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/
