This film is pathetic. It is so bad that it almost seems like it is bad on purpose. If you've red the original poem Maj by Karel Hynek Macha, you'd probably be appalled at what they did to it (they completely changed the plot - in the film Jarmila is basically a slut who voluntarily sleeps with both Vilem and his father, while in the poem she was raped) (to me it seemed like the only aim of the film was to have as many scenes as possible with this actress naked). The beautifully dark atmosphere of the poem is replaced by a weird mixture of cliché and terrible special effects. A ten year old could have done better 'special effects' - the film tries to create an artistic feeling but fails miserably and it ends up looking very overdone. For example, after Vilem's death there is a scene which looks like a clip from a low budget Halloween rock music video. Or the fake tree and purple earthquake-like thunderstorms. Or the flying hats. The list goes on. And I haven't even mentioned the horrible acting - Vilem's actor shows no emotion whatsoever, Jarmila doesn't even speak throughout the film (I'm not sure if she was supposed to be mute? They probably only picked her for her body anyway) and the only potentially interesting character is never developed. However, I must admit that the poem is very hard to turn into a film because it isn't very plot based (it is partially a lyrical poem) so I doubt that a good film will ever be made.
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arejka23 October 2015
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vojta-koutnik22 August 2008After success of Kytice (internatinoal: Wild flowers), which is based on the famous collection of poems of K.J.Erben, one of the most well-known character of classic Czech literature, Mr. Brabec went for even more famous poem Máj of K.H. Mácha, which is considered the peak of Czech romanticism (learnt by heart in almost every Czech high-school).
I'm not sure, whether Máj has some decent translation in English. If not, it could make the film in-apprehensible for a non-Czech viewer. As the poem is in center, recited through the whole movie by Jan Tříska, amateur English translation could ruin it all.
In general Brabec made a good job with this movie. The photography is wonderful. It makes look the Czech scenery (which I as the Czech citizen find predominantly boring) beautiful and truly dramatic. The music is also very good. Aside of the poem, there are very few dialogs. That's why the music plays such an important role, sometimes even make you shiver.
The weakest point of the movie is undoubtedly the scene after Vilém having killed his own fathers rides past the gallows where ghosts of the dead appear to him. The music is really unsettling (something like half rap half electronic version of Máj) and the whole scene make you more smile than hold your breath as the rest of the movie usually does.
The whole story is being told by the village executioner (Jan Tříska), whose scarecrow face appears on the screen more than is needed. Sure that face of his has some dramatic features, but as I said before, he is in the shot almost more often that the main characters.
Despite the above mentioned criticism, the movie shows well the atmosphere of the poem, and the romantic spirit of K.H.Mácha work. I give 7/10.