From the director of The Cremator and Morgiana, Juraj Herz’s startling, distinctive film is adapted from the renowned novel by Jaroslav Havlíček.
A bitter psycho-sexual romance steeped in fin-de-siecle decadence, Oil Lamps centres on the tragic marriage between two cousins. Štěpa (the fabulous Iva Janžurová), is a vivacious, modern-minded, wealthy young woman, who is desperately seeking love and happiness. She is hopelessly mismatched with Pavel (Petr Čepek), a dashing but arrogant and self-serving retired army officer weighed down by debt, cynicism, and syphilis.
Featuring superb performances by its two leads, elegant costume and set design, stunning cinematography and an evocative score by Luboš Fišer (Valerie and Her Week of Wonders), Herz’s lavish film headily evokes a pungent atmosphere of decay.
Oil Lamps is presented from a new 4K restoration by the Czech National Archive. Our region-free Blu-ray also includes an archival short film, audio commentary and trailer plus a booklet with new writing on the film by Czechoslovak cinema authority Peter Hames.
