After watching 29 Czech films from the Cold War era in April,I started searching round for a title to finish my viewing season. Since starting things with Otakar Vávra's superb Sci-Fi Film Noir Krakatit (also reviewed),I was delighted to stumble upon another Vávra film,which led to me getting ready to surf the Czech wave for the final time.
View on the film:
Casting a spell the year that the occupying Soviet Union destroyed the reforms from the Prague Spring,co-writer/(along with Ester Krumbachová) director Otakar Vávra's adaptation of Václav Kaplický's real life novel nails allegorical Horror,courtroom Drama,and historical Melodrama to the cross.
Set in the 1600's,the writers cut to the bone in making a powerful case against the futility of torture, (which the KGB were infamous for using) with every "witness" being brainwashed by torture into confessing to anything,no matter how outrageous the allegation is.
Sitting in on every courtroom "hearing", Vávra and cinematographer Josef Illík build an atmosphere of breathless unease,by tightly holding the camera over the accused faces,and capturing the moments of torturous pain shatter across their face.
Smartly keeping the stabs at gore limited and occasionally cutting to a Shakespeare- style narrator , Vávra subtly explores the horrors of an unequal society,from the royal households and the courts being blazed with an impeccable set design,that covers every wall with gold and paintings,which are rubbed away by the accused being stuck in dusty,burnt to a crisp households.
Going against each other, Vladimír Smeral & Elo Romancik give impeccable performances as Boblig and Lautner. Labelling anyone who questions his methods as "the devil" Vladimír Smeral gives a formidable performance as Boblig,whose existence Smeral wraps in a burning rage to keep a grip on the power he has gathered.
Speaking out over what he sees, Elo Romancik gives a fantastic performance as Lautner,thanks to Romancik's burning all sign of Lautner's faith and hope piece by piece,as the witchhammer comes down on Czech cinema.
View on the film:
Casting a spell the year that the occupying Soviet Union destroyed the reforms from the Prague Spring,co-writer/(along with Ester Krumbachová) director Otakar Vávra's adaptation of Václav Kaplický's real life novel nails allegorical Horror,courtroom Drama,and historical Melodrama to the cross.
Set in the 1600's,the writers cut to the bone in making a powerful case against the futility of torture, (which the KGB were infamous for using) with every "witness" being brainwashed by torture into confessing to anything,no matter how outrageous the allegation is.
Sitting in on every courtroom "hearing", Vávra and cinematographer Josef Illík build an atmosphere of breathless unease,by tightly holding the camera over the accused faces,and capturing the moments of torturous pain shatter across their face.
Smartly keeping the stabs at gore limited and occasionally cutting to a Shakespeare- style narrator , Vávra subtly explores the horrors of an unequal society,from the royal households and the courts being blazed with an impeccable set design,that covers every wall with gold and paintings,which are rubbed away by the accused being stuck in dusty,burnt to a crisp households.
Going against each other, Vladimír Smeral & Elo Romancik give impeccable performances as Boblig and Lautner. Labelling anyone who questions his methods as "the devil" Vladimír Smeral gives a formidable performance as Boblig,whose existence Smeral wraps in a burning rage to keep a grip on the power he has gathered.
Speaking out over what he sees, Elo Romancik gives a fantastic performance as Lautner,thanks to Romancik's burning all sign of Lautner's faith and hope piece by piece,as the witchhammer comes down on Czech cinema.