Shot in 1968, whilst Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief moment of political liberalization, Larks on a String is a searing political satire from director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Like their earlier Oscar-winning triumph Closely Watched Trains, it audaciously combines black humor with grim reality. Set in a scrap metal yard where dissidents are interned to be ‘re-educated’, the film is both a powerful critique of totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Promptly banned by the Communist regime, the film remained unseen until 1990, when it was released to great acclaim, winning the grand prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Now regarded as a lost masterpiece, Menzel's wry comic drama is a hymn to humanity and nonconformity.
Directed by Jiří Menzel
Written by Bohumil Hrabal & Jiří Menzel
Adapted from stories from the collection "An Advertisement for the House I Don't Want to Live in Anymore" by Bohumil Hrabal
Produced by Karel Kochman
Cinematography by Jaromír Šofr
Camera Operator: Jiří Kučera
Music Composed by Jiří Šust
Film Editing by Jiřina Lukešová
Production Design by Oldřich Bosák
Set Design by Vladimír Mácha
Costume Design by Dagmar Krausová
Sound Design by Jiří Pavlík
Starring Rudolf Hrušínský, Václav Neckář, Jitka Zelenohorská, Vlastimil Brodský, Vladimír Ptáček, Ferdinand Krůta, František Řehák, Leoš Suchařípa, Eugen Jegorov, Naďa Urbánková, Věra Křesadlová, and Jaroslav Satoranský