Closely Watched DVDs

Surprisingly, considering the company has released relatively few Czech films, the Criterion website has a huge amount of background information about the Czech New Wave, starting with this introduction, and going on to feature:

• ‘The Other New Wave‘ by Peter Cowie
• ‘Introduction to Films and Filmmakers in Czechoslovakia‘ by Antonín Novak
• 10 Czechoslovak Directors - short biographies of key 1960s names
• Significant Films of the Czechoslovak New Wave - 31 titles from 1958 to 1969
• Suggested Reading - a Czech cinema bibliography

Alongside these pieces, the Criterion site also features hefty essays on its four Czech titles:

• The Shop on Main Street by Ján Kadár
• Closely Watched Trains by Richard Schickel
• Loves of a Blonde by David Kehr
• The Firemen’s Ball by J. Hoberman