I Served the King of England

I Served the King of England is a 2006 Czech historical comedy film written and directed by Jiří Menzel, based on Bohumil Hrabal's novel I Served the King of England. It is Menzel's sixth Hrabal adaptation for film. The film was released in the United Kingdom and the United States in 2008. Plot Jan Dítě has been released from a Czech prison three months before the end of his 15-year sentence and is settling in a town near the border between Czechoslovakia and Germany. He occupies his time by rebuilding a deserted house, and begins to recall his past, saying his main wish in life was to become a millionaire. Jan begins his career as a frankfurter vendor at a railroad station, and quickly learns the power of money and the influence it exerts on people. At one point during his reminiscences, a young woman, Marcela, and her older traveling companion, a professor, settle in the area. Jan and Marcela develop a mutual attraction, though it remains unconsummated. The film continues to alternate between past and present, as the relationship between the older Jan and the new neighbors develops.