Vladimir Mensik Movies

A Czechoslovakian boy begins to recognizes the true meaning of freedom adapted from D. Pavel's novel. ~ Rovi

In this ironic film, in 1968 an expatriate Czech sets up a dummy corporation for importing wine from Czechoslovakia and persuades all but one person in a wine-making commune to give him a commission for selling their wine. They give him their money, and he runs off with it. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This comedic battle of the sexes finds a woman (Jirina Bohdalova) inviting a man to dinner at her home. She doesn't realize the man is in fact the Devil (Vladimir Mensik). He shows up for her fabulous culinary artistry, but she soon suspects he is less than human when he gnaws on the table legs and eats a floral arrangement. She ends up trapping the man and makes a deal with the Devil. He allows her to live in luxury with a bevy of handsome young men in exchange for his freedom. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Vladislav Vancura's novel Marketa Lazarova was based on a centuries-old Czechoslovakian legend. The film version concerns itself with a group of pillaging feudal lords. Though they regard themselves as noble knights, these lords are a raping, robbing lot, slaves to the many superstitions that grip their land. Magda Vasaryova plays Marketa Lazarova, whose misadventures begin when she is kidnapped and abused by the "protagonists." Director Frantisek Vlacil spares us nothing in bringing the Vancura novel to the screen, not even a gruesomely convincing public beheading. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lemonade Joe is a sweet-natured Czechoslovakian spoof of Hollywood westerns. Hero Lemonade Joe (Carl Fiala) is so named because he refuses to drink the "hard stuff" when he saunters into the local saloon. The plot exaggerates all the supposedly standard cowboy cliches, including dance hall girls with golden hearts, masked rustlers, and the sundown showdown. Halfway through, director Oldrich Lipsky (a graduate of Prague's Satirical Theatre) has nowhere further to go and begins repeating himself--then finds that he has to take certain plot threads seriously in order to expedite a happy ending. Nonetheless, the overall cheerfulness and virtuosity of the project won Lemonade Joe plenty of critical praise in 1966 (the year of its American release, though it actually was made two years earlier). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Out in the Czech countryside, a shoe factory owner petitions the People's Army to station a division of soldiers in his town, where the women outnumber the men sixteen to one. The arrival of the troops is greeted with great excitement, but the girls in the town are disappointed to see that the men are older reservists, and not the strapping young men they'd envisioned. Still, when a band plays at the local pub, the girls show up to be ogled by the older men, many of whom are married. A trio of reservists sends a bottle of wine to Andula (Hana Brejchova), Marie (Marie Salacova), and Jana (Jana Novakova), and the girls argue over whether or not to acknowledge the gesture. But Andula catches the eye of the comparatively dashing young pianist, Milda (Vladimir Pucholt). Milda convinces Andula to go to his room, where he seduces the mildly reluctant girl. The next morning, the traveling musician assures her repeatedly, "I do not have a girlfriend in Prague." Milda leaves town, as expected, but Andula has fallen in love with him, and decides to journey to Prague to track him down. A low-key black-and-white ensemble comedy, Loves of a Blonde was cast predominantly with non-professional actors. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, drew a lot of attention to the "Czech New Wave," and jumpstarted the international filmmaking career of director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi