Those Wonderful Men with a Crank

I thought that names like Jiří Menzel, Rudolf Hrušinský and Vladimír Menšík guarantee a better fun. Quite the contrary. I understand now why Those Wonderful Movie Cranks are not so well-known. While it is an original movie, the humor is so shy and discreet that it is really hard to find. (10/02/2018)

A pleasant nostalgic reminiscence of the beginnings of Czech cinema, filmed with playful charm and the meticulousness typical of Jiří Menzel. It excels mainly in its atmosphere, which is built using filters and numerous borrowings from old films from the National Technical Museum. The costumes of Mr. Pištěk and the appropriately chosen music also play a role. Unfortunately, the plot is weaker, so it only gets 3 stars, but they are strong stars. The film winks at us through a series of small jokes: for example, in one scene, a young Mr. Frič plays the role of a lighting technician. Overall impression: 65%. (09/07/2010)