Personal Info
Birth date
1938-02-23 (87 Years)
Day of death
2020-09-05
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]
Also known as
Jirí Menzel
Jiri Menzel
이리 멘젤
이리 멘첼
Jiří Menzel
Biography
Jiří Menzel (Czech: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈmɛntsl̩] was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films are adapted from works by Czech writers such as Bohumil Hrabal and Vladislav Vančura. Menzel, a member of the Czech New Wave, became internationally famous in 1967, when his first feature film, Closely Watched Trains, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His controversial film Larks on a String was filmed in 1969, but was initially banned by the Czechoslovakian government. It was finally released in 1990 after the fall of the Communist regime. The film won the Golden Bear at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival. Menzel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film again in 1986 with his dark comedy My Sweet Little Village. In 1987, he was a member of the jury at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1989 he was a member of the jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1995 he was a member of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival. He would be conferred with IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2013.
Filmography
Vyprávěj
7.3
Overview:
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.Hospoda
7
Overview:
Hospoda is a Czech television comedy series which premiered on TV Nova. From 1996 to 1997, 52 episodes were aired.Golden Sixties
NYR
Overview:
Television series Golden Sixties examines new insights into Czech and Slovak cinema of the 1960s and the role of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Each episode focuses on a different filmmaker.All My Loved Ones
7.2
Overview:
Told from the perspective of man reflecting on his childhood in Prague in the early years of World War II and the eventual destruction of his family as the Nazis rise to power. The storyline focuses heavily on Jewish-Czech Silberstein family members. Drama was filmed on the real events as a tribute to Mr. Nicholas Winton, the British humanitarian who organized the rescue of 669 children, most of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War in an operation later known as the Czech Kindertransport from German-occupied Czechoslovakia and likely death in the Holocaust.Hearty Greetings from the Globe
6.9
Overview:
Two aliens stir up trouble on Earth in order to study humans. Misunderstandings ensue.Crime in the Night Club
5.9
Overview:
The theft of a pearl necklace and subsequent murder took place at the Tartaros cabaret. All this could compromise the minister, who is an admirer of the singer Clara. The real culprits must be found as soon as possible...Daisies
7.3
Overview:
Two teenage girls embark on a series of destructive pranks in which they consume and destroy the world around them.The Cremator
7.809
Overview:
In 1930s Prague, a Czech cremator who firmly believes cremation relieves one from earthly suffering is drawn inexorably to Nazism.Closely Watched Trains
7.232
Overview:
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.I Served the King of England
6.9
Overview:
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.Ten Minutes Older: The Cello
6.6
Overview:
Collection of short films the summaries of which include; a foreign man moving to Italy, getting married and having a child; a four split scene short involving plot-less images of old people with television sets for heads, a beautiful woman having sex, and overall confusion; and an old man reminiscing over his youth.Capricious Summer
6.6
Overview:
Middle-aged Antonin and his friends, the major, now retired, and the canon, are in the river, swimming and philosophizing. Then it starts to rain. It just seems to be that sort of summer. Antonin runs the swimming bath with his portly wife Katherine... A man appears with his horse-drawn caravan. He lays a striped pole across the river and walks over. With a handstand and a magic trick, Ernie the Conjuror invites everyone to that evening's performance... Ernie is a tightrope walker of only modest skill, but with a slim and beautiful assistant, Anna. Antonin speaks to her. The two spend the night in the change room by the river, Antonin massaging her feet all night long. Katherine decides to move into the caravan with Ernie. But now the major and even the canon sense Anna's attractiveness...Something Different
6.4
Overview:
In her first feature, Věra Chytilová uses a combination of documentary and fiction film techniques to tell two stories in counterpoint. The first follows Olympic champion gymnast Eva Bosáková, who contemplates retirement as she undergoes a gruelling training schedule; the second, a housewife who is unappreciated and ignored by her husband.My Sweet Little Village
