Co-scripted and based on a novel by Bohumil Hrabal, Menzel’s much loved first feature is an elliptically funny, but marvellously perceptive observation of the quirks of humanity. A bittersweet coming-of-age tale of a train dispatcher (Václav Neckář) employed at a seemingly sleepy station, unfolds against the backdrop of Nazi occupation and features subtle symbolism and outstanding characterisations. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1968 and was banned in its home country after the Soviet invasion later the same year.