The Cremator/Czech New Wave

Come on then, who has seen this Czech new wave type thing from the sixties? It's directed by a guy called Juraj Herz and it's about this creepy David Brentalike (well, he reminds me of Ricky Gervais anyway) called Kopfrkingl who oversees the burning of the bodies at the local crematorium. He is more than dedicated to his job and the process which he believes frees the souls of the dead so that they can get to heaven more quickly, and when the shadow of Nazism appears over the town he quickly (but reluctantly?) seizes the opportunities that it presents to increase his standing and power. The only problem is that his wife is Jewish and so, according to the rules, are his children. The main thing is not the story though, it's the amazing black and white cinematography with quick cutting between (very) close-ups and long range shots - from a mouth eating to the panorama of the family at the table and back - as well as the use of (I guess) a fish eye lens at times and other peculiar tricks with perspective. Scenes bleed into each other with the overlap of Kopfrkingl's ever present monologue which is like a constant drip of water into your ear. The opening sequence juxtaposes Kopfringl and animals in the zoo and introduces you to his oily voice and manner which remain throughout the film (I think he is in every single scene). As well as that it's the first time that you see the mysterious dark haired woman whose unexplained appearances are one of the few things that can distract the cremator from his purpose and self absoprtion. The music is also powerful and combines with the photography to create a dark view of this "perfect" family and the world they inhabit.
Presumably the Nazis take the place of the Communists which I guess are what the film is really supposed to be about but it's a very personal (or at least subjective) viewpoint of totalitarianism and how it operates on an already damaged mind.
It's creepy, weird and at times very sad and basically it's really good. Wonder what else Juraj Herz did and if it's readily available (I think he started off with puppets). Also, people are always talking about the Czech New Wave - what are the other important films?

http://mmimages.moviemail-online.co.uk/Article_Cremator.jpg

http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/vifc/filmguide/images/filmstills/1300.jpg

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/news/films/cremator/Cremator-mysterious-woman.jpg

"'Birds, Orphans and Fools'"

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I typed that into the Lovefilm search engine and it suggested Only Fools and Horses (various series) so reckon it might be the vhs circuit. Or I do live near a good dvd library so could give tha a go I guess. I've seen Daisies and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders which I suppose come from the same period and place. I like the weird ones best, got a feeling that the other stuff may not be so weird.

"If there's anything you particularly want I'm hanging around alot of Czech people at the moment so I'd be able to get it for you, though I'm not sure about the translation element."

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Nice one! I'll have a think and do a bit of investigation and see what looks interesting and then I might take you up on that.