Customer Reviews

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Valerie a tęden divu)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"And here... is our clue to the method of the adventure, if one is ever to return home.
It is this: not to identify one's self with any of the figures or powers experienced."
- Joseph Campbell

One of the great films of the 20th century, and unavailable for the last 30 years. A real shame (thank you Facets for its release! And such a beautiful print). I remember seeing "Valerie" for the first time in 1974. I had no idea what was going on, But it was one of the most beautiful films I'd ever seen, so I relaxed and watched the flow of images. I've seen it many times since (thanks to a bootleg copy).

The key to its understanding is that she is asleep from the start of the film to the end, and what we are seeing are her dreams, a unique approach to say the least. A good analysis of the film can be found on pages 229-236, The Czechoslovak New Wave by Peter Hames, U. of California Press, 1985.

The end of "Valerie" is, to me, profoundly touching. During most of the film, she freely interacts with the characters of her dreams, but by the end she has achieved a kind of detached enlightenment; though they call to her, Valerie refuses to interact with them anymore. And so at the end, in that Autumnal landscape, as her dreams dance around her, she climbs into her bed one last time......Sleep tight sweet Valerie, don't let the bedbugs bite....."Fear is only a dream / so dream little one dream."

A note to Mr. Nietzsche (not the philosopher); the term is not "Claymation", that word was invented by the animator Will Vinton to promote his work. The correct term is "Stop-motion".
A note to Mr.Cox: "La Femme Nikita" is neither "odd-ball" nor a "classic".

Finally, regarding the remarkably unkind reviews of "Valerie" by the above 2 persons,
I'll let uncle Will have the last word: "You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things...."

And now the soundtrack is available on CD. will wonders never cease?

Closely inspired in the nightmarish novel of czech poet and writer Vitezlav Nezval, which in its turn is inspired in Gothic imaginary and fairy tales, this surreal symbolic vampire fable directed with fine irony by Jaromil Jires ( " The joke ", adaptation to the big screen of Kundera's novel ) narrates the bizarre adventures of a innocent bourgeois teenage girl during the week she begins to puberty, surrounded in a succesion of sexual fantasies ruled by a vampire named Tchor from whom obscure influence gets to flee with the help of her magic earrings in an oniric journey in which Lewis Carroll and the Marquis de Sade could perfectly be her travelling partners. The movie is filmed in a subtle narrative way that reminds Fellini's films from the 60's ( for instance: " Giulietta degli spiriti ", " Fellini- Satyricon " ) where the frontier between dreams and " reality " vanishes. The way that the director chooses to conduct the film and its context allows to read the bizarre world and erotic symbolism that surrounds to the protagonist as a subjectivetion of a familiar and represive setting that suddenly becomes strange to her innocent and anxious eyes by the effect of her sexual awakening. Shot after the russian invasion to Prague the film contains also a melancholy political allegory about the unfair situation in which lived most of the czech citizens during the years of the dictatorship.

This is one of those rare treasures of international cinema that is simply a must see. The screen explodes with color and surreal imagery that is genuinely a labor of art. This is a film for true film lovers. I think it belongs in the collection of anyone who perceives motion pictures as much more than entertainment. This doesn't mean that the film will not entertain and fascinate, but it transcends the typical narrative films with its focus on visuals to tell its story. This is a captivating film that has not been available for a very long, long time to my knowledge. Again, if you love world films, and especially those that are one-of-a-kind in terms of cinematography, art direction, etc., this is certainly a keeper. Those who prefer the Hollywood formula, which at its best can be superb, and at its worst an abomination, should also seriously consider this impressive gem, as I think it is truly memorable and simply fascinating.

For years, I'd read about this film, then I managed to track down a bootleg video copy of it in the mid-90s. Even though that video was in less than prime condition, the brilliance of the film shined through anyway.

The first time I watched VALERIE..., I really had no idea what it was about, but the haunting visuals and score--oh, what music!--entranced me. I've watched the film many times since then, including during its recent U.S. arthouse run, and, each time, I feel like I'm unlocking some puzzle. On the surface, it's all so simple, but underneath, it's something else entirely.

