with an apartment...
Operation DunajOperation Dunaj · 2009
Operation Dunaj
5.22009
MovieComedyHistory
Operation Danube was the cover name for the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968. The fleet of Polish tanks which arrive to liberate their neighbor, ostensibly threatened by a counter-revolution, includes the old tank nicknamed Ladybird, which is the last to leave the barracks.
Dita SaxováDita Saxová · 1968
Dita Saxová
5.91968
MovieDrama
​In 1947 Prague, Holocaust survivor Dita lives in a hostel for orphans, acting as a protective mentor to a younger girl while failing to fix her own shattered life. Unable to form lasting bonds or find a place in a society that has moved on, she drifts through emotional isolation.
DaisiesDaisies · 1966
Daisies
7.31966
MovieComedyDrama
Two teenage girls embark on a series of destructive pranks in which they consume and destroy the world around them.
To Make a Comedy Is No FunTo Make a Comedy Is No Fun · 2016
To Make a Comedy Is No Fun
5.82016
MovieDocumentary
Documentary feature about Czech director Jiří Menzel, featuring Menzel himself as well as Miloš Forman, Emir Kusturica, István Szabó and others.
KoportosKoportos · 1980
Koportos
6.51980
MovieDrama
A Roma laborer living in a shantytown strives to organize a traditional, dignified funeral for his wife following her sudden death. He travels to the city to secure the necessary funds and arrangements, navigating various bureaucratic and social obstacles along the way.
Hearty Greetings from the GlobeHearty Greetings from the Globe · 1983
Hearty Greetings from the Globe
6.91983
MovieComedyScience Fiction
​Two aliens stir up trouble on Earth in order to study humans. Misunderstandings ensue.
Die SchokoladenschnüfflerDie Schokoladenschnüffler · 1986
Die Schokoladenschnüffler
6.31986
MovieCrimeComedy
A crime comedy directed by Jirí Menzel, based on a story by Edgar Wallace.
If a Thousand ClarinetsIf a Thousand Clarinets · 1965
If a Thousand Clarinets
7.41965
MovieComedyMusic
A military base. An awkward soldier. A statue of Bach. And suddenly all guns in the area change into music instruments. Great mystery is immediately found by TV station. And soon the military base becomes a stage for huge TV show.
My Sweet Little VillageMy Sweet Little Village · 1985
My Sweet Little Village
7.41985
MovieComedy
The movie's main storyline follows the life of Otík, a young man, in a tight-knit village community. The sweet-tempered Otík works as an assistant truck driver with Mr. Pávek, his older colleague and practical-minded neighbor. Pávek's family takes care of Otík, whose parents are dead. However, the two coworkers become at odds over Otík's inability to perform even the simplest tasks. Pávek demands that Otík be transferred to assist another driver, who happens to be a choleric and suspicious man named Turek (Turk in Czech). Rather than work with Turek, Otík decides to accept an offer of employment in Prague, but finds he does not fit in to the city life. After discovering that the transfer of Otík to Prague was a trick by a crooked politician to get a deal on Otík's large inherited house, Pávek agrees to give Otík a second chance and retrieves him from the city to resume their work together.
Capricious SummerCapricious Summer · 1968
Capricious Summer
6.41968
MovieComedyRomance
Middle-aged Antonin and his friends, the major, now retired, and the canon, are in the river, swimming and philosophizing. Then it starts to rain. It just seems to be that sort of summer. Antonin runs the swimming bath with his portly wife Katherine... A man appears with his horse-drawn caravan. He lays a striped pole across the river and walks over. With a handstand and a magic trick, Ernie the Conjuror invites everyone to that evening's performance... Ernie is a tightrope walker of only modest skill, but with a slim and beautiful assistant, Anna. Antonin speaks to her. The two spend the night in the change room by the river, Antonin massaging her feet all night long. Katherine decides to move into the caravan with Ernie. But now the major and even the canon sense Anna's attractiveness...
Too Loud A SolitudeToo Loud A Solitude · 1995
Too Loud A Solitude
8.01995
MovieComedyDrama
An elderly paper-crusher branded a fool in Prague secretly stashes condemned books, preserving their contents and extrapolating from them eccentric scenarios of wit.
The CrematorThe Cremator · 1969
The Cremator
7.81969
MovieHorrorDrama
In 1930s Prague, a Czech cremator who firmly believes cremation relieves one from earthly suffering is drawn inexorably to Nazism.
The Don JuansThe Don Juans · 2013
The Don Juans
4.42013
MovieComedy
An opera troupe in a small town decides to perform Mozart's Don Giovanni. The view behind the scenes uncovers the world of opera without the glitter. A tale of love and disappointment, about music and passionate love-making and about people that live their lives in spite of the opera.