7.3
Overview:
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.Ferat Vampire
5.4
Overview:
A doctor is shocked when his beloved colleague Mima signs a contract with foreign car manufacturer Ferat, in order to work for them as a rally-driver. A scientist convinces him that human blood is being used as fuel for Mima's ever winning car, but does that really work?The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin
6.4
Overview:
Set in a small Ukrainian village during the outbreak of war with Germany in 1941 Private Chonkin, not overly endowed with intelligence, is left to guard a downed military aircraft. The authorities appear to have forgotten about him so this leaves him free to work his chams on the village postmistress, Njura, untill the local militia are tipped off.Cutting It Short
7.3
Overview:
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.Defendant
6.6
Overview:
Managers at the construction of a big hydro plant are accused of having embezzled money.The Interpreter
6
Overview:
80-year-old Ali Ungar comes across a book by a former SS officer describing his wartime activities in Slovakia. He realises his parents were executed by him. He sets out to take revenge but finds instead his 70-year-old son, Georg, a retired teacher. Georg, who had avoided his father all his life, decides to find out more about him and offers Ali to be his interpreter.The Little Apocalypse
5.4
Overview:
An unknown Polish writer can't publish his novels, so his ex-wife decides to help him and get some of the profit for herself. She finally finds a publisher, but there's a strange single condition that could cost the writer his life.Pearls of the Deep
6
Overview:
A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression and the versatility of the movement’s directors. Based on stories by the legendary writer Bohumil Hrabal, the shorts range from the surreally chilling to the caustically observant to the casually romantic, but all have a cutting, wily view of the world.The Beggar's Opera
4.333
Overview:
Unlike any other opera, the so-called Beggar's Opera is not just one composition, but a lineage of adapted compositions, beginning with the original hugely successful 1728 political satire written by Englishman John Gay. Composers and writers have penned variations on it ever since. The most famous of these was A Threepenny Opera by Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Some things these compositions share in common is their setting among the poor and criminal classes, and the roguish character Macheath. This production is based on an adaptation of Gay's original by Vaclav Havel the freedom-fighter, writer and philosopher who became the first (and only) president of the united post-communist country of Czechoslovakia, and it retains many traces of its theatrical origins. Film reviewers were not too tolerant of what they called "slavish adherence" to the noted Czech writer's stage production, but theater, philosophy and history buffs may feel otherwise.Crime at the Girls School
6.4
Overview:
Three short story omnibus. The main hero and connecting link is Lieutenant Boruvka, created by Lubomír Lipsky. He deals with the murder case between climbers, the death of the dancer in the music theater and the strange disappearance of the mathematics professor.The End of Old Times
6.4
Overview:
Czechoslovakia 1918. The newly formed National Assembly has made Stoklasa the administrator of the Kratochvile Castle. Although with no aristocratic background, he is a man of fortune and is trying to buy the castle. To impress his neighbors and the local politicians he invites them to a great hunting party. Uninvited comes a man who claims to be Duke Alexej. Stoklasa believes him to be a hustler. This hustler, however, manages to charm all the women before he leaves.Flám
NYR
Overview:
A comedy about a charismatic man who lacks the confidence of his surroundings. However, he was not completely satisfied with the original script and invited Jiří Mucha to adapt Otto Zelenka's script, which gave the film the final form of a bitter conversational comedy. It is also worth noting that the big beat band Olympic appeared in the film in its early days with the song "Dangerous Figure".Acting
2018CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel as Self
2018The Interpreter as Ali Ungár
2018More Than Words as Self
2016To Make a Comedy Is No Fun as Self
2016The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street as Self
2014Bohumil Hrabal „Takže se stalo, že...“ as self
2014Milan Čorba as Unknown
2012Signál as Prokeš