Then there is Valerie, one of the most charming film heroines I've ever encountered. Imagine watching a young Kate Bush in a fantasy film, and you'll understand what I mean. It's a testiment to the director's sensitivity and the acting ability of the actress who plays Valerie that this film doesn't sucumb to soft-porn cliches or mawkishness. Ravishing.

VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS has been worth waiting for.

Note: Czech with English subtitles.

I would like to make two things perfectly clear at the beginning of this review. First of all, I do not claim to understand this film. Secondly, I will make no attempt whatsoever to explain the storyline. Well, maybe just a little.

The '70 film from the Czech Republic `Valerie and Her Week of Wonders' which was written and directed by Jaromil Jires is quite possibly the strangest, most incomprehensible film I've ever watched. It consists of a most unlikely mixture of nostalagic musical interludes displaying childhood memories of purity and innocence; a white room where the sound of a music box adored with a spinning ballerina fills the room, beautiful, blossoming flowers adorn the pathway outside the house where just beyond a brightly colored forests of amber leaves dominate the landscape.

However childhood is coming to an end for the absolutely enchanting Valerie (Jaroslava Shallerova), the process of becoming a woman has begun during a brief stroll in the yard. Now the veil of naïvete has been lifted from her eyes and visions of another kind now begin to appear and beckon in stark and horrifying juxtaposition to the world she used to know. Depraved priests and vampire-like missionaries compete for her affections while overzealous flagellants pursue the young man of her desire. To further confuse and entice poor Valerie, an intermittent band of blonde haired muses in peasant dresses roam the forest exchanging amorous embraces soon awaken a strange fascination within her.

`Valerie and Her Week of Wonders' is visually stunning to the point of intoxication, yet totally incoherent in storyline. While the viewer is transfixed by the presence of the lovely Jaroslava one is left to feel captive to an onslaught of vampirism, voyeurism, sadomasochism, lesbianism and depravity. Truly the most voyeuristic film I've ever watched. This one is definitely for a very select, artistically oriented audience, file it away in your DVD case next to Fellini's `Satyricon'.

Man, get a clue you people! This so-called "anti-catholic" film was released in the 1970s (during a period of intense social repression in Czechoslovakia) not because it was too "weird" for the censors, but because the original writer of the novel, Vitezslav Nezval, was one of the most celebrated communist poets of the 20th century. He was an upper ranking bureaucrat in the Ministry of Information during the Communist seizure of power in 1948, and in the 1950s became the personal secretary of Vaclav Kopecky, the most powerful (and feared) communist in Stalinist Czechoslovakia. Why do you assume that a good piece of artwork from a communist country must necessarily be anti-communist, or that artwork made by communists must necessarily be garbage propaganda? Get a history book. At any rate this has nothing to do with the film itself, which was released under a brutal political regime in the 1970s, and just happens to be excellent.

When I read Nezval's 1930s novel, I was sure it would work well in a visual medium. The book didn't so much narrate a story as align images against each other, creating a series of vivid visual impressions. This movie captures that sense beautifully.

Like the book, this movie offers little in the way of linear story line. Instead, sequences of event show the effect that Valerie's emerging womanhood has on those around her, including men tempted by her young beauty and older women jealous of it. Wantons around her foretell the love life that she'll have some day, and other young beauties reflect her temptation back at her. But, under it all, vampiric beings and shapeshifters carry out rituals with inscrutable purpose.

Part of this movie's quirky charm comes from its low-budget effects, part comes from the fresh-faced Valerie. Another part comes from analogies to a very strange Alice in Wonderland, in which the girl seems more of a spectator to a world with an inner logic that escapes her. If you're willing to trade plot for mystery and magic in a movie, give this one a shot.

