The Countess (film)
The Countess | |
---|---|
Directed by | Julie Delpy |
Written by | Julie Delpy |
Produced by | Andro Steinborn Christopher Tuffin Julie Delpy Matthew E. Chausse |
Starring | Julie Delpy Daniel Brühl William Hurt Anamaria Marinca |
Cinematography | Martin Ruhe |
Edited by | Andrew Bird |
Music by | Julie Delpy |
Production companies | X Filme International Social Capital Films EMC Filmproduktion Fanes Film The Steel Company Tempête Sous un Crâne X-Filme Creative Pool |
Distributed by | X-Verleih (Germany) BAC Films (France) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 min. |
Countries | France Germany |
Language | English |
The Countess is a 2009
The film is the third directorial effort by Delpy, who has said of the project that "it sounds like a gothic [story] but it's more a drama. It's more focusing on the psychology of human beings when they're given power."[1]
Plot
In 1560, Erzsébet Báthory is born into the
Erzsébet, now the sole heir of her husband's vast estate, seeks recognition from the Hungarian
It is only when Erzsébet starts to kidnap aristocratic girls that the authorities begin an investigation. Count Thurzó is asked to investigate the incidents, and he thus sends István, now a count himself, to visit Erzsébet. István reluctantly goes to visit her, and they spend a passionate night together. István, despite his affections for the countess, still suspects the countess and when he and one of his companions discover evidence of her crime, they arrest her. During the trial, Erzsébet is found guilty, and, due to her noble origin, she is sentenced to spend the rest of her life walled into her room in Čachtice Castle in total isolation. Erzsébet's staff are also found guilty, but unlike her they are put to death. All of her estate is awarded to the Count Thurzó with the exception of Čachtice, which is given to her children.
Driven by desperation after being walled in, Erzsébet Báthory commits suicide. She is then buried without a coffin in a humble grave, with no funeral ceremony. The film casts doubt on the sentence, suggesting that much of the happenings have been manipulated by Count Thurzó.
Cast
- Erzsébet Báthory
- William Hurt as Count György Thurzó
- Daniel Brühl as István Thurzó
- Adriana Altaras as Aunt Klara Báthory
- Charly Hübner as Count Ferenc Nádasdy
- Anamaria Marinca as the witch Anna Darvulia
- Sebastian Blomberg as Dominic Vizakna
- Andy Gatjen as Miklos
- Rolf Kanies as Count Krajevo
- Jesse Inman as Emperor Matthias
- Jeanette Hain as Anna Báthory
- Frederick Lau as Janos
- Henriette Confurius as Kayla
- Nikolai Kinski as The Teacher
Release
The film premiered on 9 February 200959th Berlin International Film Festival and was shown at the Cannes Film Festival 2010.[2]
at theCritical reception
The Countess received negative reviews. Boyd van Hoeij wrote in Variety, "Though some individual moments work, Delpy's screenplay lacks psychological connective tissue. It never becomes clear why a powerful and intelligent woman was brought to her knees by a cute kid, only to turn murderous and possibly insane when deprived of her object of affection."[3]
In his review for the Associated Press, Kirk Honeycutt wrote that fans of Delpy and arthouse films would be disappointed: "The film is beautifully and lovingly produced with cool, deeply burnished cinematography inside the palace and out. Costumes, editing and Delpy's music all consistently support the high tone taken toward this bloody tale. One appreciates The Countess. But it neither terrifies nor illuminates."[4]
See also
References
- About.com. Archived from the originalon December 30, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
- ^ First Stills and Sales Art - The Countess
- ^ van Hoeij, Boyd (10 February 2009). "The Countess". Variety. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (10 February 2009). "Film Review: The Countess". Associated Press. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
External links
- The Countess at IMDb
- The Countess at Rotten Tomatoes