In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.
The Devil's Trap is a film directed by František Vlá?il, based on a novel by Alfréd Technik, adapted by František A. Dvorák and Miloš Kratochvíl. It was the first of three historical dramas that Vlá?il made during the Czech New Wave (technically he isn't really a part of the New Wave, however these films were made during the same era of artistic freedom), preceding his more well known Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Valley of the Bees (1968).
Set in the late 16th Century during the Catholic Reformation, in the Moravian Karst, situated in what is now the Eastern Czech Republic, it tells the tale of a miller (Vítezslav Vejrazka), and his son Jan (Vít Olmer), who come under suspicion and are investigated by a Jesuit priest of the Inquisition (Miroslav Macháchek), when rumors of witchcraft are spread by the local regent (Cestmír Randa), who is jealous of the miller's prosperity and degree of respect among the local populace.
As expected from Vlá?il, this film is a stunning experience all the way through. From the opening shot, an ominous manipulation of perspective with a close up of a mangled figure of Christ dominating the foreground against a tiny figure in black walking along the horizon, to the breathtaking confrontational finale inside the vast stalactite filled Karst caverns, it is a wonderful display of visual mastery.
Maybe not quite as impressive as Marketa Lazarová, but still full of astonishing imagery. As seen from unique angles and distinct points of view which highlight the director's remarkable sense of awareness of framing, motion, and positioning on the emotional and dramatic tone of the scene. The most memorable being a repeated shot where the camera is suspended and launched with speed through the air towards the miller's door.
The story here is a simple one and I would say more accessible than his later works. With a conventional structure emphasized as much by its plot and characters, than by its expressionistic cinematography or authentic historical detail. The events play out without much surprise, and there is a strong underlying, almost supernatural, mysterious aspect that is left unresolved, in fact barely explored, which is slightly disappointing, but only because it's so fascinating that I wish there was more.
Acting is great all around. Particularly the villains: Miroslav Macháchek as the priest, casting a sinister and imposing shadow wherever he goes, and Cestmír Randa as the weasel like regent behind all the persecution. While Vít Olmer brings a charismatic leading man presence in his role as the miller's son Jan, in love with the lovely orphan girl Martina (Karla Chadimová), who becomes a dangerous object of rivalry between Jan and other young men of the village.
The film also features the evocative music of Zden?k Liška (perhaps the most prolific composer of the Czech New Wave). In this his second of eleven collaborations with Vlá?il, his compositions are used sparingly, but to great effect, complimenting but never overpowering a scene. The best example of which can be heard in an amazingly shot celebration and dance sequence at the end of the second act.
The Devil's Trap might not be a masterpiece, but it is still a strong effort, with a fascinating straightforward story and a glorious historical setting captured beautifully by Vlá?il's unmistakable visual prowess. A fine work that would also be the perfect starter plate to prepare yourself for the challenging feast of Marketa Lazarová or The Valley of the Bees. It even has an easy to digest running time. It's therefore puzzling why this gem remains largely overlooked and ignored.
感觉在看花木兰+功夫熊猫，元素杂糅，自以为是的中国风，花里胡哨的颜色，老套的故事
7/10 摄影配乐牛逼 巨幕观看冲击力强 试图入睡多次被吵醒 一贯的暴力美学风格 无奈剧情太弱 较前作也有不少妥协之处
我觉得还挺好看的……视觉上，就是太他妈像游戏了，好几个场景魂味都溢出了，其他很多部分我又觉得不如同样是讲北欧的《地狱之刃》……故事上没啥可说的，只是我总觉得这片子暗戳戳的在讲昂撒民族起源故事，不知道是不是我想多了。
简单来说就是一部充满悲剧色彩的北欧版王子复仇记。片中部分镜头跟《麦克白的悲剧》有相似的格调，即想刻意复刻一种来自莎翁剧作的戏剧感。要说导演前作《灯塔》里强对比的黑白光影视为加分项，本片夜伴时分的低饱和色调同样诱人迷恋，浅以为它准确赋予了复仇性格——不是激烈的红，也不是冷酷的蓝，而是阴郁的紫。不过要说到迷恋，怎么可能不痴想在绝美逶迤的自然风光下，水雾氤氲的温泉里跟安雅·泰勒-乔伊来一场巫山云雨呢。
导演的风格就是这样的史诗片也搞的神神叨叨的，血脉大树之类的，所以故事意义和目的性比较隐晦，缺少酣畅淋漓的戏剧感受。整体还行。
特别特别好的一部院线电影，导演对主流观众做了一小部份的妥协，但是仍然保持了极具个人风格化的镜头语言和摄影。剧情非常平铺直叙，如果导演拥有最后剪辑权的话可能会把每一个章节的故事剪的更细碎繁复一些。最后的决斗拍的太好了。it's OK you don't like the film, but at least you should appreciate it. The horrendous box office of this film officially marks the death of blockbuster theatrical release from non-Disney publishers.
逻辑莫名，萝卜开会，驴马杂交……
《维京传奇》艺术电影版；篇幅略长，特别是讲述一个相对简单熟悉的“哈姆雷特”故事，服化道和对北欧神话传奇的还原很真实。3星半吧。
其实三星半，和女巫有点像，都属于观感体验向的电影。感觉导演的意图，就是用电影视听语言，带观众暂时忘了自己的生活，走进那个时代和那片土地，体验一把血腥野蛮，还有萨满崇拜。音效很震撼，适合大银幕；情节是经不起仔细推敲的；大部分角色的台词都能听懂，唯独女主装的假口音搞的我只能听懂个大概，所以每次有女主的文戏我都会因为听不懂犯困；另外一些幻觉部分，其实很重要，但不知道是不是预算不够，太五毛特效，导致严重出戏，如果处理好了会大大提高整体完成度。
这哪是王子复仇，分明是河东村与河西村的两代矛盾纠纷。
8.1 略微失望，制作全面升级了之后反而显得掌控力不足。但艾格斯在视觉上的天赋毋庸置疑，叙事方面仍需积累作品来练手。
有被爽到/嫁人要嫁梁朝伟/中国元素很自然第一次觉得不尬/整个电影院我是唯一一个不用看字幕的嘿哈
也不能说电影拍的不好看，就是不太喜欢，看了一点看不下去了
本来没抱什么期待，但看下来还是特别不错。微博上的段子，梁朝伟和陈法拉怎么生出了尚气的颜值，但看完整个电影，觉得刘思慕还是很帅，憨憨的
不愧是视觉导演出生，有些场面确实不错。很喜欢影片塑造的原始暴力感。不过这爹妈人均神经病的王子（或者说贱民）复仇记，怎么看着这么像《鲁鲁修》……？安雅出现的每一帧都是靓爆镜的存在。
搞的好像很大气，充满原始感，不过个人感觉有点长，多少会有一些无聊。
老故事披上新外衣，没有突破反而显得更拖沓。不过，女主角还是很漂亮的。
It’s a shock to look at the early stage of our civilization and how individualism could be so deeply rooted in the DNA of their culture.
挺无语的，故弄玄虚，不知道自己在看剧情片还是恐怖片
已把预期降到最低居然还能叫人更失望 只剩画面服化道好看与考究. 别扭的“诗体”台词都不说人话了, 生硬的叙述与剧情质量感觉都比不过随便一集<维京传奇>剧集, 难为了卡司
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