We meet Jan Diti as he is released from jail after nearly fifteen years. He begins to think back to his early life, beginning as a hot dog vendor at a Czech train station. He manages to be slow enough for a train to leave before he can give his customer the change from a large bill. With that bit of opportunism, Diti begins his ambitious climb in the world of restaurants and hotels.

I Served the King of England follows his career, showing us all the ways he takes advantage of every opportunity. It doesn't matter who he harms as he moves up the ladder of success. He is anxious to learn from others, but then outdoes them to steal their jobs. When the Nazis come to power, he knows which side will offer him the best possibilities for advancement.

The story is told with a tinge of nostalgia and selective memory as Diti thinks back to those days. He remembers the women he loved, although they are a bit objectified. There is also a parallel story of his life now that he has been released from prison. He is living in a dilapidated pub miles from anywhere, but makes some friends with others living in what seems like a kind of exile from society.

I'm often weary of foreign comedies because there are bound to be cultural and language referents that I'm going to miss. I imagine I missed some in this one, but it was still a pleasant film filled with low key, ironic humor. For example, Diti likes to toss coins on the ground in fancy places and watch as millionaires get on all fours to gather up such small amounts. He also remembers their showing off by lighting cigars with bills. Later, when he has become rich, he ends up using money as wallpaper.

The film gives us a chance to reflect on some ideas of success. Diti lucks into many chances that pay off well for him. Little by little he moves up from waiter, to front waiter, to maitre d', to hotelier. He goes from having next to nothing to having more money than he knows what to do with. It seems that he has found success. He becomes the best at his job. He gains riches. He is even honored by the Abyssinian emperor. But can he find satisfaction in that?

We learn that all he really wanted was to be with the millionaires. It's not the money itself that he craves, but the position—the recognition—the status. But even when he attains that, is it enough?

Many years ago Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a book entitled When Everything You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough. That title fits perfectly with Diti's life. All the ambition, all the opportunism pay off for him through the years, but he is still left with an emptiness. By the end of the war, he has nothing to do anymore. It almost seems like he asks the Communists to put him in jail.

Because this story is told from his memory in a post-prison setting, it serves as a reflection on the things he did, and how important or unimportant they seem to him now. From that he has a chance to find the kind of life that may truly be fulfilling.