Directed by Jirí Menzel and based on the novel of the same name by Bohumil Hrabal, I Served the King of England is a surreal, picaresque comedy-drama Czech film (often described as a cross between Amélie and The Pianist). The film is centred on the reminiscences of Jan Díte (Barnev), whose main wish in life is to become a millionaire. The story is mostly set against the backdrop of the annexation of Czechoslovakia during the Third Reich, alternating between the past and the present. Through his gradual move into more ‘socially impressive’ employment opportunities (with a turn at the Hotel Pariz in Prague), we follow Jan’s affairs with various women, including Líza, a young German woman who worships and adores Adolf Hitler, and who will only marry Jan on the condition that he proves his Aryan descent through a medical examination.

This is director Jirí Menzel’s sixth film adaptation of the works of Bohumil Hrabal, and possibly the best.