Larks On a String (Blu-ray)

Shot in 1968 whilst Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief moment of political liberalization, Larks on a String is a searing political comedy from director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Like their earlier Oscar-winning triumph Closely Observed Trains, it audaciously combines black humour with grim reality.
Set in a scrap metal yard where political dissidents are interned for 're-education', the film is both a powerful critique of totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.

By the time Larks on a String was completed, the Soviet invasion had restored a repressive Communist regime.  The film was promptly banned and remained unseen until 1990, when it was finally released to great acclaim winning the grand prize at the Berlin Film Festival that year.

Larks on a String is presented from a glorious new 4K restoration and makes its world premiere on Blu-ray.

'This long-suppressed Czechoslovak film offers a trenchant blend of playfulness and political satire' Janet Maslin, New York Times    

'Larks on a String looks totalitarianism straight in the eye and, instead of spitting, laughs' Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

'Light and sunny, buoyant and dangerously lyrical' LA Times

• Larks on a String (Skřivánci na niti, 1969) presented from an HD transfer of the new 4K restoration by the Czech National Film Archive.
• Jiří Menzel: 7 Questions: an idiosyncratic reflection on the film and its history, shot by the late director in 2011 specially for Second Run.
• Menzel in discussion with filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
• A newly-recorded Projection Booth audio commentary with Mike White and Jonathan Owen.
• Our Dear Mister Foerster Died (1963): a restored early short film by Jiří Menzel.
• Trailer
• 20-page booklet featuring an essay by author Peter Hames and an introduction by cinematographer Jaromír Šofr.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• World premiere on Blu-ray.