The Junk Shop (Czech: Sběrné surovosti) is a 1965 Czechoslovak comedic short film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a story by Bohumil Hrabal called Baron Prasil.
[2] The film follows a group of comical patrons and shopkeepers at a local junk shop, including Hanta (Václav Halama), the titular Baron Prasil, a pervert, comedian and scoundrel who is missing his front teeth, his boss Bohoušek (František Ketzek), a straight man who is constantly aggravated by the odd personalities at his shop and Mařenka ( Bobina Maršatová ), a beautiful woman who lives on the next floor who Bohoušek admires.
Hedvicka is another young woman Bohoušek admires though she offends him when she mentions the scale he steps on lists his weight as 364 pounds.
"Cleo" is another patron, an older Hindu woman with facial hair growing in who constantly irritates Bohoušek with tales of her former youth and beauty.
He spots Mařenka airing a carpet on the next floor while scantily-clad and imagines her as various famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa.
The homely old woman with a mustache Cleo comes in outraged that she is only offered one crown for the love letters from her former suitors.
They both get lost in the giant pile of Cleo's old love letters at the store and she can't find her son.
Hanta and an older coworker then cut up statues of Jesus Christ, angels and other martyrs for their boss.
The woman continues looking for her son Pepicek while Bohoušek is angry that his employees cut up the Christ statue.
Hanta leaves and tries to hit the mechanical sign in the main hall on the way out but it takes a couple of attempts.
[3] Jaromil Jireš introduced this project as a group collaboration among his friends and personally vouched to them on behalf of Juraj Herz.