#Closely Watched Trains

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[wetgeliscasualinterval]

Ostře Sledované Vlaky (1966) by Jiří Menzel

[mariwatchesmovies]

Ostře sledované vlaky | Closely Watched Trains (1966) dir. Jiří Menzel cine. Jaromír Šofr

[theunbearablelightnessofbein]

[rwpohl]

éloge de l'amour, jean-luc godard 2001

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2024: 47. Ostře sledované vlaky/Closely Watched Trains (1966) - Dir. Jiří Menzel

[moviecinepelis]

[swampvoid]

heiiii I'm getting back from cinema after watching Closely Watched Trains and the main Male character is a pathetic wet puppy typa guy in the best way

[napriom]

Closely Watched Trains art dump, kinda. This is how I deal with my trauma from maturita since I had three of Hrabals books in my list (ofc I didn't pick any of them).

Also, it has been a long time since I used my digital art skills. It shows :p

[sloshed-cinema]

Closely Watched Trains [Ostře Sledované Vlaky] (1966)

Well, at least he got laid beforehand? Young and impressionable Miloš Hrma starts the film about to join in his patrilineal legacy of idleness by joining on as a train dispatcher at his village’s railway station. He’s in good company: stationmaster Lanska is more interested in pigeons and the upkeep of his Austrian couch than work, and fellow dispatcher Hubička is deeply invested in destroying Lanska’s Austrian couch through his various sexual conquests. Will Miloš ever dip his wick? The concern over performance in bed is enough to send him into medical crisis. Youthful sexual antics form a lighthearted, tawdry core to the film, but councilor Zedníček arrives to ruin the fun. This is, after all, German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. This Nazi collaborator prattles on about the various strategic retreats being made by the Führer, though the station personnel don’t pay him much heed. Instead, the latter portion of the film offers Miloš an opportunity to become a man in more than a carnal sense through aiding a plot to blow up a train bearing an ammunition supply. Always sardonic in its sense of humor, Closely Watched Trains mixes tragedy with triumph but reminds us all that thumbing our noses at Nazis is always the right course.

Visually, this feels like it’s just a few vintage typewriters and one miscellaneous Wilson brother short of being a proto-Wes Anderson film. Jiří Menzel has an eye for how to push forward humor through shot composition. Introducting Miloš nervously staring down the barrel of the camera as he speaks of his family, scenes of the awkward almost-love-story often share similar framing, thrusting the audience in as both partner and awkward third wheel. People often appear low in frame with plenty of empty space overhead, and the train tracks provide the perfect opportunity for motion-based comedy. Miloš’ first attempted kiss with Máša is cut short by her train pulling out of the station, and Zedníček’s opening diatribe about military strategy is undermined by the indignity of his car reversing back down the track from whence it came. Certain shot compositions just feel inherently humorous in their off-kilter approach, and leaning into that buoys a conflicted narrative melding heaviness with levity.

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says 'Countess' or 'premature ejaculation'.

Miloš salutes.

A country is named.

A train passes the station.

BIG DRINK

Fanfare music begins.

Someone breathes on a stamp before using it.

[kizzer55555]

The Vampire Aesthetic

Ok so Danny knows two billionaires personally and they really couldn’t be more different. Yet they had one thing in common. A vampire aesthetic. Sam is fully into goth. Spiderwebs, bats, the color black. She enjoys fangs and fake blood and the darkness of her soul. Meanwhile, Vlad is Vlad. If his name wasn’t enough, the dark clothing, pale skin, and flying around with a cape and fangs with coffins in his mansion really sells it.

Danny doesn’t know many rich people so he thinks this might be some kind of trend. (If Paulina is rich, her family likes the chupacabra) So he just thinks that all rich people have some kind of vampire thing going on.

Cue Danny somehow ending in the Wayne household. Maybe he was brought over as a friend of one of the bats, maybe rescued from a field trip/vacation gone wrong, maybe some other situation. But he is there in civilian form with civilian Waynes and Danny just takes a good long look around the inside of the mansion.

“So where’s the vampire aesthetic?

Everyone freezes.

Danny just starts looking around, checking behind paintings and feeling the walls for secret levers. Used to secret passages with Vlad and possibly Sam. The Fentons definitely had them when they were temporarily rich.

“Come on, I know you guys are hiding it.”

Cue the entire batfamily thinking that this is another Tim and that he is fully aware that these people are the batfamily. Danny hangs around the mansion more and the bats just start dropping their disguises and not even bothering to hide stuff around Danny because they assume he already knows. (Possibly even trying to recruit him to be a new bat) Meanwhile, Danny, who does not know these people are batman and his birds, just does not pick up on any of it.

He grew up in a health violation with a giant ballon observatory lab above his head and a portal to the afterlife in his basement. He is a half dead teenager who has tea with the god of time and his godfather is the other parent to his clone child. He’s used to death lazers being scattered across his home and mysterious stains on clothing.

People are weird! He doesn’t judge!

[daily-snufkin]

🌿 DAY 14

Turns out as much as I love trains, drawing them under an hour makes me want to cry.

[bwobgames]

He quickly matches pace with Simon and go straight for their shared room

Sleeping furniture... on a moving vehicle...! The future is now.

