"Director: Ji í Menzel"

• Larks on a String (Skrivánci na niti) | DVD | (14/03/2011) from £11.95   |  Saving you £2.80 (27.48%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Shot in 1969 but banned by the Czech government until the fall of the Communist regime in 1990 Menzel's wry comic drama is a hymn to humanity and nonconformity. The film's principal characters are residents of a state-run junkyard / labour camp for those whose actions have been deemed 'counter-revolutionary'. On one side of the yard live the men most sent here for 're-education'. On the other side are a group of women interned for the crime of attempted defection. Separately the two groups lazily toil sorting out piles of scrap metal (one huge pile is nothing less than a veritable mountain of crucifixes and religious icons); together they flirt philosophize and occasionally sneak off behind the hillocks of slag to make love. Larks On A String is at once a stinging indictment of the repressive politics of Czechoslovakia's past and an endearing comedy and affecting love story.

• Closely Observed Trains | Blu Ray | (16/11/2015) from £14.90   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C DVD: LANGUAGES: Czech ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Shy teenage virgin Milo gets his first job as a railway dispatcher and is suddenly forced to confront the realities of the adult world, not least the temptations of the opposite sex. But they in turn are more attracted to his more experienced colleague Hubi ka and his distinctive way with an inkpad and rubber stamp... This could easily have fuelled a light comedy, but Ji í Menzel s bittersweet feature debut is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, and the various farcical goings-on threaten to distract attention from the far more pressing business of staying alive especially since German trains are being attacked by resistance fighters and everyone is under suspicion of collaboration. Co-written by the great Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal (author of the classic source novella), Closely Observed Trains won Menzel a Best Foreign Film Oscar when he was still in his twenties, and it remains one of the best-loved of all Czech films. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, Oscar Academy Awards, ...Closely Observed Trains (1966) ( Closely Watched Trains ) (Blu-Ray)

• Closely Observed Trains | DVD | (23/02/2004) from £16.90   |  Saving you £1.09 (6.45%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Milos Hrma a bumbling dispatcher's apprentice at a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him he embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery encountering a universe of frustration eroticism and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot. Milos becomes involved in a plot to blow up a German ammunition train but when the plan backfires he is forced to

• I Served the King of England | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £6.87   |  Saving you £9.12 (132.75%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Written and directed by Jiri Menzel director of the Academy Award winning Closely Observed Trains and based on the novel by celebrated Czech author and long-time friend of Menzel's Bohumit Hrabal I Served The King Of England is a beguiling comedy about opportunism identity money and sex that effortlessly mixes wit and slapstick with sharply observed political and social satire. Young provincial waiter Jan Dite may be short in height but his aspirations are nothing but high when it comes to ambition. For Jan is determined to become a millionaire and he knows just how to do it. Continually watching and listening to his superiorsand his high-flying big-spending customers Jan learns how to succeed by pleasing others.

• The Czechoslovak New Wave Collection Volume II | DVD | (07/12/2015) from £40.15   |  Saving you £-15.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This specially priced, Limited Edition 3-DVD set comprises three extraordinary features from a golden age of Eastern European cinema which came to be known as the 'Czechoslovak New Wave'. This brief period, from circa 1963 to 1969, produced an astonishing sequence of films that made a huge impact on world cinema. These three integral works of that most creative period were made in the most difficult of circumstances under the gaze of Government censors, yet achieved a miraculous and subversive marriage of content and form. Now, fifty years on, the films remain as remarkable as ever. The set includes: A Blonde in Love / Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Miloš Forman, 1965) Widely regarded as one of the great films of the 60s, this bittersweet romance unfolds as a wry critique of life under totalitarianism. Forman's sweetly seductive Oscar®-nominated feature remains a subtle and beautifully observed social satire. The Party and the Guests / O slavnosti a hostech (Jan Němec, 1966) Considered the most politically dangerous film made during the Czech New Wave - and subsequently banned forever - Němec's film is a biting satire of authoritarianism and conformity. The film's universal relevance continues to this day. Larks on a String / Skřivánci na niti (Jiří Menzel, 1969) Menzel's audacious, long-banned political comedy is set in a scrap metal yard where political dissidents are interned for 're-education'. A powerful commentary on totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.