Vrchní, prchni!

I have no idea if this movie is translated and presented abroad. Probably no, because it is not so known. But I must say that it is one of the movies I really love.

Translation of title can be "Waiter - run away!". It is story of man who had financial troubles. He was married for several times and had to pay for several kids. He wanted to earn some extra money by playing in cafe. But one drunk guest (when he see him in jacket) suppose he is waiter and pay his bill to him. So the main hero find his chance - he goes through restaurants and acts that he is waiter and asks people to cash to him...

All the movie is full of sweet humor. It has also nice music.

I saw this movie on a trip to Prague several years ago. I missed the title and so have been looking for it ever since. Since there were subtitles in English at that time, it is possible that it may turn up again on DVD. I am delighted to at last know what it is called in English.

This film is very funny and skilfully made. It uses a wide range of film humor styles, from farce including slapstick to satire. It reflects on human (male) behavior in general and on Czechoslovak communist society. At the end of the film, there is a fantastically shot chase scene. I do not agree at all with the qualification "small comedy", because the film is based on a very developed script that contains many sub-plots with people commenting or reacting on the behavior of the main character. The result is a picture that gives you pleasure and enjoyment while watching it and amusement after when recalling different scenes and characters.

I saw Vrchni, prchni! When it was making the rounds in art house theaters in the 80's. A sweet comedy about a bookstore owner who owes alimony to several failed marriages tries to moonlight as a violinist to make ends meet. In doing so, he inadvertently finds a new occupation as a small-time but ubiquitous grifter.

Please be aware of spoilers in Pavel Vetesnik's and other reviews. They'll kill the surprises.

This movie is packed with inventive gags, clever writing, and wry comedy, and escalates towards an elaborate, over-the-top climax.

Interestingly, the American theatrical release ended with a title card noting that during his time in prison, he became so good at the violin that he was hired into the Prague Symphony Orchestra after his release. This is missing from the Czech DVD release (from which a friend converted a US-readable copy).

Like one of the previous reviewers, I was lucky enough to catch this gem of a film on a coach trip to Prague when I was living in the Czech Republic. It was the first Czech film I saw, and is still my favourite. Of course anyone who didn't grow up under communism will miss a lot of the humour and references, but generally speaking it has a wide-ranging appeal, and the convoluted situations are really funny at times, especially the incidents with his neighbour. The music is good too - mostly man-and-a-guitar type songs. I wish it were possible to find this in Britain, but foreign language films are a tiny market here, especially obscure communist-era East European films... Overall though, this is thoroughly recommended and if you're ever in Czech on a yellow Student Agency coach make sure they show this!