"I brought so much stuff, Here's the switch, Here's a dart set, Here's a puppetry making kit, our shared off brand tamagotchi- It's a car now, by the way- And my guita-! I left it on the entrance."

"I have a potato chip keychain"

"Awesome!"

They unpack, which is to say, they throw some random things on the bed until they find something to distract themselves over.

"Do you think they give you train themed food? Like in themed cafes?"

"You are a marketing genious. We need to know."

With half their belongings not belonging anywhere, they go get some novelty snackies.

"Helo"

"This is train yes yes?"

"Snack train? Train snack?"

The food master, who looked at them strangely for some reason, apologizes and calmly explains that not only the food is for dinner, but that is not train themed.

"Makes sense, I guess, could be too much train"

As they leave, they hear an unfortunate interchange of words

"The people are hungry already?"

"No, no, the college kids were just wondering about the menu"

Ah. Yes. Right. College kids. Thats what they are now. Or what they'll be in a few months.

Which is a good thing and definitely not something that has been eating him for months now!!

They need to take a seat.

"Uuwaaabwhbwuwaaaauabwuwaaawuabwewbbwe"

"Yeag"

He melts on the table. He would melt on the background if he could, but sorceries far beyond his control deny it so.

"How long until doomsday?"

"If my cryptic dreams are right, 35 years. If you mean university, I think we still have a month until all inscriptions close everywhere. "

He melts harder.

He can't keep this waiting! He already took a year off!

"When we end up living underneath a bridge, I'll let you borrow my left shoe"

"I will not forget this deal."

In a world of possibilities, how is he to choose? To become one thing for the rest of his life? AND it has to be profitable??? Cruel and unusual punishment.

"Do you want to check the wheel"

"Okay..."

He becomes solid again and looks at Simon's phone.

It's a little coding fun bonanza he took part in, making a silly roulette with all possible work possibilities! With added stats of Quality of Life, Money expectancy and Whimsy.

He is not be the best artist out there, so Nadia’s Photoshop skills come in pretty handy!

"My son. What shall the future bring for your dear creator"

The wheel goes, it makes a silly slipping cartoon sound.

As programmed, it stops randomly and abruptly.

Right under "Retail"

"Do you want me dead. Is that it. Do you want your father dead."

"This is why God doesn’t talk to us anymore. We chose retail"

"It has low stats everywhere!!! Basically whimsyless!!!"

"I'm doomed. Not even my own creation supports me. What shall become of this wretched creature."

"Make another and let them compete for your love"

...Which could mean nothing. Coming from him. He lowers his internally raised eyebrow.

"You haven't rolled"

"It's fine"

"Huh? Have you decided already?!"

He looks a bit lost for a moment, and touches the screen.

"Doctor"

"WHAT THE HELL"

"That's so good!! Why do you get the good stuff!!"

"I don't want to be a doctor, though."

"But you could be! You're good at biology, you can totally be a doctor!!"

"I guess..."

If he recalls correctly, Miss Marigold also suggested being a doctor. Does he think it would be too hard? Too competitive? There are many other fields under medicine...

Unlike himself, who is not particularly good at anyth-

"Why aren't you going into coding, though?"

...Right. That.

"Oh I'm just... not into it anymore"

"It was like, a phase or something. It's not something I'd do as a career"

"But you're good at it. And it pays well. And you have fun doing it. The impossible triangle is possible."

"Um, yeah but uh, it's not my vibe now, you know? I'm doing different stuff now. As an adult who does adult things"

"...Is it because-"

"I just don’t like it anymore! Just because I'm good at it, it doesn't mean I want to work on it, okay?! You are good at cooking but you don't want to work on it, see?! We are the same! So just-!"

"..."

"..."

"...Okay. Sorry"

"Ah.

Did I fuck up?"

"...But um. I'd still do it as a hobby so..."

Silence

"Do you... have something else in mind?"

"I do"

"But mom won't like it"

(Must be nice, knowing what you want.)

(Knowing what you don't want.)

(Having your thoughts and feelings set straight, nothing unwavering them.)

A fading feeling of a strong hand patting his back comes to mind.

It sickens him, it sickens the comfort he gets from the memory.

(Maybe if he was actually his son, he would be able to hate him without remorse.)

"Have you considered making a podcast"

He slumps back on the table.

"I have. It sounds dreadful"

"Can't be worse than what already sells"

He raises a good point, but it doesn't make it better.

(He's secretly glad he didn't upset him for real. But what's friendship without accidentally brushing over your pal's trauma?)

Suddenly, a well wanted interruption!

“Now that’s not the mood for a fancy train ride. Cheer up, strange creatures!”

<PREV START NEXT>

[iizuumi]

They're flirting sparring

[cautionwetfloor-png]

not to step where i dont belong but why do i see shippers and saiki aroace truthers beefing all the time ... guys :( .. guys PLEASE .. WE CAN HAVE BOTH. I WANTS BOTH CAKES.

[ahalliance]

an important thing to understand with qetoiles is that he made every one of his relationships feel special without ever placing the importance of a person over another . he was naturally closer to some people than others but he never had A special person, if you get me