Who could resist this film ? Why would they want to ? Gentle, human, comic, inspired and sometimes completely brilliant, it has a kind of low-key wonder in the little acts and emotions of life that leaves the watcher smiling, laughing, crying, gasping, nodding and, yes, thinking. The whole film is a collection of brilliant touches, quiet but telling. Characters are both naive and thoughtful, funny but never mocked. The story is slight but perfectly enough. And the ending is one of the most wonderful moments you are ever likely to see in cinema. And how often do you see people playing musical instruments in a film (about music, after all) who are actually playing : a casting choice typical of the realistic delights of this wonderful piece of work.
Proof that the 60's Czech new wave was equal to the French in its ability to produce truly dreadful films that should be consigned to the dustbin of history. If that sounds unfair just look at the, thankfully short, filmography director Ivan Passer went on to create after he rapidly quit Czechoslovakia for Hollywood. Everything in the CP synopsis is untrue. It is neither delightful nor a comedy it is simply embarrassingly poor.