“I think the point about Marketa Lazarova is that when you first see it you’re confused, and by that I mean you know that the whole story of what you’re looking at is obscured, but it’s still there, but you have to look hard.”
Peter Hames (film historian)
Quick, name a Czechoslovakian film or film director… I would expect most of you are either drawing a blank or shouting out MiloÅ¡ Forman. The reason I ask is because on the back of Criterion’s new Blu-ray release of Marketa Lazarova it reads, “In its native land, FrantiÅ¡ek VláÄil’s Marketa Lazarová has been hailed as the greatest Czech film ever made; for many U.S. viewers, it will be a revelation.” I can’t speak to the first part of that statement as I believe this was the first, bonafide Czech film I’ve ever seen, but the second rings true.
When it comes to Czech cinema, Forman is the only name I’m familiar with. I’ve seen his American work, from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to Amadeus, but I haven’t seen any of his Czech films, nor have I seen Czechoslovakian Foreign Language Oscar winners Closely Watched Trains, Kolya or The Shop on Main Street. As a result, what better introduction to Czech cinema than seeing what is considered to be the very best they have to offer? Then again, if you read that quote above, it isn’t without its challenges.
Clocking in at 165 minutes, Marketa Lazarova (#154 on Sight & Sound’s Top 250 list of 2012), adapted from Vladislav VanÄura‘s 1931 novel of the same name, is challenging to say the least. Broken up into parts and then broken up into what I can only think to describe as abstract, poetic passages, the film strives on its visual storytelling with the closest comparison being the film’s of Andrei Tarkovsky and I’m sure once I see Andrei Rublev I’ll have an even easier time making the comparison, though seeing Ivan’s Childhood, Solaris and The Sacrifice seem just as suitable preparation.
VláÄil has a mind for movement and framing and his work with cinematographer Bedrich Batka reaches a strange level of realism. Released in 1967 you’d almost believe it was made 40 years earlier, if not actually presenting footage from the 13th century, which is where the story is set. But to describe the plot is virtually impossible.
Criterion describes it as “an experimental action film” depicting “the clashes between Christianity and paganism, humankind and nature, love and violence.” IMDb‘s synopsis describes it as a story following a minor Czech clan that falls afoul of the King in medieval times, against the backdrop of Christianity replacing Paganism and Wikipedia says it’s a story of “a daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighbouring robber knights and becomes a mistress of one of them.” All of these descriptions are apt, but the latter two are far to simple when it comes to describing the events that unfold. Criterion’s is a more accurate, all-encompassing vision of what the film entails, which is less a simple story and more an evocation of feelings and atmosphere.
The “poetic passages”, as I described them, are each introduced by intertitles and accompanying voiceover, but even these descriptions of what you’re about to see are abstract and it would seem intentionally so. The quote at the top of this review comes from film historian Peter Hames who has a 17-minute or so featurette on this new Blu-ray disc, during much of which he spends leading up to that quote above.
The simple summaries found on IMDb and Wikipedia almost speak to an end goal for viewers when they decide to take this film on, something of an achievement for time well spent digging into the very fibers of this film to pull away not only the meaning of each scene, but a clear understanding of what exactly is going on. Coming to a clear decision on what scenes are real, what’s imagined, what’s dreamed, etc. Some of the answers can actually be found in a crop of nearly 40 minutes worth of interviews with members of the cast — Magda Vášáryová, Ivan Palúch and Vlastimil Harapes — all newly recorded specifically for this Blu-ray release.
This new release also includes an interview with costume designer Theodor PiÅ¡tÄ›k and a feature in which Universal Production Partners technical director Ivo Marák discusses the film’s restoration and when it comes to the film’s visuals, you’ll get a better idea of just how detailed VláÄil was once you scroll through the gallery of his storyboards.
The restored picture is excellent, allowing the stark, black-and-white image to breathe without bits of dirt or scratches and allowing images their full effect, such as a pack of wild dogs in the snow, staring deep into the camera, or the bright white canvas of nuns kneeling in a convent. The audio, however, is interesting. It stands out from the image almost feeling as if it has a mind of its own. It’s crisp and clear, but reminded me more of a spaghetti western in the way it rarely matched up with the images (many times it looked as if the actor supposedly speaking wasn’t moving their lips at all) and the lack of ambient noise on the same level made it a little off-putting and harder to follow. Then again, this film would probably work just as well as a silent production.
There is absolutely no doubt Marketa Lazarova is not for everyone. However, for anyone whose ears perked up at the mention of Tarkovsky’s name, you should definitely consider giving this one a look, but prepare yourself for a film that will require multiple viewings as you will get to know characters in the beginning for their lack of appendages, a scar across their face, the sheep they travel with or their long blonde hair. Their names become more familiar as time wears on.
There’s a fine line between a film being challenging and one that’s outright non-sensical. VláÄil’s Marketa Lazarova is certainly one of the former and as things begin to fit together you feel as if you’ve been rewarded for your effort. Does this make the film great? I’d say that’s a question only time can answer considering it will take more than one sitting to be able to answer justly.
Just below are the first three minutes of the film and you can buy a copy for yourself [amazon asin=”B00BX49BZM” text=”right here”].
