Directed by:
František VláčilCinematography:
Bedřich BaťkaComposer:
Zdeněk LiškaCast:
Magda Vášáryová, Zdeněk Štěpánek (narrator), Josef Kemr, Naďa Hejná, Jaroslav Moučka, František Velecký, Karel Vašíček, Pavel Landovský, Ladislav Považay (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Young Eugene from the provinces travels to Prague in order to seek a better life and acquire recognition and fame. Initially he earns a living as a road sweeper; he writes rudimentary poetry and occasionally manages to get himself invited to drunken parties thrown by the Prague boho set. At one such gathering he gets an offer to write engagé pop lyrics expressing loyalty to the governing regime. Gradually the naive yet honourable country dweller becomes a cynical man of means, surrounded by beautiful women. While no-one likes him, everyone’s afraid of him, so he commands respect. The graduation film by Petr Nýdrle was made at Prague’s FAMU, thus outside the realms of official programming. After the success of a private screening held in 1980, the film never made it into distribution (although it was never officially banned), and audiences were only able to see it after November 1989. Thirty years have passed since the filming of this satire criticising the flexible morals of normalisation Czechoslovakia. To this day the black-and-white film appeals for its combination of raw shots and stylised acting performances. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
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Reviews (11)
Some movies can be enjoyed like a hamburger, and some are enjoyed only by experienced gourmets. Marketa Lazarová is not a sandwich in a bun that can be chewed between writing text messages and gaming on the computer. It is a long film, but completely different from the long films from Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. To enjoy Marketa Lazarová means to be relaxed, receptive, and appropriately tuned in. It is truly a demanding film that requires concentration because it has minimal dialogue and speaks through visuals and music. The film will likely be appreciated by those who do not hesitate to spend time visiting galleries or reading poetry collections. Such individuals will embrace František Vláčil's symbolism and poetic scenes, the play of light and shadows, or the panoramic long shots of the foggy marshy landscape, where the putrid smell can literally be felt from the image...The actors are good, but Marketa Lazarová is a film that is watched for its direction, camera work, and music. At the same time, it is a film that benefits from a big movie theater screen. Overall impression: 100%.
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Impressive images, thoroughly dramatic actors, and – nothing comes from it. When the story can be summarized in two sentences, the long shots stretch the limits of tolerance, and only the impressive musical background saves what can be saved, I realize that I am incapable of getting close to this type of poeticism.
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How is Markéta Lazarová one of the best conversions of a literary work? In that it is not just a conversion, but a complete rebirth. Out of kindness for Vančura's book, only the narrator and the character of a wandering monk remained; otherwise Vláčil's opus becomes a rough medieval fresco, replacing the perfection of Vančura's language with no less perfect language of paintings and symbols. The bleak musical accompaniment completes the director's efforts to evoke the medieval atmosphere by all means. Markéta Lazarová is not only strong with her story of love born of humiliation (she stands out much more in Vančura's book), but precisely because of her cinematic craftsmanship qualities. It is rather more of a great film essay – robust, with an unmistakable aesthetic and, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant, though not easily digestible.
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A film that is definitely not for everyone and will probably never be sufficiently appreciated by the general public. I too found the poetically conceived story a bit of a problem, but if I look at everything else – the detailed direction, the beautiful sets, the actors (the amazing Kemr) and especially the incredible atmosphere of the evil Middle Ages underscored by fantastic music – I have no choice but to give this gem a full rating. Vančur's distinctive approach commands respect, and František Vláčil perfectly captured it here and brought to the world a legendary film unparalleled in the history of Czechoslovakia. 90%
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Incredible to imagine, in an era when Czechoslovakian historical film consists of Báthory, to imagine that such a film as this one could ever have been spawned here. A legendary cinematic artifact, a gem of gems. I'd seen it once before in the cinema (remastered) after a hard day's work, dozed off twice and virtually failed to understand the connections between the characters (which I'm told is quite difficult without knowing the source material). Still, it was enough. I hereby commence my goal of seeing Marketa Lazarová at least ten more times in my lifetime.
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