In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.
The Devil's Trap is a film directed by František Vlá?il, based on a novel by Alfréd Technik, adapted by František A. Dvorák and Miloš Kratochvíl. It was the first of three historical dramas that Vlá?il made during the Czech New Wave (technically he isn't really a part of the New Wave, however these films were made during the same era of artistic freedom), preceding his more well known Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Valley of the Bees (1968).
Set in the late 16th Century during the Catholic Reformation, in the Moravian Karst, situated in what is now the Eastern Czech Republic, it tells the tale of a miller (Vítezslav Vejrazka), and his son Jan (Vít Olmer), who come under suspicion and are investigated by a Jesuit priest of the Inquisition (Miroslav Macháchek), when rumors of witchcraft are spread by the local regent (Cestmír Randa), who is jealous of the miller's prosperity and degree of respect among the local populace.
As expected from Vlá?il, this film is a stunning experience all the way through. From the opening shot, an ominous manipulation of perspective with a close up of a mangled figure of Christ dominating the foreground against a tiny figure in black walking along the horizon, to the breathtaking confrontational finale inside the vast stalactite filled Karst caverns, it is a wonderful display of visual mastery.
Maybe not quite as impressive as Marketa Lazarová, but still full of astonishing imagery. As seen from unique angles and distinct points of view which highlight the director's remarkable sense of awareness of framing, motion, and positioning on the emotional and dramatic tone of the scene. The most memorable being a repeated shot where the camera is suspended and launched with speed through the air towards the miller's door.
The story here is a simple one and I would say more accessible than his later works. With a conventional structure emphasized as much by its plot and characters, than by its expressionistic cinematography or authentic historical detail. The events play out without much surprise, and there is a strong underlying, almost supernatural, mysterious aspect that is left unresolved, in fact barely explored, which is slightly disappointing, but only because it's so fascinating that I wish there was more.
Acting is great all around. Particularly the villains: Miroslav Macháchek as the priest, casting a sinister and imposing shadow wherever he goes, and Cestmír Randa as the weasel like regent behind all the persecution. While Vít Olmer brings a charismatic leading man presence in his role as the miller's son Jan, in love with the lovely orphan girl Martina (Karla Chadimová), who becomes a dangerous object of rivalry between Jan and other young men of the village.
The film also features the evocative music of Zden?k Liška (perhaps the most prolific composer of the Czech New Wave). In this his second of eleven collaborations with Vlá?il, his compositions are used sparingly, but to great effect, complimenting but never overpowering a scene. The best example of which can be heard in an amazingly shot celebration and dance sequence at the end of the second act.
