Lunacy (2005)

A man takes up residence with a mysterious marquis and is soon persuaded to enter into an asylum for preventative therapy. Things are not what they seem, and the marquis may be even more sinister than what the young man may've predicted.

Director:

Jan Svankmajer

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (story), Marquis de Sade (story)

Stars:

Jan Tríska, Pavel Liska, Anna Geislerová

8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jan Tríska	...	Marquis
Pavel Liska	...	Jean Berlot
Anna Geislerová	...	Charlota
Martin Huba	...	Dr. Coulmiere
Jaroslav Dusek	...	Dr. Murlloppe
Pavel Nový	...	Servant Dominik
Stano Danciak	...	Innkeeper
Jirí Krytinár	...	Reciting Madman
Katerina Ruzicková	...	Asylum inmate
Iva Littmanová	...	Asylum inmate
Katerina Valachová	...	Asylum inmate
Josef Kaspar	...	Insane erotomaniac
Miroslav Navrátil	...	Dream warden
Jirí Maria Sieber	...	Dream warden
Ctirad Götz	...	Ostler

Storyline

A horror movie testing two approaches to running an insane asylum - absolute freedom versus control and punishment - within the context of a world that combines the worst of both. Jean Berlot, a young man subject to a nightmare of being forced into a straitjacket by two orderlies, is befriended by a marquis. At the marquis's estate, Jean witnesses a black Mass, buries someone alive, and is invited to try preventive therapy. He's willing to enter a sanatorium because he believes he can rescue a young woman from there who has told him that the real director and staff of the clinic are locked in the basement. Jean conspires with her to set them free: the horrors have only begun.

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Plot Keywords:

social satire | sardonic | black comedy | campy | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

Edgar Allan Poe + the Marquis de Sade + Jan Svankmajer = Lunacy

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The official Czech submission to the 2007 Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

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Connections

Referenced in Mindeath

User Reviews

Fantastic film, but...Marat?

Svankmajer impresses as always. His movies are always beautiful, disturbing, and wonderful. The acting ensemble is also impressive..and I cannot imagine a better actor to play the Marquis de Sade. My one criticism, though, is a big one:

The story...there's already a much better version of this story. It's "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade". ( Peter Weiss' play from 1963).

Now - I assume Svankmajer is aware of Weiss's play, but maybe he isn't? I don't know. I did highly enjoy Svankmajer's movie.

Part of me thinks he should have just done Weiss's play.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Czech Republic]

Country:

Czech Republic Slovakia

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

17 November 2005 (Czech Republic)

Also Known As:

Lunacy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,245, 13 August 2006

Gross USA:

$48,324

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$133,982

Company Credits

Production Co:

Athanor, C-Ga Film, Ceská Televize

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1