Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageSeclusion Near a Forest (1976)
Director: Jirí Menzel
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Menzel was still treading very warily after five years in the political doghouse. Skilfully avoiding any sort of dangerous involvements or interpretations, this is a featherweight comedy about the rural hazards encountered by a city family when they rent a summer cottage with a view to permanence. Not least of their problems, especially since they want to start renovations in a hurry, is the obstinate presence of the ancient peasant owner, who has changed his mind about selling up and going to live with his family. There's not a lot to it, but with exquisite camerawork casting a shimmering summery haze over his characteristically delicate blend of tenderness and humour in observing human foibles, Menzel transforms the film into a magical invocation of a lost, simpler and more leisurely world.Author: TM
Cast & crew
Director: Jirí Menzel
Cast: Josef Kemr, Zdenek Sverák, Dana Kolárová, Ladislav Smoljak full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 97 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Review: Penélope Cruz more raunchy than ever in 'Nine'
Dave Calhoun reports on Rob Marshall's Oscar-touted musical with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a troubled director
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now