Directed by:
František VláčilCinematography:
František UldrichComposer:
Zdeněk LiškaCast:
Petr Čepek, Jan Kačer, Věra Galatíková, Zdeněk Sedláček, Zdeněk Kryzánek, Jana Hájková, Michal Kožuch, Ladislav Gzela, Petr Štěpánek, Josef Somr, Miloš Willig (more)Plots(1)
A young man is sent to live and study with a religious order when his father takes a young bride. When the son helps one of the noble knights at the order escape, he is expelled from the institution. (MUBI)
Reviews (9)
The story of a religious fanatic who does not hesitate to take up the sword for the glory of God and for whom the desire for a normal life is alien. It is hard to believe that this film was made mainly to use the costumes from Markéta Lazarová. The Valley of the Bees is equally exquisite, oozing the atmosphere of the 13th century, and Zdeněk Liška's music is unique as always.
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Bergman in a Czech version? At least that's how I see it, because Vláčil's gloomy and soiled vision of the Middle Ages brings him very close to the Swedish genius. Like the ceremonial nature of gesture and word, the weight of a single image that seems to say nothing and yet speaks through every detail. Körner's script is constructed masterfully, building a staircase stone by stone to the final tragedy that emerges from the almost harmonious celebration of medieval paganism. Čepek, Kačer and other actors from the Drama Club brought a touch of theatricality, slowness, emphasis on every word and act to the story. Zdeněk Liška, for his part, confirmed that he was an exceptional composer; however, sometimes strangely, his secular and religious musical accompaniment precisely colors a quietly buzzing drama about two sides of faith. Although The Valley of the Bees was quite ruthlessly stomped by New Wave, in time it proved the dominance of a complex artistic statement over the period filmmaking experiment. With all due respect to New Wave, this is just a class better.
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A film considered one of the best Czech films ever made. When I was watching it, I felt like I was watching Bergman. Slow but intensely gripping, with incredible acting performances that only enhance the power of the overall experience. It's one of those must-see films. It might leave you cold, and you might say it's for intellectuals, but still, somewhere deep down, you'll feel that it did something to you.
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The Valley of the Bees is a deeply philosophical movie. It is also very oppressive and impersonal, suppressing all emotions and feelings that a film could arouse in the audience. The result is that The Valley of the Bees is a perfect, raw depiction of the Middle Ages, the likes of which would be hard to find in Czech cinematography. And even though it lacks emotions, it is definitely a film that you must not miss, because it will convince you that all kinds of things used to be shot in Czechoslovakia in the past. And they had success with the audience then, so why shouldn’t they be appreciated today?
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Much easier to grasp in terms of content than the poetic Markéta Lazarová, but at the same time less interesting and expressive. Many passages are too cold and emotionally empty, which may have been the intention given Vláčil's approach to the dark Middle Ages, but this time boredom creeps in more, its deadly effects countered primarily by the beautiful authentic music by master Liška. Fortunately, there’s the cast led by the amazing Čepek, chilling and raw sets, great costumes and a strong story that always manages to evoke exactly the right feelings. It's a pity that the script runs out of breath in the middle (though, fortunately, it gets it back by the end). 75%
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Gallery (28)
Photo © Filmové studio Barrandov / Jan Kuděla
![The Valley of the Bees - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/157/842/157842158_f3bdea.jpg)
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