-- wiredweird

If you bought a 500 page book with pages missing here and there for a total of 75 pages, you probably would have a hard time following the story. That seemed to be the case with the U.S. version of this movie. I am now set up to be able to watch movies from any region whether NTSC or PAL, and this is one of the first ones I bought from Amazon UK. They listed an 85 minute version; when I ordered it, I received a copy with a different cover and it was only 73 minutes. [The NY Times Movie database also lists the movie at 85 minutes.] If this ratio was accurate, that means that nearly 15% of the movie had been cut to make the 73 minute version. The longest I can find anyone else showing the movie is 77 minutes, and that from several different sources, which would make the U.S. version a version with about 5% cut out. When Amazon UK checked into it further, they found that the 85 minute DVD listing was in error, and without my asking, refunded my money.

Both my wife and I noticed several times when there were obvious cuts in 'Valorie,' such as where two lines of subtitles were on the screen less than 1/2 second. Cutting movies for the U.S. market is fairly common with European movies. The most massive cuts I've seen so far are with 'Crusade: A March Through Time' where the Netherlands version is 138 minutes, the German version is 125 minutes and the U.S. version is only 100 minutes!

My best judgment now is that 'Valorie' in its theatrical run was 85 minutes. Since it was a movie from a Communist country, Czechoslovakia, it wasn't preserved in a proper manner for the twenty-plus years it would take for the country to be freed. Therefore, when it was able to be made into VHS or DVDs, eight minutes were too far deterioted to be used. Four more mintues were questionable, and might have been used in some versions. This was pared down, because of questionable quality, to make the 73 minute DVD that now seems to be the final version. Therefore, it would seem reasonable that many viewers would find the movie chopped up and confusing since it appears that about 15% has been lost from the theatrical version.

To comment on the movie itself, I would say that if you are a person who remembers your dreams and likes to think about them when awake, you'll find this movie familiar material, and you'll probably like it. If you don't remember your dreams, or ignore them because they seem so nonsensical, you probably won't like the movie.

I might add one more thought. If you order regularly from Amazon.com, you should have no trouble ordering movies from their U.K branch. In fact, I live less than 120 miles from Amazon.com world headquarters and I received the DVDs from England faster than from the U.S. Amazon! Just remember if you do order from Europe you need to be able to watch Region 2 DVDs.

Czech New Wave at its finest. Surreal, beautiful images, magnificent story, extraordinary sets, captivating characters and a story to get lost in! Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the art involved in film, fantasy, post-modernism or surrealism!

The title of my review sums up my feelings for this movie. I checked it out from my local library on a day when I was feeling up to a strange foreign film. I have to admit that if I hadn't been in the mood to watch it I would not have liked it at all. A warning to anyone who wants to see this film- if you do not like strange arthouse flicks or if you are not ready to think during an entire film, you will not like this film. You will also not like it if you are at all squeamish about taboo subjects, especially those in the sexual vein.

The film surrounds a young girl named Valerie who prior to her first menstruation has had a seemingly normal life. After that first ruby red drop of blood lands on a meadow flower though... strange things begin to happen. The world of sexuality opens up to the young girl as does a world of supernatural happenings.

This film was one that stuck in my memory for quite a while afterwards. I have to admit that I was a bit squeamish at times due to some of the subject matter such as pedophilia (Valerie is a mere 13 years), incest (her grandmother, father & supposed brother all have an interest in her) & rape. Yet at the same time those elements are an integral part in the story. The real meat of the film lies in Valerie discovering sex and her sexuality for the first time in her life. Things that were previously benign now take on different contexts. The cinematography is also worth mentioning- the film is incredibly beautiful visually with all sorts of wonderful imagery. Some of the imagery is lovely yet some of it is also grotesque looking, giving the suggestion that not all life is beautiful- some parts of it can get very ugly. I could go on about all of the allegories & subtexts in the film, but this is a review- not an essay paper!

Again, if you aren't a fan of the strange "make you think" arthouse flicks, you are better off staying away from this one. If you don't mind the strange films or if you are simply a fan of films where the cinematography takes your breath away, you want to watch this film.