Blocks of Flats

Blocks of Flats

1960 · 6 min · ★ 7.0 · Documentary

A student work by Jiří Menzel, filmed during his second year at the FAMU film school. Views of old Prague and its tenement buildings, symbolizing the obsolete past, alternate with shots of construction sites for new prefabricated apartment buildings. In spite of certain unavoidable propagandistic overtones added by the director, it is notable as the beginning of his search for a “dramaturgy of colors.”

Directed by Jiří Menzel · Written by Jiří Menzel

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 22m together

Blocks of Flats

If a Thousand Clarinets

Both from Jiří Menzel.

More from Jiří MenzelSee all →

Pražský písničkářPražský písničkář · 1997
Pražský písničkář
9.01997
SeriesDrama
The CrematorThe Cremator · 1969
The Cremator
7.81969
MovieHorrorDrama
In 1930s Prague, a Czech cremator who firmly believes cremation relieves one from earthly suffering is drawn inexorably to Nazism.
If a Thousand ClarinetsIf a Thousand Clarinets · 1965
If a Thousand Clarinets
7.51965
MovieComedyMusic
A military base. An awkward soldier. A statue of Bach. And suddenly all guns in the area change into music instruments. Great mystery is immediately found by TV station. And soon the military base becomes a stage for huge TV show.
My Sweet Little VillageMy Sweet Little Village · 1985
My Sweet Little Village
7.41985
MovieComedy
The movie's main storyline follows the life of Otík, a 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 Elementary SchoolThe Elementary School · 1991
The Elementary School
7.41991
MovieComedyDrama
The time is 1945-46. 10 year old Eda and his friend Tonda live in a small village outside Prague. In school, their class is so wild and indisciplined that their teacher quits and is replaced by the militant Igor Hnidzo. He is very strict – but also very fair. His weakness though, is his interest in young women.
VyprávějVyprávěj · 2009
Vyprávěj
7.32009
SeriesFamilyDrama
Set in Czechoslovakia, the drama follows the lives of its characters against the backdrop of real historical events that shape their personal stories. To evoke period atmosphere, the series intersperses authentic clips from vintage Czechoslovak film newsreels, using their original commentaries or newly recorded historical voice-overs by Vladimír Fišer. A narrator, initially voiced by Vojtěch Kotek and later by Matěj Hádek, provides continuity and reflection, guiding viewers through changing times. Under the guidance of screenwriter Rudolf Merkner, each episode’s script weaves family and individual dramas into key moments of Czech and Slovak history: political shifts, cultural trends, and social transformations from the 1960s onward.
DaisiesDaisies · 1966
Daisies
7.31966
MovieComedyDrama
Two teenage girls embark on a series of destructive pranks in which they consume and destroy the world around them.
Closely Watched TrainsClosely Watched Trains · 1966
Closely Watched Trains
7.21966
MovieComedyDrama
At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.
Cutting It ShortCutting It Short · 1981
Cutting It Short
7.01981
MovieComedy
Francin, manager of a small-town brewery, has a charming wife whose abundant blonde locks are an adornment to the town. Maryska looks ethereal but loves meat and beer, while Francin is an ascetic. The strict members of the brewery board of directors come to audit the accounts, but are diverted from concentrating on Francin's detailed reports by Maryska, who has organized a pig-killing feast and is ably assisting the butcher. When she invites the old curmudgeons on the board to enjoy the fresh pork, they are too happy to agree. Francin doesn't know whether he is going to get a permanent contract. To make things worse his brother Pepin - eccentric, noisy and garrulous - turns up on an indefinite visit.
Passing FancyPassing Fancy · 1983
Passing Fancy
7.01983
MovieDrama
The main character of the story which takes place in the twenties in Budapest is the poet Dr. Rácz György, who returns after ten years of absence. In a café he meets his former friend Lajos, who has just broken up with his lover, Márta, because of the wife of professor Büchler. The transiently formed, rootless Rácz gets entangled into the sophisticated, complicated love affairs of bored or tired ladies.
Minden szerdánMinden szerdán · 1979
Minden szerdán
7.01979
MovieDrama
Stephen, living in a troubled family, breaks into a grocery store and wreaks vandalism. He is sent to a reform school. Later he works in a cleaning brigade and accidentally meets József Draskóczi, who denounced him. Draskóczi lives in an unloving, troubled atmosphere with his barren daughter and cynical son-in-law, ascetic about his youthful communist beliefs. He feels responsible for Istvan's fate, offering him a human voice and love. Despite his daughter's hysterical jealousy, he sends Istvan to school and then, through his previous connections, provides him with an apartment...
HospodaHospoda · 1996
Hospoda
7.01996
SeriesComedy
Hospoda is a Czech television comedy series which premiered on TV Nova. From 1996 to 1997, 52 episodes were aired.
Hearty Greetings from the GlobeHearty Greetings from the Globe · 1983
Hearty Greetings from the Globe
6.91983
MovieComedyScience Fiction
​Two aliens stir up trouble on Earth in order to study humans. Misunderstandings ensue.
Larks on a StringLarks on a String · 1990
Larks on a String
6.91990
MovieDramaRomance
In post-WWII Communist Czechoslovakia, several characters considered bourgeois are sentenced to work in a junkyard for rehabilitation. Among them is a young man who pines for a female convict.
I Served the King of EnglandI Served the King of England · 2007
I Served the King of England
6.82007
MovieComedy
Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the inter-war period. Jan Dítě, a young and clever waiter who wants to become a millionaire, comes to the conclusion that to achieve his ambitious goal he must be diligent, listen and observe as much as he can, be always discreet and use what he learns to his own advantage; but the turbulent tides of history will continually stand in his way.
The Snowdrop FestivalThe Snowdrop Festival · 1984
The Snowdrop Festival
6.61984
MovieComedyDrama
An episodic film about the inhabitants of Kersko, their hardships and their joys, most prominently hunting. A lyrical and humorous adaptation of writings by Bohumil Hrabal.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter