He became famous in 1967, when his first feature film Closely Watched Trains (based on the novel by Hrabal) won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

He was nominated again in the same category in 1986 with his dark comedy My Sweet Little Village.

His film Larks on a String was filmed in 1969, but was initially banned by the Czech government. It was finally released in 1990 after the fall of the Communist regime.

His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm. Some of them are adapted from works by Czech writers such as Bohumil Hrabal and Vladislav Vančura.

Filmography

• Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále (I Served the King of England) (2006)
• Dalších deset minut II. (2002)
• Život a neobyčejná dobrodružství vojáka Ivana Čonkina (1994)
• Žebrácká opera (Beggar's Opera) (1990)
• Konec starých časů (End of Old Times) (1989)
• Vesničko má středisková (My Sweet Little Village) (1985)
• Slavnosti sněženek (1983)
• Postřižiny (1980)
• Báječní muži s klikou (1978)
• Na samotě u lesa (1976)
• Kdo hledá zlaté dno (1974)
• Skřivánci na niti (Larks on a String) (1969)
• Rozmarné léto (Capricious Summer) (1968)
• Zločin v šantánu (1968)
• Ostře sledované vlaky (Closely Watched Trains) (1966)
• Zločin v dívčí škole (1965)
• Perličky na dně (1965)
• Umřel nám pan Foerster (1963)

Other

• Hospoda (The pub) - Situation comedy 1996. His role was psychiatrist, who came everyday to one Prague pub. He made lots of fun with his friends.

External links

• Laughter is the best way to get to know the world - interview with Jiří Menzel - official portal of the Czech Republic
• CFN