Morgiana — Morgiana(Blu Ray)

Sitting somewhere between flamboyant costume period drama, dark fairy tale, and gothic horror- Morgiana is a grim-to-acid-tinged slice of Czech new-wave cinema. The early 1970s film liberally flip-flops between melodrama, odd-angled to tripped-out folk tale, and demented-at-times psychodrama-fed horror. Here from Second Run- one of the key labels releasing Czech new wave films- is a recent Blu-Ray release of the film. Taking in a new HD transfer of the picture, a commentary track from a selection of Czech new wave/ genre experts, and an interview with the film's director.

Appearing in the year 1972 Morgiana- was directed by Juraj Herz- who was born in 1934 in Kezmarok, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).  Between the late ’60s & the early 2010’s he had twenty-eight features to his name. These went surreal horror film The Cremator (1969) which followed a demented cremator in WW2. Onto dark & gloomily surreal Beauty And The Beast (1978), through to mafioso crime comedy Bulldogs And Cherries (1981), and bloodsucking car horror mystery Ferat Vampire (1982).  He’s seen as an important figure in the darker/horror-fed side of the Czech new wave.

Morgiana is set in the 19th century, and focuses on wealthy twin sisters Klára & Viktoria- both played Iva Janzurová.  Klára is a bright and positive figure who gets shown interest by a selection of men/ suitors. While Viktoria is a thick black-wigged & pale-faced character- who is shrouded in dark hate, jealousy, and general evilness.

The film opens with the funeral of their father and the reading of his will- he has left his large house to Viktoria, and fairly soon she moves into her father’s house- leaving Klára in her own large house. Though all is not well with the nicer of the two sisters, as she is slowly but surely getting more & more unwell. Is it something to do with Viktoria?, some strange illness?, or is something else going on here?
 
Iva Janzurová really is excellent playing the dual roles, and to be honest until I did some research, I thought it was two different actresses playing the roles- as she gives each their own mannerisms, stance, and presentation. The surrounding cast is all good too- with other memorable characters/ actors being the awkwardly chuckling & large sideboarded Doctor played by Karel Augusta, and Nina Divísková who plays devious- thinking- on her toe’s blackmailer Otylie.
 
Visually the film moves from the gothically shadowy to bright sunshine lite period drama with often large/ flamboyant dresses & over-done make-up. Onto odd angled (we get some great cat-like POVs) and trying to walk in a trip POV. At points, the acting & presentation of the characters comes across as overdone- bringing to mind silent movie acting, and others it’s decidedly darkly camp/pantomime-like. And this makes the film a very distinctive/ unusual experience.
 
Towards the middle of the film, the plotting gets a little muddled- as we get other characters added into the mix, and we don’t always get a good/ clear resolve as to what happened to them/ who exactly they were. Also in the film's second half, we get an overuse of repetitive horn & bounding piano cues- so much so it almost feels industrial music like in its presentation- I understand the reason for this, but it does get a little tiring at times. I’d say these are the only slight issues with the film, and otherwise, Morgiana is an effective/ at points unbalancing film.
 

Moving onto this region free Blu ray, and the new HD transfer looks largely good- aside from occasional grain detail, and some of the nighttime shots look a little murky. On the extras side we get an episode of the Projection Booth podcast regarding the film- featuring Mike White, Kat Ellinger and Ben Buckingham. They go from talking about when each first saw the film, and their initial impression of it. Moving onto talking about the film's cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera, and how this was the first time he worked with director Herz.  They talk about Eastern European gothic in general, and the film director's take on it.  They discuss how the film is a little difficult to fully process on its first watch, and how it plays better if you have seen the director's other work in the gothic. We get talk about the film's period setting and its costumes. Later on, they discuss how the two sisters differ, and the way Janzurová approached the duo roles.  Talk about key plot points, supporting cast and much more. The interview with the director is from 2010- this runs just over the sixteen-minute mark and gives you a good insight regarding the film to hand. The release is finished off with an inlay booklet- taking writing about the film by Daniel Bird and Dr Ian Conrich. As well as film credits, and a few stills from the film.
 
 
Morgiana certainly is a very distinctive blend of the gothic & period drama-come fairy tale- with the moments of flamboyancy and acid-tinged imagery adding an intriguing edge to proceedings. It’s great to see this for the first time on Blu-Ray- with Second Run doing another classy job here.