Frantisek Vlácil - Údolí vcel AKA Valley of the Bees (1968)

A visionary and evocative medieval epic, Vláčil’s The Valley of the Bees is just as powerful and engrossing a film as his more famous Marketa Lazarová. It chronicles the tale of a young boy forced to join the Order of the Teutonic Knights. As he grows into a man his desire to return to his homeland leads him to abandon the Crusaders, only to be pursued by a fanatical former comrade and pay a terrible price for his rejection of the Holy Order. With its resplendent black-and-white cinematography and highly convincing recreation of 13th-century Europe, the film is a raw and haunting moral fable which raises questions about the conflict between human nature and dogmatism.







This is, without a doubt, one of the finest films I have ever seen. It works so well on so many levels. It is a religious drama, an historical drama and a darn good yarn. The acting is first-rate throughout and the cinematography and music are breathtaking in their beauty. Vlacik had an obvious fondness for deep poetic and metaphysical image and story-telling. But, he also had a gift for sheer drama. There are many shocking moments that almost take your breath away. You really feel you are in the Middle Ages with all of its existential isolation and horror. (IMDB comment)









El valle de las abejas
Ondrej, un joven que ama a las abejas y los murciélagos, conoce a su nueva madre, una mujer mucho más joven que su padre. Él le trae un plato de pétalos de flores que ella comienza a arrojar en el aire y luego da un grito, al descubrir varios murciélagos en el fondo de la taza. Furioso, el padre de Ondrej recoge al niño y lo lanza contra una pared. Luego, mientras el niño se encuentra moribundo, el padre promete a la Virgen María que le dedicará el niño a ella si el niño sobrevive. El niño vive y Ondrej es educado en una orden monástica estricta, donde es adiestrado por un monje guerrero muy piadoso, Armin. Un día después de ser castigado por ninguna razón, se escapa y vuelve a casa. Armin sale a buscarlo para traerlo de vuelta. Con su padre muerto, Ondrej se convierte en señor del castillo y se compromete con la viuda de su padre...





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