'' Closely Watched Trains '' ( ) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave . It was released in the United Kingdom as '' Closely Observed Trains '' . It is a coming-of-age story about a young man working at a train station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II . The film is based on a 1965 novel by Bohumil Hrabal . It was produced by Barrandov Studios and filmed on location in Central Bohemia . Released outside Czechoslovakia during 1967 , it won the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968
40th Academy Awards
40th Academy Awards
Closely Watched Trains