Bathory

If you are looking for a 2 hour mini-holiday into a secret world full of intrigue, mystery, legend and murder then Bathory is your film. This film is an English language production from Slovakia and the Czech Republic by director Juraje Jakubiska. It is a mix of fanciful fairy tale and history. There are moments when you laugh at the (obviously) ridiculous and other moments when the cruelty of war and greed are overwhelming.

Admittedly, the movie went on and on. It is sectioned into three parts, and I think the first part could have used a bit more editing. But the way the director used cinematography and shifting time sequences to move the audience in and out of events made the two-plus hours go quickly.

The story is about Erzsebet Bathory, a Hungarian noble-woman who had a reputation of killing virgins and bathing in their blood to keep her youthfulness. The film tries to answer the question of who was Erzsebet Bathory. Was she a well-educated woman who vicious lies were told about or was she a cruel master who abused her servants and serfs? Hmm, decisions, decisions.

So, if you liked "Ever After", "A Knight's Tale" and "Friday the 13th" then grab a bucket of popcorn and get watching.

www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/bathory/en/

Vanquishing Křivoklat

If you've ever wanted to travel back to the 1400s without all the mess of a time-traveling machine, then I would suggest the castle of Křivoklat. This is a proper castle. It sits above the town in all its medieval-ness just watching the centuries pass by.

The history of most castles is long and drawn out and Křivoklat is no exception. I've been on the tour several times and I know that throughout its history a king lived there, it was a school for underprivileged children, a prison, a hunting lodge, and the list goes on. But for me, the essence of Křivoklat is the dark ages feel of the walls and small courtyard. If Robinhood had been Czech then I'm sure he'd have spent some time around Křivoklat.

H. and I took our most recent visitors to meander around the 1400s a few weeks ago. Standing on the wall, looking over the hillside to the village below, we all felt that we could vanquish the enemy if he tried to attack our fortress. And as luck would have it, there was a man (in medieval costume of course) in the courtyard with crossbows, bows and arrows, string guns and more to let us practice our vanquishing skills. The boys did well. I'm willing to bet they'd played with these types of weapons before. Us girls, we held our own.

We all got a certificate saying we shot weapons at Křivoklat. I'm sure that will hang on the fridge for some time.

www.krivoklat.cz