30 Maidens and Pythagoras30 Maidens and Pythagoras · 1977
30 Maidens and Pythagoras
4.61977
MovieComedyMusic
A musical starring Jiří Menzel (whose part is sung by Achilles Michailidis) as a math and physics teacher employing innovative teaching methods.
SearchingSearching · 1966
Searching
5.41966
MovieDrama
Michal's father and his friends are stigmatized by their war experience and the post-war social deformations in which they took part either directly, or watched them cowardly and in silence. They are trying to repress their feelings of guilt and justify their behavior to the young generation with memories of their heroic war feats. Michal, however, does not want to have anything to do with their problems. He subconsciously perceives the unpleasant atmosphere in the family as well as his father's hypocrisy. After one of many quarrels with his father, he runs away from home, determined to go his own way.
Bulldogs and CherriesBulldogs and Cherries · 1981
Bulldogs and Cherries
4.31981
MovieComedy
The dreaded Italian mafioso, Marian Labuda, will also be convinced. Mafioso Carmello was guilty of the principles of his organization when he tried to fool the boss and earned a death sentence. The convict runs away from the killer through Vienna to Prague, which his Austrian colleague in crime recommended as a safe hiding place. None of them knows that the Czechs learned so much tricks under real socialism that a seasoned Italian professional is not enough to watch.
Martin SpeakingMartin Speaking · 1966
Martin Speaking
7.01966
MovieFamilyCrime
The second installment of children's stories investigator Dr. Martin. The film has two stories:
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan ChonkinThe Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin · 1994
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin
6.51994
MovieComedyDrama
Set in a small Ukrainian village during the outbreak of war with Germany in 1941 Private Chonkin, not overly endowed with intelligence, is left to guard a downed military aircraft. The authorities appear to have forgotten about him so this leaves him free to work his chams on the village postmistress, Njura, untill the local militia are tipped off.
One MomentOne Moment · 2002
One Moment
2002
Movie
Poetic, affectionate, lyrical, and elegy for actor Rudolf Hrusinsky composed of a wordless montage of slowed film footage spanning Hrusinsky’s entire career that embodies the human experience: toil, rest, education, romantic love, rejection, desire, aging, frailty. A recurring interstitial black screen with the words “ten minutes” becomes a constant reinforcement of transience, a career and life distilled to the precious few minutes of the film, a reflection of its brevity.
Closely Watched TrainsClosely Watched Trains · 1966
Closely Watched Trains
7.21966
MovieComedyDrama
At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.

TV Shows

Krásný ztrátyKrásný ztráty · 2000
Krásný ztráty
6.02000
Series
VyprávějVyprávěj · 2009
Vyprávěj
7.32009
SeriesFamilyDrama
Set in Czechoslovakia, the drama follows the lives of its characters against the backdrop of real historical events that shape their personal stories. To evoke period atmosphere, the series intersperses authentic clips from vintage Czechoslovak film newsreels, using their original commentaries or newly recorded historical voice-overs by Vladimír Fišer. A narrator, initially voiced by Vojtěch Kotek and later by Matěj Hádek, provides continuity and reflection, guiding viewers through changing times. Under the guidance of screenwriter Rudolf Merkner, each episode’s script weaves family and individual dramas into key moments of Czech and Slovak history: political shifts, cultural trends, and social transformations from the 1960s onward.
HospodaHospoda · 1996
Hospoda
7.01996
SeriesComedy
Hospoda is a Czech television comedy series which premiered on TV Nova. From 1996 to 1997, 52 episodes were aired.
Příběhy slavnýchPříběhy slavných · 2000
Příběhy slavných
7.02000
SeriesDocumentary
Draculův švagrDraculův švagr · 1996
Draculův švagr
1996
SeriesCrime
Pražský písničkářPražský písničkář · 1997
Pražský písničkář
9.01997
SeriesDrama
More Than WordsMore Than Words · 2018
More Than Words
2018
SeriesDocumentary
The miniseries explores the possibilities and ways of behavior in non-verbal communication, primarily movements, gestures and ways of expression, but also the causes and roots of their origin. The series also explores the most interesting changes in the development of different cultures, including tattooing, scarring and body painting. Series also deal with the language of deaf and blind people, different universal languages, laughter, whistling and other peripheral phenomena associated with non-verbal communication. It also answers the questions does politicians think what they say, do suspects lie to the police or the court and how their body language reveals them.
Veselé příhody z natáčeníVeselé příhody z natáčení · 1988
Veselé příhody z natáčení
1988
SeriesComedy