Marketa Lazarova
Directed by Frantisec Vlacil
Written by Frantisec Pavlicek and Frantisec Vlacil from a novel by Vladislav Vancura
1967/Czechoslovakia
IMDB link
First viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] “I’ll try a pagan friend, thought I, since Christian kindness has proved but hollow courtesy.” ― Herman Melville, “Moby Dick”[/box]
One stunning image follows another in this violent tale of the clash of paganism and Christianity during an endless winter in medieval Europe.
I stopped trying to figure out who all the characters and what they were doing about half an hour in. Notably, pagan robbers abduct and rape the title character, whose father had dedicated her to God.
The situation devolves into all-out clan warfare. Did I mention that the winter is endless?
This is one of the most visually beautiful movies I have seen. I might get more out of it on a second viewing. The rape and other violence make that unlikely.
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