Set in a vividly recreated 13th-century Europe, František Vláčil’s visionary medieval epic chronicles the tale of a young boy forced to join the Order of the Teutonic Knights. Years later he abandons them, only to be pursued by a fanatical comrade and made to pay a terrible price for his rejection of the Holy Order.
Visually stunning, with dazzling monochrome cinematography and intense period detail, The Valley of the Bees is a raw and haunting moral fable about the conflict between human nature and dogmatism – and just as powerful and compelling a film as his more famous work, Marketa Lazarová.
Second Run present The Valley of the Bees from a new HD transfer from original materials held by the Czech National Film Archive.
Our region-free Blu-ray also includes an new Projection Booth commentary, two of František Vláčil's acclaimed short documentary films, plus a booklet with writing on the film by Czech cinema expert Peter Hames.