2012The Presence of Arnošt Lustig as Self
2011Jiří Menzel: 7 Questions as Self
2009Vyprávěj (2 Episodes) as Professor Sládeček
2009Operation Dunaj as Oskar Hazuka
2009Setkání v Praze, s vraždou as Hořejší
2009Golden Sixties (1 Episode) as Self
2007Teddy Bear as Romanuv otec
2006A bárány utolsó megkísértése as Leopold Blum
2005Pocta V+W as Self
2004Daddy as Self
2002The Sunken Cemetery as Doktor Javorski
2002Útek do Budína as hrabě
2001Als Großvater Rita Hayworth liebte as Pfarrer
2000Příběhy slavných (1 Episode) as Self
2000Krásný ztráty (1 Episode) as Self
1999Zimní víla as Komorí
1999All My Loved Ones as Stein
1997Pražský písničkář (5 Episodes) as Unknown
1996Hospoda (52 Episodes) as MUDr. Prášek - psychiatr
1996Franciska vasárnapjai as államtitkár
1995Revenge as Unknown
1995Too Loud A Solitude as Professor
1995How to Deserve a Princess as dvorní malíř
1995Joint Venture as Prof. Adamec
1993Everything I Like as Vasek
1993The Little Apocalypse as Stan
1993Dr. Hrabal as Unknown
1991The Elementary School as Gynecologist MUDr. Kalaban
1990The Gentle Barbarian as Doktor
1990Martha and I as Doctor Benda, Unknown
1990Strange Creatures as Unknown
1990Larks on a String as Convict
1988Veselé příhody z natáčení (1 Episode) as Self
1987Dámská jízda as Unknown
1985Albert as Dustojník
1983Fandy ó Fandy as Unknown
1983Hearty Greetings from the Globe as Dr. Jánský
1983Švédská zápalka as Unknown
1983Passing Fancy as Unknown
1982Ferat Vampire as Dr. Marek
1982Babička se zbláznila as Unknown
1981Bulldogs and Cherries as Waiter
1981Heart Tremors as Unknown
1981Povídka Malostranská as Dr. Krumlovský
1980Hra na telo as Unknown
1980Blue Planet as Štěpán Pavlík
1979Those Wonderful Movie Cranks as Unknown
1979Koportos as A pap
1979Minden szerdán as János - államtitkár
1978The Apple Game as MUDr. Josef John
197730 Maidens and Pythagoras as profesor matematiky Ludolf
1972Sechse kommen durch die Welt as Soldat
1972Straw Hat as Unknown
1970Nevěsta as Unknown
1969The Cremator as Dvorak
1968Crime in the Night Club as Klaun
1968Capricious Summer as Arnoštek
1968Dita Saxová as Herbert Lagus
1967Windstorm as Unknown
1967Hotel for Strangers as Pot-boy
1967The Return of the Prodigal Son as Jirí
1966Daisies as Jan (voice)
1966Flám as Unknown
1966Closely Watched Trains as Dr. Brabec
1966An Occasion to Speak as Self
1966Martin Speaking as Unknown
1966Volejte Martina as Unknown
1966Searching as Unknown
1966Nobody Will Laugh as Unknown
1966Pearls of the Deep as Cyclist (segment "Smrt pana Baltazara")
1965Pension pro svobodné pány as Unknown
1965If a Thousand Clarinets as Schulze
1965Courage for Every Day as Jarduv kolega
1964Hory hory as Unknown
1964A Place in the Crowd as (segment "Jak se kalí ocel")
1964Defendant as obhájce Frantisek Horácek
1964Dobrá rada je nad zlato as Unknown
1962Ceiling as Unknown
Directing
2020Brouk v hlavě ... Stage Director
2013The Don Juans ... Director
2011Jiří Menzel: 7 Questions ... Director
2007I Served the King of England ... Director
2002Ten Minutes Older: The Cello ... Director
2002One Moment ... Director
1994The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin ... Director
1991The Beggar's Opera ... Director
1990The End of Old Times ... Director
1990Larks on a String ... Director
1990Audience ... Director
1986Die Schokoladenschnüffler ... Director
1985My Sweet Little Village ... Director
1984The Snowdrop Festival ... Director
1981Tři v tom ... Director
1981Cutting It Short ... Director
1979Those Wonderful Movie Cranks ... Director
1976Secluded, Near Woods ... Director
1974Who Looks for Gold? ... Director
1971Mandragora ... Director
1968Crime in the Night Club ... Director
1968Capricious Summer ... Director
1966Closely Watched Trains ... Director
1966Crime at the Girls School ... Director
1966Pearls of the Deep ... Director
1963Something Different ... First Assistant Director
1963Our Mr. Foerster Died ... Director
1960Prefabricated Houses ... Director
Writing
2013The Don Juans ... Writer
2007I Served the King of England ... Screenplay
2002Ten Minutes Older: The Cello ... Screenplay
1991The Beggar's Opera ... Adaptation, Creative Producer, Screenplay
1990The End of Old Times ... Screenplay
1990Larks on a String ... Screenplay
1984The Snowdrop Festival ... Screenplay
1981Cutting It Short ... Screenplay
1979Those Wonderful Movie Cranks ... Screenplay
1974Who Looks for Gold? ... Screenplay
1968Crime in the Night Club ... Screenplay
1968Capricious Summer ... Screenplay
1966Closely Watched Trains ... Screenplay
1966Crime at the Girls School ... Screenplay
1966Pearls of the Deep ... Screenplay
1963Our Mr. Foerster Died ... Screenplay
1960Prefabricated Houses ... Screenplay
Art
2009Operation Dunaj ... Supervising Art Director
Crew
1993Helimadoe ... Dramaturgy