The Valley of the Bees

Bergman in a Czech version? At least that's how I see it, because Vláčil's gloomy and soiled vision of the Middle Ages brings him very close to the Swedish genius. Like the ceremonial nature of gesture and word, the weight of a single image that seems to say nothing and yet speaks through every detail. Körner's script is constructed masterfully, building a staircase stone by stone to the final tragedy that emerges from the almost harmonious celebration of medieval paganism. Čepek, Kačer and other actors from the Drama Club brought a touch of theatricality, slowness, emphasis on every word and act to the story. Zdeněk Liška, for his part, confirmed that he was an exceptional composer; however, sometimes strangely, his secular and religious musical accompaniment precisely colors a quietly buzzing drama about two sides of faith. Although The Valley of the Bees was quite ruthlessly stomped by New Wave, in time it proved the dominance of a complex artistic statement over the period filmmaking experiment. With all due respect to New Wave, this is just a class better. (01/26/2004)

From my point of view, a more impressive and perhaps also more successful film than Marketa Lazarová - perhaps because The Valley of the Bees was not as hard to understand, its script is not in any way "cryptic" (the monologues and dialogues from the pen of Vladimír Körner are undeniable) and the actions of the characters are easy to read. Petr Čepek is absolutely amazing, Jan Kačer is literally demonic... However, the one that has grown closest to my heart is Josef Somr in a small but important role. Zdeněk Liška's music is as beautiful as ever, but there is no point in praising Vláčil's direction to the heavens, as it has been there for a long time. A one hundred percent film. (11/29/2011)

The film, which is considered one of the best ever made here. When I was watching it, I felt like I was watching Bergman. Slow but intense moments with incredible performances, which only enhance the power of the overall experience. It's one of those films that must be seen. It may leave you feeling cold and say that it's for intellectuals, but somewhere deep down you will feel that it has done something to you. (12/23/2014)

Film treat that was created as a side product and poorer little brother of Marketa Lazarova. Basically, a very simple plot is shot poetically and at the same time rawly, it is an extraordinarily suggestive film experience with music perfectly tailored, excellent camera work, and great performances by Cepka and Kacer. In this film, however, the cliché "there are no small roles" perfectly holds true. I claim that if Údolí včel was shot in color, it would have been half as good, the black and white material co-creates the balladic atmosphere of the story. Overall impression: 95%. (04/29/2007)

The Valley of the Bees is a deeply philosophical movie. It is also very oppressive and impersonal, suppressing all emotions and feelings that a film could arouse in the audience. The result is that The Valley of the Bees is a perfect, raw depiction of the Middle Ages, the likes of which would be hard to find in Czech cinematography. And even though it lacks emotions, it is definitely a film that you must not miss, because it will convince you that all kinds of things used to be shot in Czechoslovakia in the past. And they had success with the audience then, so why shouldn’t they be appreciated today? (01/27/2015)