Blocks of Flats

1960 0h 6m CS

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 3

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A student work by Jiří Menzel, filmed during his second year at the FAMU film school. Views of old Prague and its tenement buildings, symbolizing the obsolete past, alternate with shots of construction sites for new prefabricated apartment buildings. In spite of certain unavoidable propagandistic overtones added by the director, it is notable as the beginning of his search for a “dramaturgy of colors.”

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Alexandr Postler
Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jiří Menzel
Writers: Jiří Menzel, Jan Svoboda
Languages: Czech
Countries: Czechoslovakia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 6-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jiří Menzel, shot by Jaromír Šofr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Milan Iglo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ljuljana Lorencová shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0172344 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jiří Menzel directs. Jaromír Šofr behind the camera. Milan Iglo scores. Ljuljana Lorencová cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Czechoslovakia. Dialogue in Czech.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 6-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
266 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jiří Menzel, shot by Jaromír Šofr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Milan Iglo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ljuljana Lorencová shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0172344 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.