MAGNET contributing writer Jud Cost is sharing some of the wealth of classic films he’s been lucky enough to see over the past 40 years. Trolling the backwaters of cinema, he has worked up a list of more than 500 titles—from the silent era through the ’90s—that you may have missed. A new selection, all currently available on DVD, appears every week.
Closely Watched Trains (1966, 93 minutes)
Milos Hrma (Vaklav Neckar), a simple lad of about 18 years, is about to start his first day as a train dispatcher in a small Czechoslovakian town, and his mother is helping him put on his elaborate uniform. “You must be careful not to have the trains crash,” she warns, adusting his sleeve garters. “When you come to the platform the first time, everyone will realize what a famous family we are,” she says as she places the decorative cap on his head with all the pomp of a coronation.
“When the Germans crossed the frontier and proceeded toward Prague, your grandfather William decided to stop the tanks on his own through hypnosis with the force of his thoughts,” she tells him. “He tried to make them go back with outstretched hands. When the first tank stopped, the army of the Reich halted. But the tank ran right over him and cut off his head.”
As Milos arrives at the station, he is taken in hand by a fellow employee who shows him how to salute properly, so his hand doesn’t look like a wobbly noodle. The station master is feeding grain to his flock of pigeons, two of which are perched on his cap with one each on his outstretched hands. “My little loves, my babies,” he warbles to them. “Take a grain. Eat up, my little ones.” When Milos gives him an improved salute, the master smiles and replies, “Welcome, Milos. At ease. Your dad was the best engine driver in the district. He once threw out the stoker while the train was in motion.”
Billowing steam, a magnificent locomotive arrives, pulling a passenger train. “Hiya, Milos!” shouts a perky, young female conductor from one of the cars. “You’re looking very smart,” she says. “You look nice too, Masa” he replies, all dewy-eyed. She bends from the steps for a kiss as Milos closes his eyes and puckers up. Just as their lips are about to meet, the conductor blows the “all aboard” whistle. Milos’ fellow dispatcher places his whistle between the eager pair of lips as Masa fades into the distance. “Quite a girl,” he remarks.
Reality jars this bucolic existence when a Gestapo officer arrives at the train station. Dressed in a smart wool coat with a fur collar, he addresses all personnel. He moves rubber stamps around a large map of Europe to demonstrate how the Nazis are turning the tide of the war.
Germany will make a series of “tactical withdrawals” from the Baltic, Russia, Belgium and Italy, he explains. “The enemies are crawling into a trap. The Führer means to save humanity. Providence will not abandon us. Only a few Czech chauvinists think they can turn back the course of history.” Milos begins to think of his grandfather, the hypnotist.
