1967
Directed by Frantisek Vlacil
First of all, I want to attach a big "fuck you"to the filmmakers on every subsequent criticism or compliment that I make about this movie. Any director who thinks it is a good idea to have a plot where a woman is raped (which I already have to cover my eyes for) and then have the woman FALL IN LOVE with the rapist is just wrong and stupid. There are, of course, women who are in relationships with their rapists, but that is not what this was at all. Am I the only one upset by this? Okay, remember my addendum to every thing I say and let's move on.
Sometime in the Middle Ages, shit goes down. Honestly, it was a very confusing plot and the sometimes incoherent subtitles didn't exactly clear anything up for me (at one point somebody declares "IQW!" in surprise). However, thanks to my undivided focus and the Wikipedia page, I was able to understand what was going on. A woman named Alexandra has sex with her brother who, unfortunately, is bit in the arm by a snake during um...the act (damn, should I have attached a NSFW label to this post?). Anyway, she then falls in love with someone else so a freaky love triangle forms. Meanwhile, Marketa...well, see the first paragraph about why I am so upset with her storyline.
This film is nearly three hours long but, fortunately, the plot rarely drags (not that I liked what I seeing at all). The film is also completely beautiful; pictured above is one of my favorite shots. Of course, the screen is mostly white which can be a bit overwhelming when you stare at it for three hours. I am assured that I will get my vision back to normal by next Tuesday.
Overall, a kind of upsetting movie but certainly not the worst we have seen.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Voted the all time best Czech movie. IQW!
