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I Served the King of England

Play trailer Poster for I Served the King of England R Released Aug 29, 2008 1h 58m Comedy Romance War Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After serving 15 years in a Czechoslovakian prison, Jan Díte; (Ivan Barnev) looks back on his life as an aspiring millionaire. As a young man, Jan comes to believe that wealth and prestige are the ultimate source of happiness. He works his way up from a lowly train attendant to a series of jobs in prominent hotels with wealthy guests. While in constant pursuit of money, Jan has a string of affairs and a relationship with a fanatical Nazi that lead him towards temptation and social ruin.
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I Served the King of England

I Served the King of England

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Critics Consensus

With charm and an eye for life's bittersweet moments, Czech New Wave master Jiri Menzel paints a picaresque story with whimsy and intellect.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor The world it depicts is too dangerous and too lovely to classify. Rated: A Nov 21, 2008 Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com The movie is filled with wonderful moments, set pieces of absurdity, and a richness of humor. But underneath, Menzel and Hraba have a wry and sometimes painful story to tell of the history of their country in the 20th century. Nov 10, 2008 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian The pseudo-sensuality is annoying and the supposed absurdism and satire are flimsy. Rated: 2/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter It's a gently amusing, surreal vision that dishes up hard truths in an unsentimental but never brutal fashion. Jun 2, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A captivating, heartwarming, and ultimately life affirming celebration of what makes us human. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 6, 2019 Full Review Steve Erickson Gay City News ... the film dishonors the history it glides through by lacking any sense of real danger. Mar 8, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leaburn O Mendel is famous for his adaptation of Hrabel’s Closely Watched Trains but this adaptation is superior as far as I’m concerned. This is just outstanding satire and the irreverence never detracts from the plot. It’s like watching a Wes Anderson without the annoying kitsch and pastel colours. It isn’t trying too hard, instead it is perfectly crafted. Watched on DVD. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/09/24 Full Review Audience Member Nothing compares to the dry slow magic of Closely Observed Trains, or perhaps nothing compared with its effect on first watching amidst a sea of lesser films when it came out. This is a worthy follow-up from the same mind, cast across a long timespan and with colour and a delicious wickedness which was not open to the director when he was younger and in those times. Czech films are not simple, Czech minds are not simple, this is a crowning example of Czech humour, dark and light in the same moments.. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Visually sumptuous, splendidly acted, and thoughtful all at once. How sad that "Grand Budapest Hotel" gets so bally-hooed while this far more interesting work remains largely unknown to N American audiences. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Not only is this a hilarious adaption of the novel by Bohumil Hrabal, but it has great actors, cinematography and a great musical score. The story takes place during the rise of Hitler, but don't let that turn you off as there are lessons to be learned from this horrible time in modern history. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Frances H Enchanting beautifully filmed movie that seems lighthearted in tone, but really carries a very profound message about life. The acting by Ivan Barnev is superb and the Busby Burkely meal serving scene blew my mind. I loved it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/13 Full Review Audience Member Great cinematography .. Jaromír Sofr he is my teacher at school .. great cinematographers are horrible teachers ! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
I Served the King of England

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Cast & Crew

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Jirí Menzel

Director

Ivan Barnev

Jan Díte, young

Oldrich Kaiser

Jan Díte, old

Julia Jentsch

Liza

Martin Huba

Skrivanek

Marián Labuda

Walden

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I Served the King of England

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Movie Info

Synopsis After serving 15 years in a Czechoslovakian prison, Jan Díte; (Ivan Barnev) looks back on his life as an aspiring millionaire. As a young man, Jan comes to believe that wealth and prestige are the ultimate source of happiness. He works his way up from a lowly train attendant to a series of jobs in prominent hotels with wealthy guests. While in constant pursuit of money, Jan has a string of affairs and a relationship with a fanatical Nazi that lead him towards temptation and social ruin.
Director
Jirí Menzel
Producer
Robert Schaffer, Andrea Metcalfe
Screenwriter
Jirí Menzel
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Barrandov Studio, In Film Praha, TV Nova
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Nudity)
Genre
Comedy, Romance, War
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 29, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$617.2K
Runtime
1h 58m
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