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.
正好处在和“普通”的撕扯中就看完这部。伊藤莎莉好美。“你身体里充满了尚未成佛的词语”/“我在高兴的时候会难过”/“重点不是去哪里，而是跟谁一起去”
我被击中了，被一把透明的利剑穿透，悲伤顺着剑身滑入身体。我们终将会变成卑鄙普通的大人，就像我们终将死亡一样
倒叙的感觉，就很无能为力，明知如此，必将如此
故事三星，精美的摄影和构图➕一星。主角太丧了，太普通了，还“花一大笔钱穿跟其他人一样的衣服”…看到中途突然意识到，电影为什么有左右两条黑边？啊，原来是90年代和初恋的画面特有的，这种画幅比例的变换还挺巧妙的。
倒叙让许多细节变得很妙。倒叙的跨度一开始很大，然后变小，以前的日子总是很长。每一个配角也都很饱满。
长大后，你是否长成了自己小时候讨厌的那个样子？ “这世界百分之八十的人都是垃圾” “那剩下的人是什么？” “人渣” 长大后，我们变得无趣，变得乏味与无聊，变得失望，变得失去梦想，但喜欢过你的人，还有你喜欢过的人，一幕幕，过往历历在目，你好似失去了什么，又没有什么值得失去的。 我就是片中的男主角（我们长的相似），奔赴在未来与回忆中，“你的身体也充满了尚未成佛的词语”，别让你的人生变得无趣，往回看，你看到的都是普通，真的很普通，我们都无法成为大人，不是因为别的，而是因为你的现在，总是走走停停，时间就算存在，但时间不存在之时，你会如何表演你自己？
真的很普通，吃饱了撑得才看，但作为文艺片的质感极好。
从大人慢慢倒回到青春期，清晰地看出来我们是怎么在长大的过程中从天马行空才华横溢变得普通，男主演各个年龄段的人都不违和有点厉害。
我很喜欢末尾的那段蒙太奇，世间万物，来来往往，我们有过的故事，都将随风而逝。
最终我们还是会变成大人，变成我们自己都不喜欢的样子，有些东西曾经有过就可以的了……
普通是最棒的。普通=稳定，稳定的工作、稳定的爱人，稳定的生活……虽然这种状态是无聊且普通的，但却已是大多人拼命追求的圆满的一生。最喜欢结尾的走马灯戏份，回顾走过的岁月，到了46岁已经有自己装修现代的房子，当上小领导的工作，除了没有和自己最爱的人在一起，只是这个部分稍显遗憾，但也已经是赢面很大的“大人”人生。废柴专业户森山演这种角色向来驾轻就熟，还是几年前熟悉的味道。选曲的审美太好，所有歌都好好听
那些我们爱过的人，经过的事，都会成为我们身体里等待成佛的词语。
采用倒叙的方式，仍然是丧的文化，无可避免的成为普通的人，但是对比不是很强烈，比如痛苦，梦想，感觉主角没有什么理想，只是不知不觉成为了一个普通的大人，
普通就好了。
“今天是我人生的最后一天，我总是这么想。”
一个被初恋女友Pua的颓丧社畜男，最后 初恋女友上了岸，他却没长大
過往遇到的人成為現在的你。
电影后劲还是很足的。虽然但是，我居然还挺想看东出昌大多演一点电影。
你的身体里，充满了尚未成佛的词语，我能做的，也只有解读而已。
三星半。结尾处理得挺好，突然有了一些共鸣，感觉到自己确实没有办法成为一个大人。。。。
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