1978 ‘Panna a netvor’ Directed by Juraj Herz
Julie, the youngest daughter of a bankrupt merchant, sacrifices her life in order to save her father. She goes to an enchanted castle in the woods and meets Netvor, a bird-like monster. As Netvor begins to fall in love with Julie, he must suppress his beastly urge to kill her.
La bella y la bestia, Giulia e il mostro, Die Jungfrau und das Ungeheuer, Piekna i potwór, Die Schöne und das Ungeheuer, Красавица и чудовище
This is my second foray into the Czech(oslovak) new wave movement, after seeing Jaromil Jireš' Valerie and Her Week of Wonders some months ago and absolutely loving it. Beauty feels even more like a fairytale than Valerie did, and it's a darker one at that.
The cinematography here is quite spectacular, truly an "every frame a painting" sort of deal. The movie has a bit of a glacial pacing to it, but I didn't mind since it was always so (visually) compelling.
I loved how the beast's appearance differed from other renditions of the story. Some very intricate make-up/mask work went into this.
A remarkable movie.
"Give her proof of your love!
-Yes?
-Kill her before she sees you.
-No!
-So kill yourself.
-How?
-Let her go."
🎅Daily Ho-Ho-Horror Hunt #18 – Decembrrrr 2019🎅
2. Watch a horror movie based on a story you would tell a child.
Yeah, maybe don't show this one to a child... nightmares for days. I had always assumed this was directed by Walerian Borowczyk, director of the wonderfully obscene The Beast from 1975. I think I added this to my watchlist right after watching that classic, so there's the confusion. Juraj Herz is no slouch though, he created a favorite of mine in The Cremator, so I'm happy he's on this. He makes for a much less... stickier film to say the least. No throbbing beast dongs to be seen.
As far as the film goes, it's absolutely stunning. It captures…
A dark retelling of a classic fairytale with lavish sets, ethereal dreamlike sequences and a beautiful score. The entire film is steeped in gothic imagery, shrouded in mystique and sets itself apart from more popular Beauty and the Beast incarnations.
Panna a Netvor is brimming with fantasy quintessense; from elaborate costuming, decadent castles and meticulous set pieces. It's such a captivating, transportive piece and is undoubtedly one of the most visually arresting films I've ever seen. I love its theatrical nature and how subtly it captures the transition from autumn to winter. I equally love how the films visuals are perfectly echoed in the haunting organ and piano music.
Unconventionally, the Beast is vicious and blood thirsty ;depicted as half…
Visually stunning. The sets, costumes, and makeup effects are all wonderful, as is the organ and piano driven centered score. Incredibly captivating and theatrical performance from the Beast.
when he TOUCHED HER FACE AND NECK AND HAIR AND FACE HER FACE WITH HIS HANDS AND HIS HANDS ON HER FACE WOOOOOOOO BOOOOOYEe I oh mY GOOOOOOOSSHH WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWE I STOPPED BREATHING
Fairy-tales of the Czech New Wave, such as Karel Kachyňa’s The Little Mermaid and Jaromil Jireš’ Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, went to dark, unexpected places—an approach today's toothless fairy-tale adaptations never take, even though the stories they are based on are, more often than not, quite disturbing—and Juraj Herz’s Beauty and the Beast is no different. Idiosyncratic to its core, the film oscillates between child-like melodrama and impressionistic horror, effortlessly, its artful melding of discordant tones resulting in one of the great surrealist works (it stacks up quite nicely with Ruiz’s Manuel on the Island of Wonders, Bokanowski’s L’ange, and Lynch's Mulholland Drive). As a film-goer who favors atmosphere over narrative, cinematic bliss.
Part of jvince's 31 Days of Horror: 2013
The Good: The cinematography is just flat-out stunning. They totally nailed the otherworldly, dreamlike atmosphere. Perfect locations. Impressive costumes and make-up. Amazing musical score. I also love how the Beast in this version doesn't look like your typical Beast. Instead, he's some strange, bird-looking creature that's like a cross between a wild thing and Gollum.
The Bad: Nothing major.
The Bottom Line: Man, those Czechs are pretty damn good when it comes to surrealism. Call me crazy, but I think this is the best Beauty and the Beast adaptation around. I liked it more than both Jean Cocteau's black-and-white classic and Disney's beloved cartoon. What a gem. I can't believe this isn't more popular. If you like your fairy tales dark and fucked up, you definitely have to see this film. Recommended.
i bought a copy from the Czech Republic off eBay just so i could watch this and oh my god it was so worth it i’m crying just mmmmmm w0w
Imagine if the CEO of Disney had an existential crisis and decided to approach a remake of animated classic Beauty and the Beast via the following route:
- Take a pretty straightforward script following the traditional Beauty and the Beast plot and get everyone to memorise it
- March Emma Watson and Dan Stevens through a snowy forest for three days
- Feed the whole cast and crew inadvisable quantities of peyote
- Tell Dan Stevens that he's actually a giant bird
- Start the camera rolling
There's nothing particularly off-kilter about this interpretation of the core fairy tale, except everything feels off-kilter. It's all down to the atmosphere, I guess. The closest analogue to this film I can think…
Hoopbound: Hooptober 2
Bonus Anniversary Film
Eastern Europeans portray dilapidation better than anyone else. I’ve seen other filmmakers get close, but the surreal, entropy-laden scenes of films like The Hourglass Sanitarium, Stalker, and Jan Švankmajer’s Alice exist in worlds all their own. The Beast’s castle in this film is so much more interesting and haunting than those of us raised on Disney might expect.
This 1978 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast rivals Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film, and I didn’t think that would be possible. With Panna a netvor, they create a more mature version of the tale, but it avoids going too dark or exploitative. Don’t misunderstand, I love a good nightmare as much as anyone, but I appreciate…
Three sisters live with their father in Czechoslovakia, with the eldest two preparing to get married to successful merchants. Unfortunately, the people in charge of transporting their dowries to the town are startled by a creature resembling the gremlin from that Twilight Zone episode, except more slender, and in the ensuing fiery chaos, nearly all products are lost. The father is left broke and unable to arrange the marriages and long story short it’s a classic Beauty and the Beast tale.
The beast is a bird-like monster whose conversations with himself are fairly entertaining, but unfortunately the rushed plot hinders the overall viewing experience. The two leads perform well in their roles, but I feel like the film relies on…
