Marketa Lazarová

Marketa Lazarová is a 1967 Czechoslovak epic period drama[5] directed by František Vláčil. It is an adaptation of the novel Marketa Lazarová (1931) by Vladislav Vančura. The film takes place in the middle of 13th century, and tells the story of a daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighbouring robber knights and becomes a mistress of one of them.

Marketa Lazarová
Promotional release poster
Directed byFrantišek Vláčil
Screenplay byFrantišek Pavlíček, František Vláčil
Based onMarketa Lazarová
1931 novel
by Vladislav Vančura
Produced byJosef Ouzký
StarringMagda Vášáryová
Josef Kemr
František Velecký
Naďa Hejná
Jaroslav Moučka
Narrated byZdeněk Štěpánek
CinematographyBeda Batka
Edited byMiroslav Hájek
Music byZdeněk Liška
Production
company
Distributed byÚstřední půjčovna filmů
Release dates
  • 6 October 1967 (1967-10-06) (Czechoslovakia)
  • 30 August 1974 (1974-08-30) (United States)
Running time
165 minutes[1]
CountryCzechoslovakia
LanguagesCzech
German
Budget12,733,000 Kčs[2]
Box office5,200,000 Kčs[3][4]

Marketa Lazarová was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a 1998 poll of Czech film critics and publicists.[5]

Theodor Pištěk designed the costumes for the film.

Plot

Part 1

The sons of Kozlík, a robber clan leader, ambush a group travelling to Mladá Boleslav in winter. The new Bishop of Hennau, an ally of the Bohemian king, escapes, but his young son Kristian and his assistant are taken. Mikoláš, one of Kozlík's sons, finds the neighbouring clan leader Lazar scavenging the site but spares his life as he prays to Christ. They both have a holy vision involving Lazar's virgin daughter, Marketa. At their settlement, Kozlík chastises Mikoláš for letting a man escape, bringing captives, and sparing Lazar. His rage increases when he overhears his other son Adam saying that they could have used the escaped bishop as leverage against the king. His daughter Alexandra takes a liking to Kristian, much to Adam's disgust. (She had previously once indulged and once rejected an affair with Adam. When their mother Katarina found out and told Kozlík, Adam lost his arm as punishment for the incest.)

Kozlík answers a royal summons to Boleslav. The king's captain attempts to seize him, but he escapes, chased by wolves back to the settlement. Anticipating a regiment led by the captain, the clan retreats into the woods. Mikoláš visits Lazar, urging him to help Kozlík ambush the regiment. Marketa is shocked to see Mikoláš brutally beaten and driven out. A small group sent by Kozlík to avenge the beating finds the regiment already at Lazar's settlement. They kill the captain's closest knight and retreat. The captain swears justice and revenge.

Lazar and Marketa visit the nunnery and make arrangements to enroll her at winter's end. Returning their settlement, they find it captured by Mikoláš and his men, who kill Lazar's mentally disabled son. As Lazar begs for his life, Mikoláš demands Marketa in exchange. He protests, but they nail him to the gate and take Marketa. At their forest stronghold, Mikoláš rapes Marketa and then protects her from Kozlík's wrath. Meanwhile, Kristian has impregnated Alexandra. Kozlík chains both couples on a nearby hill.

Part 2

When the captain's regiment arrives at the stronghold with Adam as a captive, Kozlík allows the four back inside. In an initial rash attack, the captain is repulsed but Adam dies. He then mounts a successful second attack. Kristian sees Alexandra chased by the attackers and is torn between loyalty to his father and love for her. He stumbles away beaten while a dream-like flashback shows him explaining his love for Alexandra and their future child to his dismayed father. He reaches Lazar's abandoned settlement and meets Bernard, a priest and former victim of the robber clan. He collapses, recovers, and walks through a pack of wolves back into the woods. Meanwhile, Alexandra, Mikoláš, and Marketa have escaped the captain, who has taken Kozlík captive to Boleslav. Alexandra finds Kristian crawling through the woods and hits him on the head with a stone. Kristian's father eventually finds her and demands to know where his body is buried, and finally she is arrested.

