Bill, Please

The director of the company Restaurants and Canteens arrives to attend a screening of a film made in various restaurants. A group of villagers come in to one of the restaurants for their lunch. The two waiters carry on chatting and ignore their customers. The head waiter finally brings them a crumpled menu, but whatever they order, he crosses off the menu and urges them to order something they do not want. In another restaurant a customer complains he has found a button in his sauce. The waiter promises to get him another portion but, once out of sight, he simply takes the button out of the food and brings back the same plate on which he has carelessly rearranged the food. Other customers are trying to pay but the staff point to the waiter with the wallet; he, however, is absorbed in watching a chess game and is neglecting his duties.

Directed by František Lukáš, Bill, Please leans on a strong ensemble — Jiří Sovák, Theodor Pištěk, Václav Voska — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1956.