Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)

[Crenners]

Visually stunning, this is also one of the most disconcerting films I've ever seen.
Ostensibly a horror fairy tale about womanhood, if it's ostensibly anything specific, it features incredible cinematography and a beautiful lilting soundtrack that makes it essential viewing. On the other hand, some of the content around the predatory nature of men is fucking disturbing to me, almost precluding a rewatch, even though it's deliberate.

Am I being a prude here?



I don't want to make it just about the pead angle because it's a beautiful, dreamlike film in so many ways but I wish it had certain scenes or shots truncated and I'd have enjoyed this much more.

Any thoughts on this one?

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

remember going to this with my partner ages ago and her being absolutely disgusted by how lurid and fetishistic it was towards valerie.

despite it being visually very fantastical and arresting at times, i also felt repulsed. it felt like one of the most obscenely male-gazey films I'd ever seen and it was all happening towards a child. her nudity was entirely unjustified, especially it having a male director making a film from HIS viewpoint of the 'magic' of female adolescence. hideously fetishistic. angela carter he is not

feminist killjoys, us lesbians

[Crenners]

I'm actually glad you felt that way because I find your posts extremely grounded and sane and it's good to be able to watch something like this and enjoy it on some superficial level but also be able to say fucking hell this is the official film of the England cricket team tour bus.

[ImmaculateClump]

Yeah, I'd seen it talked about elsewhere and avoided it for those reasons.
The noncery sounded like a big part of it, rather than an unfortunate by-product.
Crenners saying that he probably couldn't watch it again makes me think I probably did the right thing.

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

I'm actually glad you felt that way because I find your posts extremely grounded and sane and it's good to be able to watch something like this and enjoy it on some superficial level but also be able to say fucking hell this is the official film of the England cricket team tour bus.

Aw kind of you to say, crenners. back atcha

i felt like I've held my tongue on this topic a few times (confrontation is not fun!). two of my close friends really love it. one took me to a screening, and another actually bought it for me and it's still in the shrink-wrap 4 or so years on. I'm good ta

[Bad Ambassador]

Good review/retrospective of this:

[bgmnts]

If Crenners struggles don't think I'll be able to give it a go.

Could try just rocking back and forth repeating the phrase "it's of its time, it's of its time, it's of its time" again and again. Like some nonce defense mantra.

[Crenners]

Part of the reason I started the thread is because a lot of people really love this, some critics I like and respect, and I genuinely can't understand the blind spot. There's a lot to appreciate and enjoy about the film, the soundtrack is absolutely magical and the photography often beautiful, but the director's gaze feels very unpleasant at times. It's not just the outright hateful scenes where you're supposed to feel revulsion at the predatory nature of the priest, for example, it pervades plenty of other scenes. When I've read criticisms and reviews of the film, I'm like yeah yeah OK political allegory, Czech New Wave, escapist parable but even acknowledging that I'm seeing it fifty years on through a very different cultural lens, I wish I could excise some of this shit.

Edit: I've been keen to get into some Czech films after visiting Prague recently and learning a lot I was completely ignorant about before. I'd heard of this plenty of times and seen stills shared on Twitter and it looked like an Eastern European Gothic folk horror fantasy. I've got Beauty and the Beast (Panna a natvor) next, hopefully that will fit the bill rather better. Any other Czech recs would be much appreciated, though. Cheers.

[Crenners]

Reservations aside, I really love this music, my favourite film score in a long time. Beautiful, melancholic, playful.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Daisies (1966) is good but probably an obvious suggestion. A Case for a Rookie Hangman (1970) is very interesting as well.

[Brundle-Fly]

I only know it through (as Crenners says) the brilliant soundtrack. Good old Finders Keepers Records.

[Mister Six]

Been meaning to watch this since it popped up in an oddball films group I'm in on Facebook. Disappointed to read some of the reactions here, but I'm still intrigued. At least I'll know not to get Mrs Six involved.

Any other, less noncey, Eastern European film reccs, anyone?