Marketa returns to Lazar, who survived, but he rejects her. In a trance-like state, she travels to the nunnery and begins to take her vows just as Mikoláš attempts to free Kozlík from the Boleslav dungeon. A child finds her and takes her arm. She leaves the ceremony to find Mikoláš dying in the castle courtyard from wounds suffered in the attempt. The captain marries Mikoláš and Marketa on the spot. Kozlík sees the marriage and is taken away while Mikoláš dies. Brother Bernard finds Marketa in the wilderness and offers to travel with her in search of a new life. In the final scene, Marketa wanders on as the narrator reveals that she and Alexandra each had a son and that Marketa breastfed both boys.

Cast

Themes

The film is set in medieval Bohemia at a time when Christianity had not fully replaced Paganism. Conflict between Christianity and Paganism, mirroring a conflict between the clans and central authority, is a major theme. The Kozlík clan leans toward Paganism while the royal regiment represent Christianity and authority.[9] Meanwhile, Lazar's clan is nominally Christian but politically neutral. Kozlík wants Lazar to support him in the fight but Lazar refuses and sides with the king, leading to the abduction of his daughter.[10][11]

Similarly, the romance between Markéta and Mikoláš, who rapes her but later protects and loves her, represents a meeting of purity and innocence with worldly violence. The film highlights Mikoláš's ferocity and unrestrainment.[12][13] This interplays with the romance between Mikoláš's sister Alexandra and Kristián, in which the roles are reversed. Kristián's love for Alexandra contradicts Mikoláš's love for Marketa; he is uncertain in it due to his loyalty to his father.

Royal scenes that were cut from the film were supposed to show contradictions between the Kozlík clan and the royal family. Their difference was to be shown in a struggle for property and power. Desire for the crown leads to hatred between brothers and of sons towards their father, common in big royal families but not in small families. The film also shows conflict between Mikoláš and Adam. Neither is the oldest son but they are both likely candidates to replace Kozlík as clan leader.[13]

Production
Rabí Castle represented Medieval Boleslav.[14]

Before production started, František Vláčil and František Pavlíček had to transfer the novel into screenplay. The text of the book was linguistically difficult and the transfer took a few years. The whole works on Marketa Lazarová took seven years.[15]

Production itself took three years. The shooting started in 1964 and concluded in 1966. It took 548 days. The film was shot at multiple places in the current Czech Republic such as Lánská obora, Mrtvý luh and Klokočín Castle. Shooting took place during extreme conditions of tough winter.[16] The intended budget was 7 million crowns but the film cost almost 13 million crowns in the end. The expensiveness of the film was one of the reasons for making The Valley of the Bees in which Vláčil used costumes and decorations intended for Marketa Lazarová. The film was finished in 1967.[17][2] Some parts were shot in Slovakia.[18]

Royal Pictures

The film was originally intended to be longer. Vláčil wanted to make scenes named "Royal Pictures". These were supposed to be set at the royal court. These would feature the Czech king Wenceslaus I of Bohemia and the conflict between him and his son Ottokar II of Bohemia. These scenes were never filmed because the budget was already too high and the film would be longer than three hours.[19]

Plot

The first picture would show old Kristián coming to the Royal Court asking for help to save his son. Present nobles would blame the king for being passive in the matter. The second picture would be set two years prior to the events. It would show the prince being convinced to overthrow his father. The prince would then start remembering when his father returned from a hunt injured and met his sons. The prince was afraid of him. Another picture would be set in the aftermath of the film's events. Pivo brings old Kristián and Alexandra to the king. Alexandra is to be punished for murdering young Kristián but old Kristián asks to pardon her because of her pregnancy. The king orders the prince to be brought to the court. The prince was imprisoned after his attempt to overthrow the king. Pivo starts remembering events of the military campaign against Kozlík. The king unsuccessfully tries to humiliate his son; the question of pardon for Alexandra becomes a secondary matter as the conflict between king and prince becomes a conflict about conception of rule. The king leaves the decision about pardon to Alexandra to Kristián.[20]

Soundtrack

The music for Marketa Lazarová was composed by Zdeněk Liška. It is based on medieval composition. There are motifs of Gregorian chant. The music emphasizes the conflict between the Christian and the Pagan world.[21] The soundtrack was released in 1996 as part of edition by publishers Zóna and Bonton Music.

