50 / BD 67 Morgiana
- souvenir
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:20 pm
50 / BD 67 Morgiana
Morgiana
With delirious visuals conjured by cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera (Daisies) and often described as the 'last' film of the Czech New Wave, Juraj Herz's delirious tale of terror is a fantastical and surreal phantasmagoria of dark desires and splintered minds – a twisted Czech take on Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Poe's The Black Cat.
Based on a short story by Aleksandr Grin, (the 'Russian Poe'), Morgiana is the story of twin sisters, Klára and Viktoria who live a life of decadent opulence, somewhere in the late 19th century. Klára is auburn-haired and beautiful, whilst Viktoria is wicked, sadistic, bursting with hate and jealousy - and who hatches a terrible revenge by slowly poisoning her more popular sister. As the poison takes hold, Klára begins to lose grip on her sanity...
Part fairy-tale, part Gothic horror, Morgiana is a full-blown hallucinatory experience from the director of the chilling The Cremator.
Special Features
• Newly filmed interview with director Juraj Herz.
• New digital transfer with restored picture and sound.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Booklet featuring essays by Dr Ian Conrich and Daniel Bird.
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc.
• Available for the first time on DVD in the English speaking world.
With delirious visuals conjured by cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera (Daisies) and often described as the 'last' film of the Czech New Wave, Juraj Herz's delirious tale of terror is a fantastical and surreal phantasmagoria of dark desires and splintered minds – a twisted Czech take on Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Poe's The Black Cat.
Based on a short story by Aleksandr Grin, (the 'Russian Poe'), Morgiana is the story of twin sisters, Klára and Viktoria who live a life of decadent opulence, somewhere in the late 19th century. Klára is auburn-haired and beautiful, whilst Viktoria is wicked, sadistic, bursting with hate and jealousy - and who hatches a terrible revenge by slowly poisoning her more popular sister. As the poison takes hold, Klára begins to lose grip on her sanity...
Part fairy-tale, part Gothic horror, Morgiana is a full-blown hallucinatory experience from the director of the chilling The Cremator.
Special Features
• Newly filmed interview with director Juraj Herz.
• New digital transfer with restored picture and sound.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Booklet featuring essays by Dr Ian Conrich and Daniel Bird.
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc.
• Available for the first time on DVD in the English speaking world.
- carax09
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:22 am
- Location: This almost empty gin palace
Re: 50 Morgiana
One of the more enjoyable imdb reviews you'll ever read:souvenir wrote:Pre-order up at HMV.
Juraj Herz's 1971 Morgiana is less Carroll-gone-softcore than Edward Gorey as filmed by Ken Russell-a sardonic chunk of Victorian penny-dreadful melodrama tweaked to new levels of aesthetic and emotional hysteria. Jealous of her vapidly "good" sister's popularity, poisonous Viktoria doses pretty Klara's tea with a slow-acting fatal substance. As the latter grows hysterically weak, the former finds success increasingly compromised by guilt, blackmail, and the pesky need to kill others lest she be exposed. The women here are painted as elaborately as psychedelic-drag-queen Cockettes, and the purple extremity of their predicament is drawn in equally bizarre/extravagant terms. It's like a dress-up, younger-generation version of Baby Jane?, set in an ornamental snow globe.
Actually I'd almost swear our own Zazou dlM penned that.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 50 Morgiana
I've only seen it without subtitles, but that IMDB review seems pretty spot on.
- jbeall
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:22 am
- Location: Atlanta-ish
Re: 50 Morgiana
Looks like another winner from SR. I'm sold as well.
- Jean-Luc Garbo
- Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:55 am
- Contact:
Re: 50 Morgiana
This review is pretty good, too. (Here's a short summary from Mubi.) I loved Cremator so I have to see Morgiana. Try a search for Morgiana on Google images for some interesting stills and posters. Or video excerpts.
- Person
- Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 3:00 pm
Re: 50 Morgiana
I have seen Morgiana. It's a great film, gorgeous baroque asethetic, highly weird.
- Landjorden
- Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:16 am
- Location: Sweden
Re: 50 Morgiana
Wow, looking at that intro and one of the other clips on youtube I know I have to get this. Totally wierd and I love it!
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: 50 Morgiana
cover:
Just to double check this will be R0, correct?
Just to double check this will be R0, correct?
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 50 Morgiana
I'd be surprised if this one was region-coded: I don't think any of Second Run's other Czech discs are, and there's nothing contractually special about this title that I'm aware of.
It'll be PAL, though, obviously.
It'll be PAL, though, obviously.
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: 50 Morgiana
Oh, obviously PAL, but until I buy that all region player even for SR (which I think has all of two R2s) I'll be neurotic.
- bunuelian
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:49 am
- Location: San Diego
Re: 50 Morgiana
I bought a region-free player (pretty cheap nowadays) just to get access to Second Run, and am very glad I did.
I'm looking forward to seeing this film.
I'm looking forward to seeing this film.
- Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: 50 Morgiana
Absolutely gorgeous artwork, a blind-buy for me based on what I've seen and heard.
- Bikey
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am
Re: 50 Morgiana
Yes, definitely Region 0.
The disc will also now include a new filmed interview director Juraj Herz - which we're really pleased with.
However, because the interview came in so late we had to hold up production to accomodate it. As a result the release date has now moved back to October 11.
The disc will also now include a new filmed interview director Juraj Herz - which we're really pleased with.
However, because the interview came in so late we had to hold up production to accomodate it. As a result the release date has now moved back to October 11.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 50 Morgiana
Framegrabs really don't do this film justice!
Anyway, I now have a final release version, and it would appear to be from the same source as the Czech DVD reviewed here... but with the major difference that the bitrate has been massively increased, so that the blocky artefacting that was complained about isn't an issue any more.
Anyway, I now have a final release version, and it would appear to be from the same source as the Czech DVD reviewed here... but with the major difference that the bitrate has been massively increased, so that the blocky artefacting that was complained about isn't an issue any more.
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: 50 Morgiana
So, how's the movie? I was intrigued by the description, but an available YouTube clip made the film seem like 1,000 other Eurohorror films of the sort that have Barbara Steele creeping around a castle.
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: 50 Morgiana
I haven't seen 1000 Eurohorror films to compare, but I'd definitely recommend this film. Underneath all the effectively zany camerawork, there's a pretty psychologically disturbing story about the ties that bind that might bear comparison with something like Sisters or Dead Ringers, with some nice twists and turns along the way. Also, there are kittens.
- Finch
- Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
- Location: Edinburgh, UK
Re: 50 Morgiana
One of the reviews linked to above felt the ending was terrible. For those who've seen it, would you agree that the ending is an issue?
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 50 Morgiana
I don't see it as a horror film so much as a psychedelic series of variations on a 1940s Gainsborough melodrama, only with the same actress playing both the Phyllis Calvert and Margaret Lockwood roles.Matt wrote:So, how's the movie? I was intrigued by the description, but an available YouTube clip made the film seem like 1,000 other Eurohorror films of the sort that have Barbara Steele creeping around a castle.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
- Bikey
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am
Re: 50 Morgiana
Time Out/David Jenkins have given Morgiana a great 4**** review in this week's issue.