Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Miraculous Virgin (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Stefan Uher
Starring: Jolanta Umecka, Ladislav Mrkvicka, Otakar Janda
Language: Slovak
Duration: 93 min.
Rating: 7.4
Summary:
Anabella, a young and beautiful girl meets a group of artists. She awakens their erotic desires but also pure feelings of love; she becomes the object of their secret fantasies as well as their artistic inspiration. And it seems that the boundaries between reality and fantasy suddenly cease to exist.
The Miraculous Virgin also known as The Wonder-Maid is a film directed by Stefan Uher (The Sun in a Net, Organ), adapted by Dominik Tatarka from his novelette of the same title.

A stylized and surreal tale set in Slovakia during WWII, that follows a group of artists who become fascinated by Anabella (Jolanta Umecka) a beautiful and mysterious young girl who arrives in town and becomes their source of inspiration and object of desire. Capturing their hearts and imaginations during a dangerous and difficult time.

Employing an obscure narrative that switches between moments of bizarre fantasy and harsh reality such that the line between the two quickly becomes a continuous blur, Uher bombards the viewer with a continuous stream of stunning yet challenging sequences of poetic sound and black and white imagery. As one by one, the artists first encounter and then become obsessed with the lovely Anabella.

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The character of Anabella floats through the film in a dreamlike almost sleepwalking state. I think she's meant to represent some sort of unattainable prize, or mythological ideal of a woman. Whereas all the men are awake but are constantly fantasizing and daydreaming about her as she always remains just out of reach.

As he has done in the past, Uher once again makes great use of interior spaces. Slowly panning the camera in every direction inside the vast railway station that could double as a holy cathedral with it's high vaulted arches. There's the labyrinth like underground concrete bomb shelter where the passengers seek refuge; perhaps symbolizing the occupied country where just a small shaft of light can be seen amongst the huddled silent masses and only the shrieking of a terrified cat can be heard over the planes and bombs overhead. Then there's Anabella's room high atop the tower of a posh hotel, with its sparse furnishings and dirty walls, resembling a prison cell more than a luxurious suite.

It's an undeniably beautiful, interesting, and unique film, that shows us the wonders of imagination; but it's also perhaps a bit too incomprehensible for a single viewing, and isn't quite strong enough to compel us to see it several times to decipher it's meaning.
Bonjour Tristesse
The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

The Miraculous Virgin • Panna zázracnica (1967)

4 comments:

Michaël Parent said...

Nice screen caps! Looks not bad at all.

d_4 said...

I think this is something I would watch with someone in attempts at understanding something. Not on my own or for pleasure.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah it looks great, just very hard to comprehend

Bonjour Tristesse said...

If that ever happens, please let me know what your interpretation is.

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