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Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch, Martin Huba, Marián Labuda ... see more see more... , Milan Lasica , Zuzana Fialová , Josef Abrhám , Jirí Lábus , Jaromír Dulava , Pavel Nový , Rudolf Hrusínský , Tonya Graves , István Szabó

Despite the 1997 death of longtime friend and Closely Watched Trains collaborator Bohumil Hrabal, 1960s-era Czech New Wave filmmaker Jirí Menzel enters into a postmortem collaboration with the famed a... read more read more...uthor in this pitch-black comedy detailing the shrewd rise of an ambitious waiter. All diminutive manservant Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev) ever wanted was to be filthy rich and to preside over his very own hotel. As a young man coming of age in the 1930s, Jan was preoccupied by beautiful women and awestricken by the fact that anyone, be they rich or poor, would bend to their knees to pick up a coin. With World War II fast approaching and the Germans steadily taking occupation of Czech territory, the opportunistic servant begins his rapid ascent up the hospitality ladder by working for a number of high-profile figures. Though Jan was never a man to settle down with just one woman, his growing attraction to Aryan beauty Liza (Julia Jentsch) soon finds the aspiring hotelier proposing marriage. Of course, a blueblood Teuton like Liza could never wed a man unable to provide proof of his German heritage, but that doesn't stop Jan from doing his best to please her in the bedroom. Later, when Liza is killed retrieving a box of valuable stamps acquired during her stint at the Russian front, Jan uses the valuable collector's items to purchase the very hotel in which he used to work. Unfortunately for Jan, good luck is always followed by bad news, and it's not long before his life's ambition comes crumbling down all around him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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80% liked it

8,697 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

85 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Jirí Menzel

Release Date: August 29, 2008

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (340)

  • ebs90
    March 30, 2009
    ebs90
    I don't know much about Jiri Menzel, but I know he's a reknown Czech new wave filmmaker (correct me if I'm wrong). Unbiased as I am, here's my review of I Served the King of England...

    Okay... what happens here is that a Czech waiter in pre-occupied Prague really, really wants... read more to be a millionaire. And he will go as far as it takes and rise above any and all circumstances in order to get what he wants. He will become a Nazi to marry a cute German teacher, he will silently witness all sorts of twisted human dynamics for a decent tip, he will accept stamps stolen from deported Jews to change them for money... the man is a total innocent, absolutely ignorant of the perversity of his actions or omissions, only chasing after his dream. And he is content even when his beloved fortune is confiscated and he is sent to jail because he will share cells with millionaires. And he always did want to be with millionaires.

    The remarkable thing about I Served... is how it creates this rich, sensual Universe in which the main character moves, where he struggles to climb, that he inhabits pleasurably. Naive as he is in the face of reality, he enjoys and contemplates women, food, and money as the most natural things in the world. Therefore, the film is overflowing with vitality and color, textures, suggested tastes and scents. Scenes of banquets and orgies are shown in a matter-of-fact way and accompanied with beautiful music.

    Styllistically, the film reminded me of Chaplin and Rene Clair. There's the quick paced piano, the complicated falling and stumbling, the slapstick humor, and the undercurrents of wit and satire.

    The performances are very limited since voice-over dominates a great portion of the film, but every actor undoubtedly inhabits their character perfectly. There's hardly a weak performance.

    I don't quite know what to make of this movie. It has no big lessons to teach or much to reflect upon except the uselessness of money and the importance of a full life, and even that can go unseen behind all of its visual charm. I Served... is original, cheerful, and provocative. It's knowingly relativist and allegoric. Above all, it's fun, and light-hearted fun with complex backdrops always gets on my good side.
  • RossCollinsUK
    August 18, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    A hilarious story that follows the life of a lucky barman starting in the opulent 20s & 30s with tales of the Czech aristocracy's extravagant life, through to the subsequent German invasion and war, finally ending in the Communist era.
  • gator681
    December 2, 2009
    gator681
    "I Served the King of England" starts sometime in the 1960's with Jan Dite(Oldrich Kaiser), "a small man from a small town," getting amnesty from his 15 year jail sentence, after serving 14 years and 9 months. To add to his predicament, he is forced to move to the frontier where... read more he encounters Marcela(Zuzana Fialova) which rekindles memories of himself as a young man(Ivan Barnev) who began his career in food service as a hot dog vendor at the train station in Prague before moving on to become a waiter at a bar. It is there that Jaruska(Petra Hrebickova), the new woman at the local bordello, walks in soaking wet one day.

