Getting near the end of viewing one Czech film from the Cold War era every day for April,I decided to look around on YouTube for any hidden gems.Finding nothing but non-Eng Subs movies,I suddenly spotted the first part (with Eng Subs) of a Czech movie that a fellow IMDber had mentioned,which led to me getting ready to be stung by the bees.
The plot:
Joking around with his dad, Ondrej soon discovers that his dad is unable to take a joke,when he is almost beaten to death.Feeling guilty, Ondrej's dad decides to send him off,in order to become a member of the Order of Teutonic Knights.Joining the Knights,Ondrej follows their rules as closely as possible,and begins to admire fellow Knight Armin von Heide. Restrained by the rules,Ondrej decides to escape from the Teutonic Knights.Feeling betrayed,Heide decides to go in search of Ondrej,in order to cleanse him of his sins.
View on the film:
Draining any mythical aspect from the film,co-writer/(along with Vladimír Körner) director Frantisek Vlácil & cinematographer Frantisek Uldrich dig into the rustic edge of the Czech New Wave,by laying the castles and the outdoor wilderness bare,with the saturation of white giving the title a brittle atmosphere.Limiting the background soundtrack to chants,a small amount of folk singing and the eerie sound of bees, Vlácil gives the film a cold "saintly" mood,where the burnt-out whites are broken by the black tar of blood running down the screen.
Reaching the screen just as the Soviet Union invaded the country,the screenplay by Körner and Vlácil displays a sharp allegorical sword,by making Ondrej's discovery of his individuality one that struggles to break free from the dogmatic rules/religion that the Knights have decided to follow without the slightest of whisper of doubt.Getting very close to the edge,the writers give the relationship between Ondrej and von Heide a strikingly homo-erotic undertone,where the wounds of jealousy fuel Heide increasingly fanatic nature,as Onedrej enters the valley of the bees.
The plot:
Joking around with his dad, Ondrej soon discovers that his dad is unable to take a joke,when he is almost beaten to death.Feeling guilty, Ondrej's dad decides to send him off,in order to become a member of the Order of Teutonic Knights.Joining the Knights,Ondrej follows their rules as closely as possible,and begins to admire fellow Knight Armin von Heide. Restrained by the rules,Ondrej decides to escape from the Teutonic Knights.Feeling betrayed,Heide decides to go in search of Ondrej,in order to cleanse him of his sins.
View on the film:
Draining any mythical aspect from the film,co-writer/(along with Vladimír Körner) director Frantisek Vlácil & cinematographer Frantisek Uldrich dig into the rustic edge of the Czech New Wave,by laying the castles and the outdoor wilderness bare,with the saturation of white giving the title a brittle atmosphere.Limiting the background soundtrack to chants,a small amount of folk singing and the eerie sound of bees, Vlácil gives the film a cold "saintly" mood,where the burnt-out whites are broken by the black tar of blood running down the screen.
Reaching the screen just as the Soviet Union invaded the country,the screenplay by Körner and Vlácil displays a sharp allegorical sword,by making Ondrej's discovery of his individuality one that struggles to break free from the dogmatic rules/religion that the Knights have decided to follow without the slightest of whisper of doubt.Getting very close to the edge,the writers give the relationship between Ondrej and von Heide a strikingly homo-erotic undertone,where the wounds of jealousy fuel Heide increasingly fanatic nature,as Onedrej enters the valley of the bees.