Lebemänner

A top example of the Czech comedy in the 60-ies and one of the all times best ones in the history of Czech cinema. Three facade-makers (a fat one, a tall one and a small one) from the country work in Prague. They are relatively well paid and want to learn once in life the glamorous world of expensive cafés and sophisticated ladies. They hire a gentleman from old school to teach them good behavior. The gentleman remembers the great social events of his youth, before the Communist took the power and confiscated his property. Oldøich Nový in the role of the old gentleman is wonderful, because it corresponds with his real fate as the star of the romantic movies from 30-ies and 40-ies, who could hardly succeed in the socialist movies about builders of heavy industry as made in the early 50-ies. Female counterparts of the three workers are three women, who earn their money by small crime. The film gets at its top, when the three workers meet the three women, all of them pretending to be artists, scientists or businessmen. I watch this movie again and again, because of its intelligent humor and excellent performance of best artists of that time. The education of adult workers and women in good behavior reminds me strongly of Pygmalion.