My love of THE VALLEY OF BEES often blinds me to the earlier work of František Vláčil. The power of this film not only resonated with me (its conversations about faith, bonding and the burden of servitude is profound) that I could not escape it. This does a disservice to his two other films that lay the foundation of the trilogy, MARKETA LAZAROVA and THE DEVILS TRAP. Both examine Czech history via the flux of religion, community and identity. The former takes this from the establishment of Christianity over the broader (but equally destructive Paganism) and the latter, The Devil’s Trap is set in 16th century Bohemia, where land owners were using exploitation and castigation to exact control over their people.
A local miller, son of a miraculous survivor of a house fire, and his son are caught up in a dispute between a local landowner, his parson and the on coming Inquisition. These authorities all are concerned by his apparent way with nature. From the hole that arose from his destroyed home, to the water that flows day and night, ominously turning the grinding wheel, to finding a stream in a dessert of fields, All of this challenges the norm. But after a village dance to celebrate a new barn building descends into violence and the miller dares to question the local landowner’s decision to build on unstable land, after the barn collapses, it becomes clear he is a marked man.
František Vláčil is compelling captured in František Uldrich documentary (included on the set.) It shows him to be a thoughtful, visually driven narrator, who also understood profoundly, the country he makes films about. From the bleakness that was ridden through its history, to the rebellion that drove it forward. Czech cinema is the most easy to enter, I believe, for an English audience because of this. This perturbing bleakness balanced perfectly with the standing up to it. The old adage ‘Don’t let the bastard get you down’ is rite large here. Sadly so is the oppressive power of those in control. Those who can tell you what to do and others what you do is wrong. Added to this is the layers of corruption, both financial and religious, that ignore reason and evidence. The film surely does establish religious authority as a dubious moral authority certainly but it is as reflective of the Communist control, satellites of the Soviet Union. As Peter Hames skillfully argues. One held sway originally and the other replaced it, both rejecting the natural world and its harmony.
THE DEVILS TRAP transfer is a cause of concern in truth. It has significant portions of damage. It also has elements that jump and the picture quality corrodes the delights of some of the cinematography. Thankfully not that crane shot however.
Special Edition Contents:
The Devil’s Trap (Ďáblova past, 1961) presented from a new HD transfer from original materials created by the Czech National Film Archive, Prague.
In the Web of Time (V síti času, 1989): cinematographer František Uldrich’s documentary portrait of Vláčil.
The Week Starts on Friday (Týden začíná v pátek, 1962): Elmar Kloss’ short film about Czech cinema exhibition in the early 1960s, and featuring The Devils Trap.
Booklet featuring a new essay on the film by author and Czechoslovak cinema specialist Peter Hames.
New and improved English subtitle translation.
World premiere on Blu-ray.
