Marketa Lazarová. František Vláčil, 1967.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #661, released 2013. Czech language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 165 minutes.
Summary: Butchering and animal sacrifice.
Details:
1) A panoramic overview of the clan’s compound includes in the background a large hanging animal carcass being split 15:19-15:21. This carcass is seen again during dialogue 16:16-18:05.
2) A white chicken is carried by her feet to sacrifice, 22:10, and we see blood coming from her neck area 22:44-23:14.
3) A poisonous snake is stabbed with a knife, 23:50-23:54.
4) A man grabs a mouse, apparently squeezes her to death in his hand, and suspends her by the tail, 1:33:50-1:34:00
5) Typical campfire scene with an unidentified but somewhat gruesome animal turning on a spit, 1:46:52-1:47:40.
Despite the killing of these animals, Marketa Lazarová is one of the very finest films I have seen. Like the best works by Bergman or Ophüls, it expands and helps to define concepts of quality and artistry in film making.
Despite the rather long list of animal offenses and their bloody content, the visual content is not too gruesome due largely to the black-&-white film stock and artful filmography. The carcass is shocking primarily because it is so huge. There is no blood involved, and the image foreshadows another scene later in the film. The chicken sacrifice does have some blood and fluttering, but artful closeup technique softens the imagery. The snake stabbing is quick, but clearly a killing. We see a dead mouse, but not a mouse being killed.
Watch this movie. Skip 22:00 through 24:00 (chicken and snake killing) if you want, but watch this movie.