O Vale das Abelhas

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.

The previous reviewer describes the film fairly well so I will not get into the actual story. But if you have a chance to see this film at a film festival, see this film. This film is as good as the best of Kurosawa, Rivette, Bergman, Angelopoulos etc. 10 points out of 10.

The Czech movie "Údolí vcel," directed by Frantisek Vlácil, was shown in the U.S. with the title "Valley of the Bees" (1968). The film is set in the Middle Ages, in a time of unrest and ceaseless war or preparations for war.

A young man, Ondrej, (Petr Cepek) is attending the wedding of his father to a much younger woman, Lenora (the famed Czech actor Vera Galatíková). The boy presents flowers to the bride, but underneath the flowers he has placed bats. His father is so furious that he seizes his son, and flings him against a stone wall. The young man is unconscious, and appears dead. His father vows that, if the child is saved, he will dedicate him to a religious life.

The boy does, indeed, survive and enters an order of religious knights, who are sworn to piety and celibacy. At the home of the order, Ondrej is taken under the wing of a somewhat older knight, Armin (Jan Kacer). Armin has an obvious homoerotic attraction towards Ondrej, although it's not clear to me whether there is a mutual attraction.

The rest of the drama plays out when Ondrej decides to return home, which is forbidden. Other knights who have attempted to leave the order have been caught and (literally) thrown to the dogs. Armin follows the younger man, presumably in order to bring him back safely to the order. Events really begin when Ondrej reaches his destination.

Another reviewer has compared this film to Bergman, and I agree. Think "Seventh Seal" with rampant self-flagellation, superstition, and violence. Not an easy or a pleasant movie, but a powerful and memorable one.

We saw the film in the wonderful Gene Siskel Theatre in Chicago. Where else could you see a Czech movie made over 40 years ago? The Siskel Theatre is one of Chicago's cultural treasures.

Like The Seventh Seal, this film will work better on a large screen, but if it's available on DVD, by all means see it. You may or may not like it, but you won't forget it.

The filming locations are choice, and as one should expect of Theodor Pistek, the costume design is absolutely outstanding. Fresh off his masterful 'Marketa Lazarová,' director Frantisek Vlácil again demonstrates his utmost skill with phenomenal, meticulous arrangement of shots and scenes, and further guiding his cast into careful, steadfast performances. Everything about the production design and art direction is truly top-notch, clearly considered and realized only with painstaking mindfulness - all brought to fruition within Frantisek Uldrich's cinematography, lush and striking despite the black and white presentation. From a visual standpoint, by all means, this is fantastic - and though it ultimately requires a bit of patience at the outset, 'Údolí vcel' as a whole is a superb cinematic experience.

I could understand some viewers being put off by the somewhat staggered, unnatural pacing of the film. Vlácil's direction is very precise, as is the screenplay he concocted with Vladimír Körner, such that there is no extraneous element in the story or the film at large. Still, it's a precision that feels mechanical and artificially ordered, instead of organic and fluid - not unlike the chaste, nigh ascetic moral persuasion of the knights depicted in the narrative. Yet so long as one can abide that minor indelicacy, there is much to love about 'Údolí vcel.' Characters are complex and vivid, as is the dialogue. The story is compelling and fabulously absorbing, filled with strong themes - including not least of all pride, arrogance, and the cruel haughtiness and inhuman demands of religious zealotry; cleanliness is godliness, and godliness is next to devilry. We're treated to complicated and roiling emotions, engaging drama - and touches of more robust violence, too. And it's all capped off with wonderfully strong scene writing to actualize every slight detail of every last aspect: dynamic, vibrant, as full of life as it is thoughtfully conjured.

I admit having rather high expectations to begin with, having greatly enjoyed 'Marketa Lazarová.' My assumptions were squarely met: this is an excellent movie, another fine example of a marvelous classic that has been much too forgotten, overlooked, and underappreciated in the years since its release, especially outside Slovakia and the Czech Republic. I feel like I am being far too brief in my praise, but I struggle to speak at greater length without betraying plot points. Suffice to say that for anyone who is receptive to international cinema, and to high-minded classics so grand in their craft as to approximate art films, I think this is a roundly essential view. I am solidly impressed - frankly, I think this is just about perfect. It won't be for everyone, for many reasons, but as far as I'm concerned - if you have the opportunity to watch 'Údolí vcel,' then it is well worth seeking out to do so.