"I Served the King of England": Ignorance is bliss — and highly entertaining

MOVIE REVIEW

There are moments in the exquisite Czech comedy "I Served the King of England" when Bulgarian actor Ivan Barnev seems to be channeling Charlie Chaplin. As a young, aimlessly ambitious waiter in a luxurious Prague hotel, Barnev literally waltzes with overloaded serving trays, spinning among wealthy patrons the way Chaplin skated through "The Rink" in 1916. Chaplin would've appreciated Barnev's comedic grace, and it's almost certain he'd have loved this film. Can a higher compliment be paid?

It's the 1930s, and young Jan Díte (Barnev) is intoxicated by the trappings of high society. He's determined to join the ranks of the gluttonous rich, and fate seems to be on his side: Jan possesses a degree of opportunistic cleverness, but it's mostly dumb luck that propels him on an unlikely path to success as a popular hotelier. Money and women just seem to fall into his hands, and Jan's only too happy to ride the tide of fortunate happenstance.

If happy fate includes catering to Nazis when they occupy Czechoslovakia during World War II, well, that's fine with Jan. He'll even marry a German beauty named Liza (Julia Jentsch), who gazes lovingly at a portrait of Hitler while making love with Jan. When she returns from serving as a volunteer nurse in Nazi-invaded Poland, she's got a fortune in valuable postage stamps to finance their future. Never mind that the stamps were stolen from the homes of evacuated Poles. Jan's got his career to think of ... who cares about the politics of war?

The rise and inevitable fall of this "little Czech waiter" represents Jiri Menzel's sixth adaptation of the works of renowned Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal, a stellar track record that includes Menzel's 1966 classic "Closely Watched Trains." Hrabal died in 1997, but director and author remain perfectly in sync. In a latter-day story line, as the older Jan (Oldrich Kaiser) is released after 15 years in prison and reflects upon his eventful life from the sobering perspective of the 1960s, "I Served the King of England" revels in the absurdity of a man who thrives in a state of blissful ignorance as Nazi occupation is followed by the invasion of Soviet communists in the '50s.

Jan's unlikely trajectory is the stuff of classic European cinema, and "I Served the King of England" (the title comes from a snooty headwaiter who jealously observes Jan's hapless ascension) is chock-full of gorgeously filmed scenes that sparkle, shine and titillate with exuberant old-school craftsmanship. Jan's sexual exploits are as frequent as his sudden infusions of cash, and Menzel delights in choreographing copious nudity at a breeding resort where sexy German girls mate with Aryan studs to raise the master race.

That makes "I Served the King of England" the kind of art-house fare that attracts libidinous teenage males, but Menzel's sophisticated storytelling is so richly detailed that one viewing seems inadequate. The film's whirl of history can be a bit vague at times, but that's a forgivable fault when your senses are so delightfully overwhelmed.

Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net