In 2015, Petr Ostrouch was permitted by Liška's descendants to make a concert of music from Marketa Lazarová.[22] It was held on 9 October 2015 at Karlín. It was part of the musical festival Struny podzimu and a recording was released as a double album in 2018.[23][24]

Differences between the film and novel
Vladislav Vančura

The film is based on Vladislav Vančura's novel of the same name.[25] The film isn't a faithful adaptation and there are many differences.[26] The film includes some elements from Obrazy z dějin národa českého that weren't present in the Marketa Lazarová novel. The character of Monk Bernard and the unrealised Royal Pictures originate from Obrazy z dějin národa českého.[27]

The novel wasn't a historically accurate capture of the age of setting. The film tries to be more historically accurate wanted to capture the world of 13th century. It was visible in the Royal Pictures that was to be set at the Royal Court of Wenceslaus I of Bohemia.[28]

Another major difference is that Alexandra's fate is left unresolved in the film. This was caused by the removal of the Royal Pictures that would include her trial at the royal court and suicide.[27]

Release

The film premiered on 24 November 1967 and was watched by 1.3 million people in theaters. However, it became inaccessible for a long period of time after it left Cinemas.[3] When the film was screened at San Francisco Film Festival in 1968 the critics wrote "This is one of the most artistic and convincing medieval epics ever made, plunging us into the past with a relentless assault upon the visual senses with both dazzling and horrifying effects."

On 30 August 1974, Marketa Lazarová premiered in the United States. It was shortened to 100 minutes for the American market. Reviews for this version were mixed.[11][29] The film's reputation was restored after the original version was made available in the United States in 2011.[30]

The restored version returned to Czech cinemas on 13 October 2011.[31] The premiere was presented by Magdaléna Vášáryová. Vašáryová stated that she was moved by the number of young people who expressed interest in the film.[32]

Video release

In 2009, Bontonfilm announced it will release Marketa Lazarová for DVD and Blu-ray. Bontonfilm didn't have enough finances for restoration and thus cancelled the plan. The situation changed in 2011, when the film was digitally restored by UPP. Restoration cost 2 million Czech crowns. It was financed by the Czech Ministry of Culture and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The digitalized version of the film premiered on 2 July 2011 at Karlovy Vary film festival.[33] The film was released in the Czech Republic on DVD on 8 December 2011.[34] The film was released worldwide on DVD and Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection in 2012.[35]

Reception

Critical reception

The film has received universal acclaim from critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 100% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 9.40/10.[36] In 1968, the magazine Film a doba held a survey of film critics to choose the best Czechoslovak film of 1967. Marketa Lazarová won the survey and received 344 votes, beating films such as The Firemen's Ball and Daisies. It also received more votes than any film from foreign films category.[37] During Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1994 Marketa Lazarová was voted the best Czech film ever made.[38] The film was also voted the greatest Czech film of all time in a national critics' poll.[39] Marketa Lazarová also won several awards. It was awarded at Mar del Plata International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival.[34]

Public reception

The film was also successful with audiences. It was attended by more than 1 million people in Czechoslovak cinemas.[3] Marketa Lazarová was voted best Czech film of 1965-1967 period with 28% of votes in a survey by Týden.cz.[40] The film also placed 5th in a Public survey by Media Desk.[41][42]

