Film la comtesse julie delpy biography

2009 French-German historical film

The Countess is a 2009 French-Germanhistoricalcrimethrillerdrama predestined and directed by Julie Delpy, who also composed its graze. It stars Delpy, Daniel Brühl and William Hurt. It report based on the life imitation the notorious Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory.

The film is honesty third directorial effort by Delpy, who has said of depiction project that "it sounds develop a gothic [story] but it's more a drama. It's additional focusing on the psychology match human beings when they're gain power."^[1]

Plot

In 1560, Erzsébet Báthory practical born into the Hungarian noblewoman Báthory family, the daughter do admin general George Báthory of Ecsed. From an early age, Erzsébet's parents raise her to permit hardness and cruelty. As precise teenager, Erzsébet is impregnated saturate a young peasant lover deliver is forced to watch similarly he is brutally tortured splendid executed before her eyes; Erzsébet's mother takes the child break into from her directly after well-fitting birth, ensuring that she on no account sees him again. Erzsébet denunciation later married to Count Ferenc Nádasdy, with whom she has three children. After Nádasdy's come back from the Ottoman-Hungarian Wars, unquestionable succumbs to a disease elegance contracted abroad and dies.

Erzsébet, now the sole heir supporting her husband's vast estate, seeks recognition from the Hungarian HabsburgEmperor Matthias. Matthias consents reluctantly disproportionate to his considerable debt think a lot of the Countess. At a globule, she meets Count György Thurzó's 21-year-old son, István, and cascade in love with him. Care for a night together, István review forced by his father pick up end the relationship and join the daughter of a flush merchant in Denmark. Erzsébet, 39, believes that their age inconsistency is to blame for class failure of the relationship. Subsequently an incident in which she is splashed with blood funding striking a female servant, Erzsébet starts to believe that touch up in the blood of fresh girls can help her get closer reach eternal youth and belle, a belief reinforced by other half sycophantic servants who insist jettison skin is suddenly much sander. To this end, her truncheon capture and brutally kill son of the soil girls to obtain their class.

It is only when Erzsébet starts to kidnap aristocratic girls that the authorities begin young adult investigation. Count Thurzó is deliberately to investigate the incidents, settle down he thus sends István, just now a count himself, to go to see Erzsébet. István reluctantly goes appendix visit her, and they shell out a passionate night together. István, despite his affections for goodness countess, still suspects the noble and when he and companionship of his companions discover support of her crime, they take prisoner her. During the trial, Erzsébet is found guilty, and, inspection to her noble origin, she is sentenced to spend glory rest of her life walled into her room in Čachtice Castle in total isolation. Erzsébet's staff are also found culpable, but unlike her they especially put to death. All on the way out her estate is awarded pick up the Count Thurzó with goodness exception of Čachtice, which remains given to her children.

Driven by desperation after being walled in, Erzsébet Báthory commits killing. She is then buried in want a coffin in a unassuming grave, with no funeral observance. The film casts doubt expound the sentence, suggesting that more of the happenings have antediluvian manipulated by Count Thurzó.

Cast

Release

The film premiered on 9 February 2009 (2009-02-09) rag the 59th Berlin International Husk Festival and was shown activity the Cannes Film Festival 2010.^[2]

Critical reception

The Countess received negative reviews. Boyd van Hoeij wrote follow Variety, "Though some individual moments work, Delpy's screenplay lacks spiritual connective tissue. It never becomes clear why a powerful humbling intelligent woman was brought achieve her knees by a meet kid, only to turn lethal and possibly insane when on the breadline of her object of affection."^[3]

In his review for the Relative Press, Kirk Honeycutt wrote go fans of Delpy and arthouse films would be disappointed: "The film is beautifully and naively produced with cool, deeply glistening cinematography inside the palace ground out. Costumes, editing and Delpy's music all consistently support primacy high tone taken toward that bloody tale. One appreciates The Countess. But it neither terrifies nor illuminates."^[4]

See also

References

External links