Synopsis
I will destroy everything - The servant who obeys you, the Physician who heals you, the Priest who gives you absolution.
Paranoia sets in as the Black Death strikes European villagers in the 14th century.
2002 ‘Anazapta’ Directed by Alberto Sciamma
Paranoia sets in as the Black Death strikes European villagers in the 14th century.
Anazapta – Der schwarze Tod, Аназапта, Peste Negra
Started the year with a bad movie, end the year with a bad movie just as god intended. At least Lena Heady is pretty.
Set in 14th century England, this historical thriller certainly looks the part, but that's about all it has going for it. As these period tales are wont to do, it revolves around the tension between an aristocrat - in this case the soft-hearted Matilda, a noblewoman whose husband has been kidnapped overseas - and the mud-caked peasants in her town, with some very sweaty advisors, and an incredibly sweaty bishop, in between.
In revenge for Matilda's husband's abduction, English fighters have kidnapped a Frenchman, Jacques, but his arrival coincides with the sudden, possibly supernatural deaths of certain locals. It seems that Jacques' true identity is known to only a few people, and I guess that's the mystery that the film…
Bad editing. Some scenes make no sense like when the guy being held captive makes everyone look at his balls. “Look at my balls!”
H🎃RR🎃RWEEN 2🎃18
Amazon Prime* – Watchlist
31/100
There's nothing really worth saying about this. It's a badly shot and edited film with some truly sub par performances.
If it wasn't also so damn boring it might have at least been watchable.
It's really shocking how few movies have been made about the Black Death, and of those, how almost all of them suck! It's a tragic oversight.
So given the obvious circumstances I thought I'd try Black Plague out and it sucked! They did a cool job on the plague victim makeup, but that's really all. The plague itself was somewhat of a secondary plot element, which is fine, but the main plot was just awful... and largely felt like a dull excuse to show the audience some medieval style drawings of dicks. Well, it wasn't worth it!
i am always a sucker for medieval murder mysteries, so it is was nigh impossible to ignore Anazapta with a young Lena Headley in the lead.
Set in 1348 in a small village where crops have been ruined, the local lord in off to France to war and the young Lena Headley is fighting at home to protect their lands against the greedy hands of the local bishop (Ian McNeice) and her body against his lustful thoughts.
And this is all on a good day. When her young nephew returns from war, he informs her that whilst her husband is now a French hostage he himself has a hostage too.
It is when people in the village start to die in mysterious circumstances that fear overtakes the village until the inevitable finale.
While nearly not as good as , for example, In the name of the Rose, it is still an enjoyable passing of time in the medieval muck.
This was just a slog to get through, but a fat old guy showing off his medieval porn and another scene where mouth to mount resuscitation is invented, make it at least worthwhile.
Okay, is it just me or does this poster look like a GoT poster? If you squint your eyes, I mean!
Otherwise, that's the only highlight of this film.
This movie is an hour and half give or take but it felt like an eternity for the ending credits to roll. Avoid this movie at all cost. Do not be tempted because a certain Game of Thrones actress stars in a medieval setting. It is not worth it no matter how good she was in this movie.