魔鬼的陷阱

　　#
In th`(e#!] time of Counter-Re$form;ation, a miller and his son co%me under i=nvestig-ation.! -](by a priest of the Inquisition, @+when ru )mors spread th]:at their prosperity c :;omes fr@om @[wor?king with /th$ e De+vil.　+ 　The Devi[#\l's !](T!rap is a! film directed by F
]rantišek] Vlá?i!^l, ba^sed o= #n a no.` vel b]y\= Alfré$$d Te/- =chn/$ik, ad^ap
ted by/ \?F- ;rantiš:$+ek A. /Dv(/`o[];rák $a@:nd Mil)/oš Kr
(*ato chví\ l.)_ It was the first,=% of thre
@%e histori._#cal drama `-s!
that Vlá?i;!=l made during th.\ `e Cz).:ec=(.h $)New Wave (technica
* lly ^=?(he )isn't real?*=ly a p%,art /^@of th!?e New Wave, h; /owe++ver these\? films were made during the+ same era=+, of a;rtist$ic +/ freedo  m), precedi;,*ng his mo
_re #+well kn[=,own Ma%\rketa Lazarov_.]$á
.(1967) a:#.nd Valle-.
y of t`?he Bees+* (;.19$:68).　　Set in/+%/. the la$?)te 16th C$entury during=!+ th!e Ca-tholic Refo`rmation, in t(he _Moravian +/Karst, `
situat-_/e;-+d in/ w\.h, at is now the 
*Eastern ;;Cze` ch Republic, it te;!lls the tal*e ?o^f a /;miller (Ví) tezslav Ve#jr.azka), and his son Jan (Vít^ Olmer), w[ho ;]+[come u%nde+r? sus@/picion and  are; investigated by a Jesuit prie)^?:st o[[f the I+nquisiti $]$o;]^n (Miroslav
 Machá
?chek),, =when _
,rum )or$.!s?#? of wit :ch)c*raft:_,` ar-!^=e sprea=d by. t-he
?%loc_al regent^( +(Cestmír :*?Randa),
]/, who is jealous of t;)he miller's prosperit[\y /,and /(degr;,*e+*(e of  r`=espec.?t a+^;mo;*ng the local .popu lace.　;　As \,expec/_ted f#,r, om Vlá?i[.
l,* t;*..h++]is-
f;@`ilm i[\s a stunning= experie% nc`@e all the?_ way through. F `r-om the op
eni=,ng s:hot, an ominous mani,$pulatio\ n )of p-.erspec*^tive #,with a !c`l= @ose #\u^;`*p of _.(a mangl*=-ed figure of + Chr:ist dom
_in*`.ating t(#he foregro-un=d )against a ti;ny figure in b-lack wa%;lking along the; horizon, t ].o the br^]?eathtakin_*g c.;o.nf. ron=#tational finale` inside th[e va;\]st stalac_.t/$]ite% filled Karst cave$ /r\ n;s, it is a wonde*rful displa%*y of visual \(master[*:y.　　Maybe not quite!@ as impre ssiv :e as ^]`\M[!arket
-a\ Lazar:ová, but still ful]`/!:l of astonishing+
_ imagery;+`#. A:]s seen; . from @?uniq+=ue an_$gles and distinct po [ints of view whic
^h highlight th#
e directo(/] r'+[s remarkable# \[.sen^$se !of ?`[!a[wareness of framing]\, mot/ion, and posit[(=^ionin:(g o%n th.e emotional and dr]?a=+m?`=a?@t;;i:($c tone =
of the )`%scene. The most memo]rabl[e b/eing a repeated sho_;t $ where the camera is suspended and launched with speed throug-!h the ai-_r ]\.towa
[=rd+\=s th)e miller;`\('s door,.)%　　The story here is a simpl:e one a
^nd I would s:?ay more acc* essible than his later wo rks. \:With a .;conv*e]\nt/ional!#! str(`uct;--ure em`phasiz:ed as much +by its plot and cha%.^racters, ,*:,;than by
\,i +t[*s expressi:@onistic cin@#^ematography \:))or auth+)ent ic @his(/torical -d%e
#
tail. The eve; n%\[ts p+,!!lay out without much;
,;surp-/ri:=`?
se,
and there is/$ a stron-g u nderlying, almost supernatural, myst[erious+ aspect that is lef!`_t unresolved., in fact b=arely explo*red, wh@.ich -* is slightly disap\%poi :$nting,
, (b_`ut. only because it's@$ :,so fascinating\,\ tha(*(t I [@w +(ish +th^e##]re was m=^or+^e+,*.　 : *　Acting*%
 is great all , around. Particul==arly the ^`^?v\illains: Miroslav Ma_ \`chá,$@chek as/ the pries::t, cast.:+\ing a si)- nister (
@an??d  [)impo,s)in^g shad\ow wherever he. goes_`, an( d Ce$`stmír Ran!$+da as the weasel l) ike regent be#-+hin
d a![+ll the persecution. Whi? le Ví/@t Olmer b*@r^)ings a` / ^ch arismatic leading man p*resenc= e in his role as th/^[!e mil;(le*\ r's so_\n J^an, in love with th;)e %lo-vel!$]y ` orphan g?irlr (^(yo ung men of + the )village*,.)　　.=The film also !! fe:.a;//tures t*]he evocative mus?ic of Zden )\?k Liš /ka (perhap s the most prolific composer\- of the # Czech%; New Wave).)$  In this his sec:(ond of el=eve
n colla@^
`borations with Vlá?il, his composit@ ions\ are used spari n%%$@gly, b+ut`_# +to grea*]+t effect, complim!)enting but ne.ver overpo@wering a scene. The b@e\^st example of which c]- )an be heard in .an amazingly ,^[.shot ce(@lebrat//.ion an^d dance  #,sequenc!e at the e*_#n=d of the;] @s\[)ec??#ond .act.　　The Devil's Trap mig=ht not be a master%+(pi^ec;]e,(?] but it is still a strong effort,;/ wit?`;h?? a fascina%+#tin=!g straigh%]tforward,  story an[ d a glo;
\,rious hist`#orical setting captu^red beaut+ifully by . Vl`á?il's ##unmistakable vis+)$u/a;]l prowe#
(ss. A fine work that would also be t.he+ perfect^
starter pl= :a .te to prepa^\^re yourse@
lf for the c]hallen=?ging ,^feast? of Mar]keta Lazarová;%? o(r The Valley o^f the B
e es. It+ even has an e
asy  @t o digest \$running t%ime. It&#39s therefo-re puzz_lin.+:g why this gem rema@
ins largely o+.ver$ loo*#ked and) ignored.