Marketa Lazarova (1967)

 Frantisek Vlacil's "Marketa Lazarova"


Considered the greatest Czech film by a 1998 poll of Czech critics and publicists, Frantisek Vlacil's 1967 film "Marketa Kazarova" also happens to be one of the greatest historical films ever made. Set during the 13th century, the film centers on the daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighboring robbers. During this period, Christianity was taking over native Paganism is Central Europe - a concept told more surrealistically in "Marketa Lazarova."

There is an unshakable ambiance to the film - something that nestles inside your mind and infects you with its heightened reality. The film reminds me some of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev" from the previous year. The film is set in the 13th century, but it is shot using handheld, dolly, and other forms of shots that create an intimate, yet surrealistically disorienting experience. The black and white imagery, along with the starkness of the black and white colors (like the night and snow) also allows the film to have a gothic and horror-infused aesthetic. 

The world of the film is full of brutalism and barbarianism. While certain factions cling to Paganism, the equally dubious Christians take up equal violent measures to ensure their faithful survival. These ideas are just names given to the dubiousness of the times and of behavior. Really, the black-and-whiteness of how these concepts edict behavior does not directly reflect the grayness of the human soul. Throughout the film, we see characters that completely contradict their beliefs and moral standings, even the audience's understanding of logical behavior.

I found "Marketa Lazarova" completely engrossing. While some of its thematic devices require far more rumination, the raw spirituality of the film completely regresses any need for overthinking it. It is an open wound of an experience that observes the raw fates of humanity and their pointless suffering.



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