Shot in the lyrical Elvira Madigan mode, Jaromil Jires’ fantasy-horror celebrates the early adolescent stirrings of a beautiful young girl in a vaguely defined Transylvanian townscape some time in the last century. A student of folklore and mythology could perhaps detect a logical thread in the sequence of vampires, devils, black magic, ritual and dance that the film presents, but most cinemagoers will enjoy sitting back and being agreeably surprised as the images unfold. There is no clearly defined story; the film’s logic is that of the subconscious, its images those of the Gothic fairy tale and the psychiatrist’s couch, and its overall effect is stunning. John Collis
Length: 73 minutes
Country of origin: Czechoslovakia
Year of production: 1970
Director: Jaromil Jires
Cast: Jaroslava Schallerová, Helena Anýzová, Petr Kopriva
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