    "I Served the King of England" is a darkly comic, gorgeously rendered, and sensual movie that starts Jan's story innocently enough with a silent movie homage. In fact, he does remind me of a Chaplinesque hero who suffers under the weight of the world while trying to make it a better place through a smile. However, Jan has more important things on his mind than just service, dreaming of becoming a millionaire and opening his own elite hotel. That along with his love of women(I had not noticed they are all taller than him until it is pointed out) drives him in his life, as he also has a naughty habit of dropping coins to tempt the rich.(This reminds me of Abbie Hoffman and Co. dropping money at the New York Stock Exchange. This event says everything you need to know about capitalism.) At the same time, Jan loses track of important events happening around him which leads to both his physical and moral downfall.
  • fb1144932598
    April 21, 2009
    fb1144932598
    Quirky tale about a simple man, Jan Ditie (Ivan Barney and Oldrich Kaiser) with a simple plan: watch and learn how millionaires live so that when he becomes rich and famous, he will know how to behave. And fortuitously he does become rich, only to see it taken away. Along the way... read more he catches the eye of some spectacularly beautiful women who then allow him to sample their charms. Lots of skin, a few chuckles, and a soft satire of materialism, make this an entertaining film. Food, music, opulent colors, delights of the flesh are all here in abundance. Subtitles, and lots of them, as it is very talkative, so be ready to speed-read. But, only the Czech is translated. The German is left unsubtitled, probably because Jan does not speak or understand German, even though he winds up marrying a good German girl. Quite enjoyable.
  • brandonklaus2
    July 9, 2009
    brandonklaus2
    Really dug this movie. It's funny, playful, and it surprises you about halfway through with a more serious turn. Hurray for short guys!
  • wbgoose13
    October 26, 2008
    wbgoose13
    First half's whimsy somewhat backfires when less whimsical events come to pass (ex: the Holocaust).
  • DrStrangeblog
    July 18, 2011
    DrStrangeblog
    Starts off as an amusingly low-key comedy which surprisingly turns into a history lesson about the German annexation of Czechoslovakia and the effect on its citizens during WW II. Some fine acting and injected with period flavor, the film follows the life of a poor waiter who dr... read moreeams of owning his own hotel. In the opening shot, we see him in his 60's and getting released from prison after serving 14 years and 7 months of a 15 year sentence (getting out early for good behavior, ha) and find out how he got there. Interesting and with a share of charming & poignant moments sprinkled with substantial and unexpected nudity, all photographed with an artistic lens. This film won't amaze you but ought to hold your interest to the duration.
  • Ghw12158
    September 25, 2011
    Ghw12158
    in this chech movie a man is released from prison and recalls his life through flashbacks and in turn history of that area pre WWII to the present. the man who plays the older version of the main character has amazing steel blue eyes that make me think of armin mueller-stahl.
  • sutak25
    February 15, 2009
    sutak25
    I am not sure why but I loved this movie you just fall in love with the little guy.In all its a strange quirky little movie.I really did like it alot as long as you dont mind subtitles and you like something like monty python meets benny hill give this movie a try
  • jplong39
    January 7, 2009
    jplong39
    A busboy/waiter whose stature rises from every circumstance imaginable. The higher in rank his customers are, the farther up the ladder he goes: Better leftovers, better tips, better clothes....and with the better cash flow he can afford better women! This flick is full of ballet... read moreic grace, charm, poignancy and non-stop humor. The dvd will be released here in the States on 2/17/09

View All Obsluhoval Jsem Anglického Krále (I Served the King of England) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer
November 21, 2008
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The world it depicts is too dangerous and too lovely to classify. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
November 10, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

The movie is filled with wonderful moments, set pieces of absurdity, and a richness of humor. But underneath, Menzel and Hraba have a wry and sometimes painful story to tell of the history of their co... Full Review

Michael Phillips
October 18, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Tasty enough but inoffensive even when it should offend, provoke, startle. Full Review

Peter Howell
September 19, 2008
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Most movies of this kind would lead towards redemption of sorts. Menzel prefers quiet introspection to loud conversion, and that's both a strength and weakness of this movie. Full Review

Rick Groen
September 19, 2008
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

I Served the King of England should be a brilliant picture, one last testament to the intertwined sensibilities of two brave artists. Should be, but isn't. Full Review

Colin Covert
September 18, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Transforming the calamitous past into the springboard for sexy, satirical fantasy, Menzel tells his tale through the experiences of Jan Dite, a waiter fixated on his dream of becoming a hotel owner an... Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
September 17, 2008
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

The minor protocols and major assaults of the characters are fused, paradoxically, by a truly lyrical talent. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
September 12, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

An extravagant, visually stunning feast of sensory delights, Jiri Menzel's winsome comedy, set in World War II-era Prague, pirouettes along a beguiling but treacherous line between horror and whimsy. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
September 12, 2008
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

The movie's main appeal is its special comic flavor -- a zesty fusion of picaresque adventure, absurdist whimsy and Chaplinesque grace. Full Review

Richard Nilsen
September 11, 2008
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

This episodic, picaresque film is one delightful surprise after another, a complete joy to watch. Full Review

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