In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.
The Devil's Trap is a film directed by František Vlá?il, based on a novel by Alfréd Technik, adapted by František A. Dvorák and Miloš Kratochvíl. It was the first of three historical dramas that Vlá?il made during the Czech New Wave (technically he isn't really a part of the New Wave, however these films were made during the same era of artistic freedom), preceding his more well known Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Valley of the Bees (1968).
Set in the late 16th Century during the Catholic Reformation, in the Moravian Karst, situated in what is now the Eastern Czech Republic, it tells the tale of a miller (Vítezslav Vejrazka), and his son Jan (Vít Olmer), who come under suspicion and are investigated by a Jesuit priest of the Inquisition (Miroslav Macháchek), when rumors of witchcraft are spread by the local regent (Cestmír Randa), who is jealous of the miller's prosperity and degree of respect among the local populace.
As expected from Vlá?il, this film is a stunning experience all the way through. From the opening shot, an ominous manipulation of perspective with a close up of a mangled figure of Christ dominating the foreground against a tiny figure in black walking along the horizon, to the breathtaking confrontational finale inside the vast stalactite filled Karst caverns, it is a wonderful display of visual mastery.
Maybe not quite as impressive as Marketa Lazarová, but still full of astonishing imagery. As seen from unique angles and distinct points of view which highlight the director's remarkable sense of awareness of framing, motion, and positioning on the emotional and dramatic tone of the scene. The most memorable being a repeated shot where the camera is suspended and launched with speed through the air towards the miller's door.
The story here is a simple one and I would say more accessible than his later works. With a conventional structure emphasized as much by its plot and characters, than by its expressionistic cinematography or authentic historical detail. The events play out without much surprise, and there is a strong underlying, almost supernatural, mysterious aspect that is left unresolved, in fact barely explored, which is slightly disappointing, but only because it's so fascinating that I wish there was more.
Acting is great all around. Particularly the villains: Miroslav Macháchek as the priest, casting a sinister and imposing shadow wherever he goes, and Cestmír Randa as the weasel like regent behind all the persecution. While Vít Olmer brings a charismatic leading man presence in his role as the miller's son Jan, in love with the lovely orphan girl Martina (Karla Chadimová), who becomes a dangerous object of rivalry between Jan and other young men of the village.
The film also features the evocative music of Zden?k Liška (perhaps the most prolific composer of the Czech New Wave). In this his second of eleven collaborations with Vlá?il, his compositions are used sparingly, but to great effect, complimenting but never overpowering a scene. The best example of which can be heard in an amazingly shot celebration and dance sequence at the end of the second act.
The Devil's Trap might not be a masterpiece, but it is still a strong effort, with a fascinating straightforward story and a glorious historical setting captured beautifully by Vlá?il's unmistakable visual prowess. A fine work that would also be the perfect starter plate to prepare yourself for the challenging feast of Marketa Lazarová or The Valley of the Bees. It even has an easy to digest running time. It's therefore puzzling why this gem remains largely overlooked and ignored.
警校4人组yyds，这俄罗斯妹子黑寡妇即视感
整体上是一部非常有魅力，有味道，温柔又孤独的电影。
好吧 我承认qsgc还是懂得怎么骗我的眼泪
2022.05.31 at Zürich Riffraff Kino. 日语原声，德语字母。
回忆杀我好爱 警校几人组 以前看的时候好磕 呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜
榮譽[Made in NOLA] 建議有被娃搞得手足無措的創傷的家長慎重決定要不要看。尤其是娃還在10歲以下、正扳著指頭數還有幾年、念著“大了就好了”的家長朋友。不用謝。……沉澱了一天，終於知道要怎麼寫觀後感了：如果你覺得別人家的孩子怎麼這麼好，首先那是因為那是別人家的孩子，ta不會在你這兒耍把戲、散德性，你們的交流也就在那麼短短的相處裡面，而且你面對別人家孩子的態度也是你自己不散德性的時候。所以……嘿！想什麼呢！什麼狗屁“以面對別的孩子的態度就可以促成改變”啊，屁咧！！做夢都夢不到那麼好的事情啊！！哈哈哈哈……相愛相殺就相愛相殺吧，只要不放棄比昨天多一點點點點努力，不要太難為自己，也不要太難為小孩就好了。最後還是要誇獎一下，把紐奧良作為解決問題的地方是很正確的決策。嗯！很好！
有种奇妙的矛盾感的电影。1.小男孩眼神空洞，像有着老者的灵魂，但又简单纯真。他validate emotion的常识，甚至比大多数成年人还多，但我又在想本是玩泥巴的年纪，知道这些究竟是好还是坏，本片也不回避，最后通过问答给出了“会比爸爸好”的答案，也算是叙事完整吧。2.全片一直在说要express feelings，但是电影却选择了压抑的黑白色调，导演必定有他的想法，无谓对错。美学确实足够，尤其是光线从窗户外照进植物上，美极了。
Best interviews ever. The world doesn't deserve these kids.
个人认为比去年的好看，警校5人组还是挺帅的！
难道我不会吗？
菲尼克斯真是头上一直有阴云笼罩，看起来是要跟他一辈子了。看他的片子太沉重了。
#22.03.17-19##SYJBL#因为网速，中间一度卡顿到情绪烦躁，于是后半段的抚慰能很迅速地接收到。遗憾没机会在大屏幕看到。如预告片给我的感觉，是一场非常真实的情绪经历。
谢谢，终于把他看完了。如此多此一举的黑白片以及孩童视角的社会意义大可以拍游乐园游玩要么就堕落犯罪，其实大可不必端着和打磨着一股黑白色调来讨好观众。更为糟糕的是凤凰和那个小男孩的表演之好更加反衬了戏剧节奏之糟糕和行为无物。就此打住886～
#NYFF59# “养儿方知儿女恩”，男主吐槽娃有多么难带，被女主一句“welcome to my fucking life”呛回去。快速精准的镜头剪辑，居然把这个有点老套的故事带出了舒服的节奏，Joaquin和小演员Woody Norman的演技都很精彩。
译名完全是胡来，还不如翻译成"活着"……抑郁父母版的Frances Ha。那种完全没有在care要讲什么故事的态度，被这个小男孩一搅和，产生了一些正向的化学反应。其实看完之后你也不知道到底讲了啥，不用怀疑，就是因为啥都没讲。我一直在想，如果小男孩的角色换成是一个神经质、喜怒无常、做作，但又偶尔可以充当哲学家的成年人(年轻人)，大家是否还能看得下去？(把所有的parenting置换成情感关系中的相处)。让鲍姆巴赫或者格雷格来拍，就是《美国情人》或者《伯德小姐》No.2? 本以为会在虚实结合上做文章，最后还是割裂的。
Robbie 的摄影在黑白里失去了特色 当然手法本身也没有了以往的痕迹 Joaquin 与 Woody 的互动层面 隐去的部分和表现的部分 互相消去了一些
This film gives me peace of mind.
离谱的新高度…透子在地下室地画面也太故意s那个m了…有些元素还是不要混合比较好…害还是凭着情怀去看了
emmm可以说比较失望，除了再次证明影帝是影帝，浅显的主题松散的叙事贫乏的冲突，离菊次郎的夏天差太远了
So gentle. 喜欢这样一种影调，它不会让你觉得生活美好的夸张，但也不会让你在城市的黑暗中痛苦沉沦。把话筒递给所有人，也把话筒对准自己。
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