My Sweet Little Village
Encyclopedia
My Sweet Little Village is a 1985 Czechoslovak
film directed by Jiří Menzel
. In 1987 it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
. At the 1986 Montreal World Film Festival
, it won the Special Jury Award and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. At the Paris Film Festival in 1987 Hungaria
n actor János Bán received the best actor award. In a public survey conducted in January 2007 by the online news server Novinky.cz this movie was chosen by 22,4% of voters (circa 66 000 people) as the most popular Czech comedy in history.
The film also follows several subplots, such as the secret romance of Turek's wife with a young vet, the tribulations of an accident-prone but respected doctor who has almost as much trouble with his pessimistic patients as he does with his car, and the desperate deeds of Pávek's teenage son, who has ardent feelings for an attractive local teacher.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
film directed by Jiří Menzel
Jirí Menzel
Jiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...
. In 1987 it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. At the 1986 Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
, it won the Special Jury Award and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. At the Paris Film Festival in 1987 Hungaria
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
n actor János Bán received the best actor award. In a public survey conducted in January 2007 by the online news server Novinky.cz this movie was chosen by 22,4% of voters (circa 66 000 people) as the most popular Czech comedy in history.
Plot
The movie's main storyline follows the life of Otík, a mentally retarded 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.The film also follows several subplots, such as the secret romance of Turek's wife with a young vet, the tribulations of an accident-prone but respected doctor who has almost as much trouble with his pessimistic patients as he does with his car, and the desperate deeds of Pávek's teenage son, who has ardent feelings for an attractive local teacher.
Cast
- János Bán
- Marián LabudaMarián LabudaMarián Labuda is a Slovak actor.In 1964 he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava . He became member of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. In 1967 he moved to the theatre Divadlo na Korze in the same city. Following its closure in 1971 he joined Nová scéna in Bratislava...
- Rudolf HrušínskýRudolf HrušínskýRudolf Hrušínský was an acclaimed Czech actor.-Biography:He was born in Nová Včelnice to Hermina Červičková and Rudolf Hrušinský . He was born, literally, back stage during a showing of the play Taneček panny Marinky...
- Petr ČepekPetr CepekPetr Čepek was a Czech actor associated with The Drama Club in Prague. His final film was Faust, directed by Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer.- Filmography :* 1961: Dva z onoho světa...
- Libuše ŠafránkováLibuše ŠafránkováLibuše Šafránková is a Czech actress. Her husband is actor Josef Abrhám. In 2008 she received the prize Hvězda mého srdce , awarded by the Czech Television.- Filmography :...
- Jan HartlJan HartlJan Hartl is a Czech actor who played Karel Horák in the 2000 Czech film Little Otik also known as Otesánek. He was born in Prague, Czech Republic. Hartl is a member of the National Theatre in Prague.-External links:*...
- Miloslav Štibich
- Oldřich Vlach
- Stanislav Aubrecht
- Zdeněk SvěrákZdenek SverákZdeněk Svěrák is a Czech actor, humorist and scriptwriter. He is one of the most popular Czech cultural personalities. In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival....
- Josef SomrJosef SomrJosef Somr is a Czech actor. He starred in the film Poslední propadne peklu under director Ludvík Ráža in 1982.-Selected filmography:* Valley of the Bees * Což takhle dát si špenát...