Director - Juraj Jakubisko
Language - English
Genre - Gothic, Biography
"Marriage is a beauty and love is a sin" Elizabeth's Mother
Elizabeth Bathory has become as much a part of the Vampire myth as Vlad the Impaler. Elizabeth was a Hungarian countess who live in the late 16th/early 17 century and she ruled her court in the absence and then after her husbands death, during her life there were a number of strange death's that were rumored to be Elizabeth's doing, these led to rumors that Elizabeth was bathing in the blood of her maid's. It was also rumored that Elizabeth never aged, the legends end with Elizabeth being bricked up in her own palace, when the bricks were removed it is said that there was no body. It is also said that Elizabeth is in the Guinness book of Records as the most prolific murderess.
Bathory, the film is a fictional biography of Elizabeth Bathory with a twist, I can't say to much with out giving away spoilers but I'll give the review with out giving to much away.
As I've said Bathory is a fictional biography about the life of Elizabeth Bathory, it is split into three parts, each representing one of the three people who influenced or directed her life, these are:
Part 1 - Ferenc, Elizabeth's huband
Part 2 - Darvulia, A healer/witch who helps and advises Bathory
Part 3 - Thurzo, a Lord who is after Bathory and her land after the death of her husband.
The film is narrated by a monk who spends the majority of the film watching the events in Bathory's court and reporting her actions to the Catholic church. Although he he does play a more important role in the final part of the film I found his narration at the beginning a bit annoying
Part one follows on the early life of Elizabeth from the arranged marriage to Ferenc to her accidental poisoning (more on this later). It sets the mood of the film by showing Elizabeth & Fenric happy and then the loneliness as Elizabeth holds the court together and tries to protect the women of the court from the lords of the court whilst her husband is at war, to help run the court Elizabeth has to project a strong ruthless visage which means that most people are scared of her which only aids the loneliness she feels. Elizabeth strikes up a friendship with an artist who was captures by Ferenc and given to Elizabeth to paint her portraits. During the time Elizabeth spends with the artist she reviles that she has been acting as a nurse, healing people from the court with herbs and medicines in way's that some would class as witchcraft, she also reveals that she has an unknown disease that can, at times debilitate her. In return the artist reveals that he is great Italian painter Caravaggio who was captured whilst fleeing Italy after killing a man. Part 1 comes to an end when Ferenc returns from battle and is told that Elizabeth & Caravaggio are having an affair, Ferenc attempts to poison Caravaggio but Elizbeth is poisoned instead.
Part 2 started when Ferenc summons Darvulia to cure Elizabeth form the poison meant for Caravaggio. Darvulia is a witch with the power of premonition and she tell's Elizabeth that she can help her with the other illness she suffers from, she gives Elizabeth a medical drink that does stop the symptoms of the illness and Elizabeth keeps Darvulia as an adviser. through out the second part body's of women from the court start to appear and Elizabeth is seen bathing in a red liquid. Caravaggio is also imprisoned at the beginning of the second part but is helped to escape. At the end of the second part Ferenc dies.
Part 3 Focus' on the plans of Thurzo who is a lord that we have met earlier in the film, after Ferenc's death he is attempting to blackmail Elizabeth into marring him promising her protection, Elizabeth instead turns to her other relative in Transilvaina. Throughout the third part there are more bodies found and a number of maids disappear. The strain of running the court and defending her self from the accusations of witch craft and the plots of Thurzo take a strain on Elizabeth causing the to hallucinate this is made worse at the end of part two and the beginning of part three when she believes the has been betrayed by Darvulia.
There is a small reprieve for Elizabeth when she goes to Italy with other members of her family and is reunited for a short time with Caravaggio. the reprieve is short lived as Thurzo increases his threats against her and, not long after she returns from Italy Elizabeth is informed of Caravaggio's death.
There is not much more I can say about the plot with out giving away some of the plot twists, some of which are more surprising if you already have knowledge of the Bathory legends.
Bathory is an interesting take on the life of Elizabeth Bathory and is a good film, I would advise that you stick with the annoyance of the monk as he does play a small but important part at the end of the film.
The story is good and it is interesting on how it focus' on the people who influence Elizabeth's life and lead to the legend that is Elizabeth Bathory, the Countess of Blood
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