New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Evening Standard rating
Reader rating
Dir: Jiri Menzel.
Cast: Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch, Milan Lasica
Description: Black comedy set against the turbulent backdrop of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia during World War II, concerning the rise and fall of an ambitious hotelier whose pursuit of money and women leads to a 15 year stretch in a Prague jail. During the '30s, Jan learns his craft as a waiter at various hotels, absorbing tricks of the trade from various superiors, including the maitre d' who claims he once served the King of England. A tempestuous romance with Hitler acolyte Liza gives Jan momentary pause for thought but his pursuit of glory drives him onwards, at the expense of friendships and other close relationships.
Country: CZECH/SLOV. 2006. 119mins
Well observed: Oldrich Kaiser as Jan Dite in I served the King of England
Jiri Menzel, the Czech director who made such classics as Closely Observed Trains before his career was stymied for years by the communist authorities, returns to his best form with this picaresque tale based on a novel by Bohumil Hrabal.
It’s the story of Jan Dite (played by Ivan Barnev when young, then Oldrich Kaiser), a provincial waiter who determines to become a millionaire by hearing and seeing everything, and then using the resultant information. He moves from a pub to a brothel and then to an elegant Prague restaurant before Hitler takes Sudetenland and he marries a German; together they make a fortune selling rare stamps that belonged to Jews who have been either killed or deported.
But after the war the Communists put him behind bars for 15 years, one for each of his millions. It allows him to reflect on his life and Menzel to detail it with an ironic humour in which film-makers of the Eastern Bloc used to specialise.
The result is a unique film, relating the strange history of Menzel’s country along with the absurd life of a central character who, in Hrabal’s terms as well as those of the director, mirrors the Czech character. There are some marvellously funny moments, often tied to Menzel’s clear passion for the beauty and sexiness of women. They should have called it Closely Observed Czechs.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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