Anazapta (2001)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Alberto Sciamma

Writers:

Harriet Sand (writer)
Alberto Sciamma (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

I will destroy everything - The servant who obeys you, the Physician who heals you, the Priest who gives you absolution.

Plot:

In 1348, with the horrors of the Black Death haunting Europe, English soldiers return home from war with a French nobleman as hostage...

Plot Keywords:

Black Death | 1300s | Hundred Years War | England | Vengeance

Cast

Jason Flemyng	...	Nicholas
Lena Headey	...	Lady Matilda Mellerby
David La Haye	...	Jacques de Saint Amant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Aitken	...	Brother Ignatius
John Atkins	...	Soldier 2
Matthew Bowyer	...	Soldier 1
Hayley Carmichael	...	Agnes
John Cater	...	Brother Wilfred
Brendan Charleson	...	Reeve
Dominic Cooper	...	Clerk
Christopher Fairbank	...	Steward
Jon Finch	...	Sir Walter de Mellerby
Nick Holder	...	John Harding
Elliot Lynn	...	Page boy
Tom Lynn	...	Page boy
Elizabeth Marmur	...	Joan
Ian McNeice	...	Bishop
Roger Nott	...	Old villager
Jeff Nuttall	...	Priest
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Randall
Ralph Riach	...	Physician
Stevan Rimkus	...	Pecok
Craig Russell	...	Thomas Bassett
Scarlett Sherrington	...	Amy
Rocky Taylor	...	Compte de Fugiere
Gwen Vaughan	...	Lady
Dyfed Williams	...	William

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | UK:15

Company:

Beyond Films

Trivia:

Was on the shelf for three years before be finally released in 2004.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: One scene shows a dog chewing on the end of a bone. The end of this bone was clean-cut. Clean-cut bones do not occur until the 1900s, when mechanization makes it possible to precisely cut the tiny teeth on bone saw and hack saw blades, which are the only tools which can cut bone in such a neat way.

Remarkable Horror Film

It's always great to see a film that, even when it's not a masterpiece of the genre, breaks the mold and stands high in the middle of the sea of mediocrity that average films create. Anazapta is one of those films.

Set in the middle age, it's very realistic in it's portrayal of how dirty, physically and emotionally that age was. The amorality and violence of the dark ages set the tone for a film about revenge and mystery in the time of the Black Plague.

A man is taken as prisoner by the inhabitants of a town. The village is suffering and needs money, and before the church takes the land, the widow of the lord of the land decides to trade the prisoner, who claims to be the son of a french nobleman in exchange of money. But the prisoner may not be who they think is, and to complicate the things, a mysterious disease similar to the plague is killing people who may be part of the mystery surrounding the prisoner.

A very interesting mix of suspense, horror and mystery set in the middle-ages is what makes this film to shine. The script, although a little bit underdeveloped, still makes justice to the premise and what we have is a chilling tale that keeps the interest of the audience who is led through the horrors of the ages.

Certainly, It's one of the most realistic portrayals of the middle age, it moves away from the nobility of knights and princes and shows us the harsh reality of corrupt institutions, dirty and poor villagers, and tired knights whose only ambition is to live the next day.

The cast is good, and while it may not be the best acting, it's better than expected in a low-budget film. In fact, the entire film looks as if it's budget were big but in fact it's low.

Maybe it's biggest flaw lays in the fact that it leaves many things unexplained, the script ends in a way that maybe will leave many people unsatisfied. I have read comments of people who could not understand the ending. I'm not sure if I understood it, but I enjoyed the film.

It's a good movie about the middle ages, and it definitely deserves a look.

Solid 7/10