Monday, June 25, 2012

The Seven Who Were Hanged (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)
The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Hollý
Starring: Jozef Cierny, Emília Vásáryová, Milan Kis, Zdena Gruberová
Language: Slovak
Duration: 61 min.
Rating: 8.3
Summary:
Seven condemned prisoners are sentenced to hang, five men and two women, and each one deals with their impending fate in their own way.
The Seven Who Were Hanged, or The Ballad of Seven Hanged Men is a film directed by Martin Hollý, based on a novel written in 1909 by Russian author Leonid Andreyev. It was originally produced for Czechoslovak television and screened to acclaim in a few foreign locations, including winning for Best Drama at the 1970 International Television Festival in Hollywood, before being banned in its home country under pressure by the Soviet Union.

This is the psychological tale of a group of seven prisoners, five failed revolutionary assassins, two of which are women; along with two common criminals; a gypsy horse thief, and a peasant murderer, all condemned to death and awaiting their executions.

The very dark and atmospheric film is set in Russia after the 1905 revolution, and swiftly begins with a series of quick images showing that the conspirators never had a chance. Their doomed plot having long been discovered by the secret police, the anarchists are quickly arrested, put on trial and sentenced to hang. The rest of the story then follows their last few remaining days in prison, where two other condemned men already wait in their cells.

Here is where they are revealed to be quite an interesting set of varied characters, and the film explores them all one by one. Using flashbacks to previous events in their lives, as well as a thorough examination of their present thoughts and feelings, each of the prisoners are fleshed out and it is shown how they individually deal with their impending death sentences. All very compelling and seemingly different, but in the end revealed to be all very much the same.

Hollý's production is backed by some very strong performances from the entire cast, special mention to Emília Vásáryová, who is not only lovely to look at, but delivers a role of amazing strength and dignity, and I can see why she would later become one of the most prominent Slovak actresses of all time.

In addition, this film excels with what to me was the biggest difference between Slovak directors and their Czech counterparts of the era: some incredibly precise cinematography and editing which utilize interior and exterior spaces so well and elegantly tell the story with sophisticated imagery; thus contributing significantly to the intense emotional impact of the film. Particularly inside the prison walls where it really feels like death is the only way out, but also in the unforgettable closing moments at the gallows, where the final moment arrives for all of the seven. 

A grim but very well acted, written, and directed film that aside from its neat one hour running time, you would never otherwise suspect was a made for TV movie. It really is another one of those powerful and mesmerizing little gems from this extraordinary time that I just love discovering. Hopefully there are still a few like this to be found.
Bonjour Tristesse
The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

The Seven Who Were Hanged • Balada o siedmich obesených (1968)

2 comments:

d_4 said...

This one sounds promising. I'm gonna put it on the list, try to find it later on.

Parvathy Kutty said...

GREAT>>>GREAT>>>GREAT

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