# Favorite Eastern European Movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353 "2019-09-16T23:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/1 "2019-09-16T23:56:48Z")
Preferably 1930-70s. I haven’t seen too many, but they are very personal. Very conversational, usually in a few settings. I saw one with only 2 characters - which is really awesome. I can’t explain why I love them so much. I’ll name a few now, and more some after - I don’t want to load the sample, and I’m curious to see if anyone’s matches mine. -Two Half-Times in Hell -The Fifth Seal -Knife In The Water -The Last Day of Summer ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/2 "2019-09-17T01:24:02Z")
_Worker and Parasite_ ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/3 "2019-09-17T02:07:31Z")
**The Saragossa Manuscript** , Poland, 1965. Based on the 1815 novel by Jan Potocki. Layer upon layer upon layer…morbidity, gothicism, sex. The Spanish soldier is seduced by two beautiful Moorish princesses, who implore him to embrace Islam and let them bear his children. Each time he refuses, he is hurtled back through time and finds himself below a (loaded) gallows. And a new adventure begins. Jerry Garcia bought the rights to this! **Lemonade Joe,** Czech, 1964. Extremely funny parody of US westerns, featuring a clean-living hero who attempts to turn a hard-drinking frontier town into teetotalers. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/4 "2019-09-17T02:21:38Z")
I’m fond of [this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdboqdvP8SE) ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/5 "2019-09-17T02:39:51Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > I’m fond of [this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdboqdvP8SE) I prefer the epic tale of [Jozin Z Bazin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_uxoV5FuQ). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/6 "2019-09-17T02:55:07Z")
[The Fabulous World of Jules Verne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabulous_World_of_Jules_Verne) (Vynález zkázy). An adaptation of a Jules Verne novel that was designed to look like the illustrations of his book. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/7 "2019-09-17T03:19:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [The Fabulous World of Jules Verne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabulous_World_of_Jules_Verne) (Vynález zkázy). An adaptation of a Jules Verne novel that was designed to look like the illustrations of his book. Pretty much anything made by Karel Zeman is worth watching, including _The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (Baron Prásil, 1962) and The Stolen Airship_ (_Ukradená vzducholod_, 1967). From Finland, _The White Reindeer_ (_Valkoinen peura_, 1952), an eerie and surreal “folk horror” story. From Russia, _Planeta burg_ (1962), generally intelligent sci-fi with a cool robot and some cheesy elements. Theme: Man is necessary and more reliable than machines. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/8 "2019-09-17T03:55:36Z")
The Soviet versions of _ **War and Peace** _ and _ **Crime and Punishment** _. All of the movies directed by Eldar Ryazanov and featuring his stable of actors: _ **Watch Out for Cars** _, _ **Carnival Night** _, _ **An Office Romance** _, _ **Forgotten Melody for Flute** _, _ **The Garage** _, _ **The Irony of Fate** _, _ **A Train Station for Two** _, _ **A Cruel Romance** _, and many others. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/9 "2019-09-17T05:13:29Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Preferably 1930-70s Sorry, that predates my favourite films, which would be 80s Emir Kusturica films like _When Father Was Away on Business_ and _Time of the Gypsies_ ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/10 "2019-09-17T05:45:13Z")
A Serbian Film :o ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/11 "2019-09-17T06:35:59Z")
[Neco z Alenky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_(1988_film)), by Jan Švankmajer. It combines several things I love…Alice in Wonderland, weird, dark shit, and stop motion animation. ---
**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/12 "2019-09-17T07:46:35Z")
[_Siberiade_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberiade) and [_Andrei Rublev_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Rublev_(film)). And, in a guilty-pleasure sense, [_W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism._](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.R.:_Mysteries_of_the_Organism) Wilhelm Reich vs. Stalin! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/13 "2019-09-17T09:50:53Z")
I clicked thread title to say I only remember watching one Eastern European movie (which makes it my favorite automatically!) but right there in OP … > [@MortSahlFan](#): > > … > -Knife In The Water I’ve seen that one! But liked it much less than “my favorite”: a Czech film from the 1960’s about the beginnings of the Holocaust. The film’s name was probably _Obchod na korze / The shop on Main Street_. I only watched it once, almost a half-century ago, but it made a powerful impression on me. I asked at SDMB for the film’s title, got a prompt and correct response! … but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten it again. (Google does show many SDMB recommendations for _The shop on Main Street_.) ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/14 "2019-09-17T11:42:24Z")
Viy (1967) is a Russian occult-folk tale horror movie, set in medieval peasant times. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/15 "2019-09-17T11:57:31Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I clicked thread title to say I only remember watching one Eastern European movie (which makes it my favorite automatically!) but right there in OP … > > I’ve seen that one! But liked it much less than “my favorite”: a Czech film from the 1960’s about the beginnings of the Holocaust. The film’s name was probably _Obchod na korze / The shop on Main Street_. > > I only watched it once, almost a half-century ago, but it made a powerful impression on me. I asked at SDMB for the film’s title, got a prompt and correct response! … but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten it again. (Google does show many SDMB recommendations for _The shop on Main Street_.) The Shop On Main Street is great. Don’t know how I forgot that one. Great story. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/16 "2019-09-17T13:18:25Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > **Lemonade Joe,** Czech, 1964. Extremely funny parody of US westerns, featuring a clean-living hero who attempts to turn a hard-drinking frontier town into teetotalers. I also loved that film. Eastern Europe includes Russia/USSR, right? _Alexander Nevsky_ by Eisenstein is my favorite film of his. The imagery is amazing. And a great WWII propaganda film … made in 1938. People knew what was coming. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/17 "2019-09-17T13:45:54Z")
Nobody mentioned “Come and See”, the hard hitting Byelorussian war movie, with the Germans doing scorched earth on villages as they retreat across the country? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/18 "2019-09-17T14:44:56Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _Worker and Parasite_ What the hell was _that_? —Krusty Anyway, does Polish count? Kieślowski’s \*Blue, Red, \*and _White_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/19 "2019-09-17T15:02:59Z")
If we’re counting the Soviet Union, there’s their version of _[Don Quixote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote_(1957_film))_. It’s one of the better adaptations and it’s especially fun to hear everyone saying “Don Quixote de la Mancheski.” There’s also the Oscar-winning _[Burnt by the Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_by_the_Sun)_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353/20 "2019-09-17T15:25:25Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Viy (1967) is a Russian occult-folk tale horror movie, set in medieval peasant times. It was also a short story by Nikolai Gogol. Scared the crap out of me! :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-eastern-european-movies/840353.md?page=2)