Accolades
Date of ceremony Event Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
1965 Artistic competition at 20th anniversary of Liberation of Czechoslovakia Writing František Vláčil, František Pavlíček Won [26]
1967 Trilobit Award Best Director František Vláčil Won [43]
Design Production Oldřich Okáč Won
V. Competition for the best musical work for film and television Main Award Zdeněk Liška Won [44]
XVIII. Worker's Film Festival Cheb Jury Award Won [26]
Litvínov Jury Award Won
Opava Jury Award Won
Pardubice Audience Award Won
1968 Mar del Plata International Film Festival Best Film František Vláčil Nominated [45]
Little Condor for artistic and historical values František Vláčil Won
Minister of Culture Award Lyrical and artistically inventive work František Vláčil Won [43]
Klement Gottwald State Award Writing and realisation František Vláčil, František Pavlíček Won [46][47]
Financial award for evaluation of Barandov Studio The most successful film František Vláčil Won [26]
Competition of Music Made for Film created in 1967 Main Award Zdeněk Liška Won [26]
Edinburgh International Film Festival Honourable Diploma Won [26]
1992 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Crystal Globe František Vláčil Nominated [48]
1994 Film critics poll of Best Czech film ever made Won [49]
1998 Survey of Czech and Slovak film critics Best Czech-Slovak film ever made Won [26]

Legacy

Marketa Lazarová is widely considered the best Czech film ever made and the best film directed by František Vláčil. It is also considered one of the best historical films of all time.[50] The film was already critically acclaimed in 1967 and received many positive reviews and won a survey for the best film. Vláčil himself wasn't satisfied with the film and stated that he expected more. The reason for his dissatisfaction was the failure to realise Royal Pictures as he believed that it was a pivotal part of the film.[51]

There was a survey of journalists during the 1994 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to choose the best Czech film ever made. Marketa Lazarová won the survey.[15] Another poll was held in 1998. 55 Czech and Slovak film critics and publicists voted Marketa Lazarová the Best Czech-Slovak film of all time.[5] Marketa Lazarová also topped a 2007 survey of Reflex magazine publicists.[52] Týden.cz held surveys to choose the best Czech film of every epoch. Marketa Lazarová was voted the best Czech film of the 1965-1967 period.[40]

Casablanca Publisher released the book Marketa Lazarová: Studies and Documents in 2009. It is a study of the film edited by Petr Gajdošík.[53] It consists of various studies, interviews and articles about the film.[54]

Other adaptations

The novel was adapted into a play in 2013. It premiered on 16 November 2013 at ABC Theatre. Dramaturgist Věra Mašková stated that the play focuses on emotions and theatrical poetry. The play was directed by Pavel Khek, and it starred Veronika Khek Kubařová as Marketa and Tomáš Novotný as Mikoláš.[55] Tomáš Šťástka gave the play 60% in his review for iDnes.cz. He stated that it tries to focus on wider audience and retain medieval brutality. He praised that it managed to show the lyrical side of the novel, but noted that the medieval reality of the novel is in clear contrast with a theatrical environment.[56]

