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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
BJORK CAN ACT IN SPOOKY TALE, July 17, 2002
This review is from: The Juniper Tree (DVD)
Bjork, Iceland's eccentric and eclectic artist, singer and actress stars in "THE JUNIPER TREE." Shot in black and white on bleak locations in Iceland, the story is an old folk tale adapted from the Brothers Grimm archives. And grim it is. Bjork is Margit. When her mother is burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft, she and her older sister Katla flee across Iceland's rugged terrain until they reach the remote farmhouse owned by handsome widower Johann. Katla casts a seductive spell on Johann and bewitches him. Soon they are wed, much to the dismay of Johann's suspicious young son Jonas who sees clearly what has happened to his dad. Things get increasingly tense and Margit is forced into the spiritual world to save Jonas from Katla's supernatural wrath. This dark, brooding mystical tale is nicely visualized and Bjork is a natural actress. And yes, she sings. Extras include an interview with director Nietzchka Keene, deleted scenes and publicity photos.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting and Tragic, March 30, 1999
Not for the impatient viewer, not for those who want to be entertained and don't want to think, "The Juniper Tree" is memorable and mysterious, magical, seductive, and stark. Bjork is to be commended for her brilliant portrayal as a younger sister with the "gift" of witchcraft. Her performance is so compelling that one *almost* wishes she had chosen acting and not music as her career. Filmed in black and white on location in Bjork's native Iceland, one is trasported immediately to a landscape which is not only dramatic but nearly alien. The story itself is based on a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm (regretfully, the credits do not specify *which* story!), and ends, as do many of Grimms' stories, in tragedy and darkness. A must-see for anyone who appreciates "difference" in films, who's willing to ponder and is not simply concerned with instant gratification.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting and Tragic, March 30, 1999
Not for the impatient viewer, and not for those who want to be entertained and don't want to think, "The Juniper Tree" is memorable and mysterious, magical, seductive, and stark. Bjork is to be commended for her brilliant portrayal as a younger sister with the "gift" of witchcraft. Her performance is so compelling that one *almost* wishes she had chosen acting and not music as her career. Filmed in black and white on location in Bjork's native Iceland, one is trasported immediately to a landscape which is not only dramatic but nearly alien. The story itself is based on a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm (regretfully, the credits do not specify *which* story!), and ends, as do many of Grimms' stories, in tragedy and darkness. A must-see for anyone who appreciates "difference" in films, who's willing to ponder and is not simply concerned with instant gratification.
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