The Devil's Trap might not be a masterpiece, but it is still a strong effort, with a fascinating straightforward story and a glorious historical setting captured beautifully by Vlá?il's unmistakable visual prowess. A fine work that would also be the perfect starter plate to prepare yourself for the challenging feast of Marketa Lazarová or The Valley of the Bees. It even has an easy to digest running time. It's therefore puzzling why this gem remains largely overlooked and ignored.
片如其名 但我对喻得太明显的恐怖片好像喜好程度一般
精彩！氛围极佳。加兰和A24有点天作之合的味道了？尤其喜欢这个年度最cult时刻之后突然像是争吵之后疲惫的坐在一起‘look what we‘ve done’的转折，‘what is it that you want from me?’ ’your love’ ‘ha yeah’，极具讽刺效果。在清新日常中加入淡淡的诡异氛围，直到一切升格为不可理喻的恐怖；近乎明示的隐喻；选取有代表性身份的男性并使他们同步，将宇宙星河施于女性的恶意具像化；隧道回声、教堂尖叫和清新又哀怨的主题曲，声效上也很会随着气氛挑动观众神经。内容上我倒并不觉得是多么极端的表达，因为女主仍然处于一个受害者的被动地位。不知道友邻里打一星的是真的觉得拍的不好还是内容有问题hh
恐男片 不吓人 真邪典 后面连环分娩那段我和女主表情差不太多 大概就是“我特么在看什么玩意” 适应能力差的人千万不要看
81/100。加兰的镜头一直都好美啊，绿色杂乱的森林，绿草中破旧的房屋，暗红色调的房间，都让我非常喜欢。结尾的那场戏绝对是我今年印象最深的戏份之一。节奏不可避免地因为恐怖场景而有些杂乱，但控制得也挺不错了。用千人一面的男人来讽刺男权，我觉得是很有新意也很有力度的一种讽刺方法。另，加兰的恐怖从没让我失望过。
氛围有了，情节有了，观众要的spectacle也有了。可以说是cult片中的邪典，男人套娃生娃确实震撼，但归根结底，恐惧还是源于人的内心。7.5/10
前半段画面太美，疯狂截图，后半段生娃简直让人李安附体“我看不懂但我大受震撼”
又到了我最喜欢的两极分化时间。去年的《钛》就是让人难以接受的身体美学与性别探讨。虽然一直是围绕哈珀的心路变化，但这些变化的源头就是一幕幕看似不同身份实则言语一致的男人们的施压。后面的连环蜕变，我个人感觉是男人一次次以伤害自己来威胁女人被迫妥协，最后冠以“爱”之名。这自然是病态的，不该存在的。相敬如宾才是合适的，正确的。A24的文艺影片质量确实比一般高很多，大赞。
画面好美，摄影好强，堪称英国乡村旅游风光片。在我看来讲述的仍然是现代女性如何在男性布局之下突出重围，从一开始的感情开始，女主就在尽力走出失败的感情，本来女主没有错，对象硬是有病说是女主害的。所有的男人都是同一张脸，所有的男人都是对象的化身，简单来说，女性还是需要更多的power，窥视，擅闯，不负责，这些都是女性在现代社会需要面对的。不过相比之下故事性真的较弱。
女性恐男的百科全书✓
！！！！男人可以从任何“洞口”生出男人？？那一幕真的，怎么他们的表情如此痛苦？孩子不是神赐予的生命吗？🐶
经典！和我一起前女友完全一致！感谢她！没有她不知道宿命的恶毒、没有她我无法领悟幸福走向婚姻！感谢她、世间有她如此自信的天屎、愿她遇到的每一个男人都与她相互虐杀🤍
相对新奇的观影体验，结局的生产的犀利程度让我从昏睡中缓了回来
用一个恐怖寓言拍出了生活中遭遇的隐形暴力，和时刻都在发生的道德绑架、精神控制。他们包装成世俗、习惯和善意，多少人面对时都无法说出一句“滚开”。不只是性别，更是不对等关系中的弱者的困境；只是这样的关系中女性受害者很多。男导演有这样的观察很厉害。
2+
前面壁纸一般的空镜，绿意盎然，美轮美奂；配乐极简的做到了空灵神秘，仿佛来自另一个世界的召唤；套娃重生契合达尔文的泛生论-既获得性特征以“微芽”，“泛子”存储，并孕育，并随之遗传到下一代身上，“剪刀手”和“大肚子”一直遗传，直至haper男友出来，不知是否有意无意，最后应该是某种觉醒；苹果象征伊甸园禁果，又涉及到“原罪”的概念，诱惑和性既是人类替亚当背负的罪，但明显导演是反问式的，裸体男应该就是亚当的象征，男性犯的罪（自杀也是罪）由女性背负，世世代代的；另外游戏boy，牧师，房东以及警察都象征男性（父权社会）控制，粗俗，蔑视没错了；最后的女主女友的出现，算是一种对以上种种的fuck off…信息量挺大，又很模糊，意向性表达，融入恐怖元素。再加一句，A24的金主是个怪咖趴…
我真的……麻了……最后连环xx那里真的太掉SAN了而且特别漫长……加上特别高清……全片BGM空灵得让人头疼……现世的女性困境映射在电影里加上BGM完全就是一整个精神折磨……真的麻了。🙉🆘（需要马上开一集老友记或生活大爆炸来平复此刻的心情）
影片虽是以MAN为标题，但却用她作为影片的主体，通过她的视角，她的心理，侧面反映与审视他们给予她的暴力、恐惧与侵犯。而这里“他们”，即MAN，也并非特指任何或某一个具体的人，这是一个复数，就像从树上落下并散落在地的果实，每一颗果实间都是同构的，抽象的个体，都是她内心的忧扰，而这一忧扰也正像片末所呈现的那一连串的男生男的行为，每一个从另一个人身体诞生到孕育再到诞生，他们一个接替一个，作为复数的MAN，作为具有同构性和抽象性的果实，作为恐惧和侵犯的化身，如梦魇般徘徊与缠绕在身旁。
最后的one by one在未来应该会被经常提及了吧
符号化的内容相当之多，而且用得很到位，不管是那个洞还是银河，都承担了女性性吸引力的身份。而全片的核心也就在于由情感伤痛引发的男性恐惧及生殖恐惧，末端不断的生殖其实是个内部矛盾剥离的过程，也将中间铺展开的对全体男性的恐惧的根源挖出，从而完成了哈珀这个角色的成长。
片名叫“男人”好过叫“们”，或者叫“氓”也很不错。绿意盎然的生机景象，竟是充满男权梦魇的密室，这个联系和设定真的很绝望。房东、牧师、面具男包括警察都是那个自残裸男，看似没有攻击性，其实内心有个当宙斯的梦想，凶神恶煞的背面是一个献祭的女人。不过男人一个接一个分娩出彼此我没看懂，暗示他们是一丘之貉，阳刚之气代代传承？反正造成了足够的惊吓和危险（而且说是女人的臆想、女人的错）后，轻飘飘说一句：我只是想要你的爱。虽然最后闺蜜来了，但她的孕肚也让人心里一惊，仿佛她们还是没逃出生天。
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