See also

References
  1. "Marketa Lazarová". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  2. "Marketa Lazarová - Zajímavosti". CSFD.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. "Restaurovaná Marketa Lazarová vyšla na DVD". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 8 December 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. "Koupíme si za dnešní plat více než před dvaceti lety?". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 4 June 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. "Top 10 Cesko-Slovenskeho Hraneho Filmu". Mestska kina Uherske Hradiste (in Czech). 1998. Archived from the original on 2 October 1999.
  6. "Filmy režiséra Františka Vláčila". Rozhlas.cz (in Czech). 8 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  7. "Marketa Lazarová (1967)". FDb.cz. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  8. "Vertigo | Marketa Lazarová". Closeupfilmcentre.com. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. "Marketa Lazarová – The greatest Czech film of all time". Lisa Thatcher. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  10. "'Marketa Lazarova', a Haunting Czech Epic, Will Entrance You". PopMatters. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  11. Hoberman, J. "Prague's Savage Spring". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  12. "Marketa jediná zvítězí!". A2.cz. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  13. "Filmové obrazy středověku". Castrum.cz (in Czech). Castrum o.p.s. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  14. "Hrad Rabí". Země filmů (in Czech). Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  15. "Marketa Lazarová". Česká televize (in Czech). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  16. Dvořák, Luboš (22 August 2015). "Drsná Šumava vykouzlila na plátně syrovou atmosféru filmové epopeje". Českobudějovický deník (in Czech). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  17. "5. ledna 2015". Nostalghia. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  18. "Markéta Lazarová". www.filmovamista.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  19. "Nostalghia.cz - Marketa Lazarová". nostalghia.cz. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  20. "František Vláčil: Markéta Lazarová V noci jsem snil, že jsem motýlem". Odaha.com (in Czech). Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  21. "Hudba z filmu Marketa Lazarová zazní poprvé v koncertním provedení". iROZHLAS (in Czech). 9 October 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  22. Černíček, Jan (18 September 2015). "Liškovi dědici svolili k prvnímu koncertnímu uvedení hudby z Markety Lazarové". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  23. "Struny podzimu uvedou koncert hudby z filmu Marketa Lazarová". tyden.cz. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  24. Dobrovská, Wanda. "Marketa Lazarová jako oratorium" (in Czech). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  25. Herman, Mik. "Markéta Lazarová, mistrovská Vančurova kniha a Vláčilův nejlepší film". Čítárny (in Czech). Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  26. "Marketa Lazarová (1967)". Filmový přehled (in Czech). Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  27. "Nostalghia.cz - Marketa Lazarová". nostalghia.cz. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  28. "Přes Vláčilův film až ke knize - Markéta Lazarová". Kosmas.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  29. "Movie Review - - Screen: 'Marketa Lazarova' Opens:Czech Production Is a Medieval Hodgepodge The Cast Savage Koslik Clan Is Noted for Brutality". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  30. Miller, Frank. "Marketa Lazarová". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  31. "Fanoušci Vláčila se dočkali, Marketa Lazarová je konečně v kinech". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  32. "Digitálně opravenou Marketu Lazarovou uvedla Magda Vašáryová". iROZHLAS (in Czech). 2 July 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  33. "Marketa Lazarová jako nová". ČT24 (in Czech). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  34. "Restaurovaná Marketa Lazarová vyšla na DVD". Lidovky.cz. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  35. "Mad about 'Marketa': A few words about the Czech classic". The Same Cinema Every Night. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
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  37. "Nejlepší filmy 1967". Film a Doba: 64–65. 1968. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  38. Novotny, Michal. "Festivalové ozvěny: 20. týden - filmserver.cz". filmserver.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  39. Marketa Lazarová on kfilmu.net (in Czech)
  40. "ANKETA: Suverénním vítězem je Marketa Lazarová". TÝDEN.cz (in Czech). 31 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  41. "Zachraňte Kristiana - digitalizace tématem nejen karlovarských OVM". ČT24 (in Czech). Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  42. "Poll: best Czech film of all time is 1939 "Kristián"". Radio.cz. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  43. "Marketa Lazarová (1967)". FDb.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  44. "Zdeněk Liška". Filmový přehled (in Czech). Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  45. "Marketa Lazarová". IMDB. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  46. "František Pavlíček" (PDF). National Film Archive. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  47. "František Vláčil" (PDF). National Film Archive (in Czech). Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  48. "Mezinárodní Filmový Festival Karlovy Vary 1992". Nafilmy.com (in Czech). Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  49. "Restored Print of Marketa Lazarová". Aic.sk. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  50. "Hrad na čas ovládl nejlepší český filmař". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech). 15 February 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  51. "Nostalghia.cz - Marketa Lazarová". nostalghia.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  52. "10 nejlepších českých filmů podle čtenářů Reflexu. Nejraději máte Pelíšky!". Reflex.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  53. Markéta Lazarová. Studie a dokumenty - Petr Gajdošík (ed.). Retrieved 9 May 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  54. "Mozaiková Marketa Lazarová". 25fps.cz (in Czech). 25 March 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  55. "VIDEO: Divadelní Markéta Lazarová láká na Vančurovu básnivost". iDNES.cz. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  56. "RECENZE: Divadelní Markéta Lazarová básní skvěle. Jen neví, komu patří". iDNES.cz. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
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