I Served the King of England

(2007)

★ 6.8 IMDb · 119 votes

Genres: Comedy

Year: 2007

Runtime: 115 мин

Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia

Director: Jiří Menzel

Cast: Ivan Barnev, Oldřich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch, Marián Labuda, Milan Lasica, Zuzana Fialová, Martin Huba, Josef Abrhám, Jiří Lábus, Rudolf Hrušínský ml.

Plot

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.

Czechoslovakia, 1963. Jan Díte is released from prison after serving 15 years. He goes into semi exile in a deserted village near the German border. In flashbacks, he tells his story: he's a small, clever and quick-witted young man, stubbornly naïve, a vendor at a train station. Thanks to a patron, he becomes a waiter at upscale hotels and restaurants. We see him discover how the wealthy tick and how to please women. He strives to be a millionaire with his own hotel. Before the war, he meets Líza, a German woman in Prague. Is this his ticket to wealth or his undoing? Meanwhile, we see Jan putting a life together after prison: why was he sentenced, and who will he become?