Marecek, Pass Me the Pen!

Kroupa, a foreman at a factory, gets bad news: because he never finished his schooling he must attend evening classes. His son studies at the same school. A man who has given orders to subordinates for years now learns to sit at a desk, do homework, and fear failing. He has to take lessons in mathematics and physics from his son. He discovers that a student's life is not as easy as he assumed. Oldřich Lipský's film takes class and authority in Czechoslovakia through school. The narrative humiliates nobody; the comedy comes from the mismatch between age and position. Jiří Sovák plays Kroupa. The film has lasted in Czech popular culture and its lines are still used in daily speech. Who it's for: Viewers who like Czech comedy, school films, and Eastern European cinema of the 1970s. Who it's not for: The humour depends entirely on the language and the school system of the period, and much is lost in subtitles. The narrative is also episodic.