Marketa Lazarová (1967)

A minor Czech clan falls afoul of the King in medieval times, against the backdrop of Christianity replacing Paganism.

Director:

Frantisek Vlácil

Writers:

Frantisek Pavlícek, Vladislav Vancura (novel),

Stars:

Josef Kemr, Magda Vásáryová, Nada Hejna

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josef Kemr	...	Kozlík
Magda Vásáryová	...	Marketa Lazarova
Nada Hejna	...	Katerina
Jaroslav Moucka	...	Jan
Frantisek Velecký	...	Mikolás
Karel Vasicek	...	Jirí
Ivan Palúch	...	Adam 'One-handed'
Martin Mrazek	...	Václav
Václav Sloup	...	Simon
Pavla Polaskova	...	Alexandria
Alena Pavlíková	...	Drahuse
Michal Kozuch	...	Lazar
Zdenek Lipovcan	...	Jakub
Harry Studt	...	Old Count Kristián
Vlastimil Harapes	...	Young Count Kristián

Storyline

Mikolás and his brother Adam rob travelers for their tyrannical father Kozlík. During one of their "jobs" they end up with a young German hostage whose father escapes to return news of the kidnapping and robbery to the King. Kozlik prepares for the wrath of the King, and sends Mikolás to pressure his neighbor Lazar to join him in war. Persuasion fails, and in vengeance Mikolás abducts Lazar's daughter Marketa, just as she was about to join a convent. The King, meantime, dispatches an army and the religious Lazar will be called upon to join hands against Kozlik. Stripped-down, surreal, and relentlessly grimy account of the shift from Paganism to Christianity.

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Plot Keywords:

footpad | village | dog | snow | wolf | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Czechoslovakia

Language:

Czech German

Release Date:

24 November 1967 (Czechoslovakia)

Also Known As:

Malgorzata, córka Lazarza

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmové studio Barrandov

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

hard-to-find but brilliant

I've only seen this movie once, in a restored print at a film festival a few years back; it's apparently not available on video in the US, which is a real shame. It's a medieval epic, basically about the clash between the old pagan world and the emerging Christian one, but there's a lot more to it than that. Visually, it's nearly as stunning as *Andrei Rublev* (and a good bit faster-paced); some of the images - wolves roaming the barren forests, horsemen in snowstorms - will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for gloomy, wintry European art movies, especially if they work some bloody sword-fights in, too, but this is one of the overlooked Great Movies ...