InthetimeofCounter-Reformation,amillerandhissoncomeunderinvestigationbyapriestoftheInquisition,whenrumorsspreadthattheirprosperitycomesfromworkingwiththeDevil.
TheDevil'sTrapisafilmdirectedbyFrantišekVlá?il,basedonanovelbyAlfrédTechnik,adaptedbyFrantišekA.DvorákandMilošKratochvíl.ItwasthefirstofthreehistoricaldramasthatVlá?ilmadeduringtheCzechNewWave(technicallyheisn'treallyapartoftheNewWave,howeverthesefilmsweremadeduringthesameeraofartisticfreedom),precedinghismorewellknownMarketaLazarová(1967)andValleyoftheBees(1968).
Setinthelate16thCenturyduringtheCatholicReformation,intheMoravianKarst,situatedinwhatisnowtheEasternCzechRepublic,ittellsthetaleofamiller(VítezslavVejrazka),andhissonJan(VítOlmer),whocomeundersuspicionandareinvestigatedbyaJesuitpriestoftheInquisition(MiroslavMacháchek),whenrumorsofwitchcraftarespreadbythelocalregent(CestmírRanda),whoisjealousofthemiller'sprosperityanddegreeofrespectamongthelocalpopulace.
AsexpectedfromVlá?il,thisfilmisastunningexperienceallthewaythrough.Fromtheopeningshot,anominousmanipulationofperspectivewithacloseupofamangledfigureofChristdominatingtheforegroundagainstatinyfigureinblackwalkingalongthehorizon,tothebreathtakingconfrontationalfinaleinsidethevaststalactitefilledKarstcaverns,itisawonderfuldisplayofvisualmastery.
MaybenotquiteasimpressiveasMarketaLazarová,butstillfullofastonishingimagery.Asseenfromuniqueanglesanddistinctpointsofviewwhichhighlightthedirector'sremarkablesenseofawarenessofframing,motion,andpositioningontheemotionalanddramatictoneofthescene.Themostmemorablebeingarepeatedshotwherethecameraissuspendedandlaunchedwithspeedthroughtheairtowardsthemiller'sdoor.
ThestoryhereisasimpleoneandIwouldsaymoreaccessiblethanhislaterworks.Withaconventionalstructureemphasizedasmuchbyitsplotandcharacters,thanbyitsexpressionisticcinematographyorauthentichistoricaldetail.Theeventsplayoutwithoutmuchsurprise,andthereisastrongunderlying,almostsupernatural,mysteriousaspectthatisleftunresolved,infactbarelyexplored,whichisslightlydisappointing,butonlybecauseit'ssofascinatingthatIwishtherewasmore.
Actingisgreatallaround.Particularlythevillains:MiroslavMacháchekasthepriest,castingasinisterandimposingshadowwhereverhegoes,andCestmírRandaastheweasellikeregentbehindallthepersecution.WhileVítOlmerbringsacharismaticleadingmanpresenceinhisroleasthemiller'ssonJan,inlovewiththelovelyorphangirlMartina(KarlaChadimová),whobecomesadangerousobjectofrivalrybetweenJanandotheryoungmenofthevillage.
ThefilmalsofeaturestheevocativemusicofZden?kLiška(perhapsthemostprolificcomposeroftheCzechNewWave).InthishissecondofelevencollaborationswithVlá?il,hiscompositionsareusedsparingly,buttogreateffect,complimentingbutneveroverpoweringascene.Thebestexampleofwhichcanbeheardinanamazinglyshotcelebrationanddancesequenceattheendofthesecondact.
TheDevil'sTrapmightnotbeamasterpiece,butitisstillastrongeffort,withafascinatingstraightforwardstoryandaglorioushistoricalsettingcapturedbeautifullybyVlá?il'sunmistakablevisualprowess.AfineworkthatwouldalsobetheperfectstarterplatetoprepareyourselfforthechallengingfeastofMarketaLazarováorTheValleyoftheBees.Itevenhasaneasytodigestrunningtime.It'sthereforepuzzlingwhythisgemremainslargelyoverlookedandignored.
凯特·温斯莱特 , 安迪·萨姆伯格 , 亚历山大·斯卡斯加德 , 玛丽昂·歌迪亚 , 乔什·奥康纳 , 安德丽娅·赖斯伯勒 , 诺米·梅兰特 , 詹姆斯·莫瑞 , 塞缪尔·巴奈特 , 恩里克·阿尔切 , 阿琳泽·科纳 , 帕特里克·米勒 , Camilla Aiko , 琪塔·昂罗 , 文森特·科隆布 , 托尼·戈亚诺维奇 , Sean Duggan , 哈丽特·雷奇 , Katalin Ruzsik , 阿妮塔·马若尔
王老五,壹歌
南笙,杜宇航
尚语贤,艾丽娅,岳骁恪,赵燕国彰,张熙然,孟可,阳博
华金·菲尼克斯,Lady Gaga,布莱丹·格里森,凯瑟琳·基纳,莎姬·贝兹,史蒂夫·库根,梁振邦,雅库布·洛弗兰德,比尔·斯米托洛维奇,盖特林·格里菲斯,哈利·劳蒂,提姆·狄龙,乔治·卡罗尔,莎珑·华盛顿,麦克·休斯顿,雷·吉尔,特洛伊·梅特卡夫,G·L·麦奎里,布莱恩·多纳休,吉米·斯玛古拉
孙聪 , 彭静 , 刘亚津
