"Marketa Lazarova" is the most well known film of director Frantisek Vlacil. The film is made in the period of the Czech new wave, but is not a part of it. Vlacil was not interested in art as a means of communicating a political message. Vlacil was interested in "l'art pour l'art".
The film is situated in the Middle ages. As can be expected from the above, the middle ages are not a metaphor for current times in this film but a reality in itself.
This reality has two distinct features. In the first place there is no central authority. It is a world of clans, constantly fighting each other. In the second place christianity is on the rise but old pagan religions are certainly not dead. Most people believe in a mixture of these two.
The story of main character Marketa Lazarova (played by the beautiful Magda Vasaryova) is dominated by these two central characteristics of the time.
With respect to the clan characterstic: Marketa is abducted by a rival clan, falls in love with the son of the leader of that clan, gets pregnant and is liberated by her own clan.
With respect to the mixed religion characteristic: Marketa is destined to be a Christian nun. After her liberation she refuses to see her pregnancy as a sin. More and more she prefers the pagan God symbolized by a strong deer with impressive antlers (a symbol of male power) to the Christian cross.
In 2015 "Marketa Lazarova" was restorated. After nearly 50 years it had its premiere in Dutch cinema's.
The film is situated in the Middle ages. As can be expected from the above, the middle ages are not a metaphor for current times in this film but a reality in itself.
This reality has two distinct features. In the first place there is no central authority. It is a world of clans, constantly fighting each other. In the second place christianity is on the rise but old pagan religions are certainly not dead. Most people believe in a mixture of these two.
The story of main character Marketa Lazarova (played by the beautiful Magda Vasaryova) is dominated by these two central characteristics of the time.
With respect to the clan characterstic: Marketa is abducted by a rival clan, falls in love with the son of the leader of that clan, gets pregnant and is liberated by her own clan.
With respect to the mixed religion characteristic: Marketa is destined to be a Christian nun. After her liberation she refuses to see her pregnancy as a sin. More and more she prefers the pagan God symbolized by a strong deer with impressive antlers (a symbol of male power) to the Christian cross.
In 2015 "Marketa Lazarova" was restorated. After nearly 50 years it had its premiere in Dutch cinema's.