Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1974)

"Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" is much like if you'd told Ingmar Bergman to make a film about sex and puberty right after he finished making "The Seventh Sign"! This Czech movie is that strange...and it's clearly not your typical sort of movie about sexual awakening. I see no evidence of Judy Blume in this film!This movie is one giant string of metaphors involving Valerie and her ascent into adulthood--from her first menstruation to sexual urges to feelings of guilt. It's all very strange and I notice some compare it to "Alice in Wonderland"...though I see it as much more "Seventh Seal" inspired--with Angel of Death-like (and vampire-like) characters, incest, the death of innocence, bisexuality, guilt and more. None of it is said--instead it's all explored through odd symbolism. Overall, it's a film that some will no doubt like but others will be frustrated with. After all, if you're looking for either a skin flick (there is a fair amount of skin but it isn't particularly enjoyable or explicit) or a movie to show your daughter in order to explain sex education, you clearly do NOT want to see the movie. It's really only for those who love artsy films and don't get offended (and hopefully NOT turned on) by seeing an underage actress in such a highly sexually charged film.The cinematography was nice. But as for me, just give me "The Seventh Sign".

Sweet and virginal young lass Valerie (well played with wide-eyed charm to spare by the delicately fetching Jaroslava Schallerova) undergoes a sexual awakening in a strange, yet sensual fantasy land where she runs afoul of a creepy vampiric being known as Polecat (a marvelously sinister portrayal by Jiri Prymek) and gets accused by the superstitious locals of witchcraft.Director Jaromil Jires, who also co-wrote the thoughtful script with Ester Krumbachova, does a masterful job of crafting a beguilingly dreamy and surreal atmosphere that's bristling with dark emotions, barely suppressed carnal desires, and severe religious repression. Moreover, Jire not only manages the remarkable feat of presenting a genuinely arousing mood that never becomes too explicit or remotely exploitative, but also delivers a potent and provocative central message on the impossibility of preserving a state of childlike innocence for perpetuity. Petr Kopriva contributes a likable turn as Valerie's smitten boyfriend Eaglet while Helena Anyzova does impressive work in the dual roles of both Valerie's stern grandmother and wicked aunt Elsa. Jan Curik's sumptuous cinematography offers a wealth of striking poetic imagery. Lubos Fiser's gentle folkloric score hits the harmonic spot. Recommended viewing for fans of esoteric cinematic fare.

A potent mix of straight sex, lesbianism, incest, pedophilia, vampirism, paganism, wiccan practices and other assorted deviancy. A lot of symbolism is used, so that reality merges with fantasy and the material world merges with the virtual. As the film progresses, it is never very clear as to who the villain is, and who is the virgin. However, one premise is obvious: almost everyone lusts after the female protagonist, and although she appears angelic, she is also no stranger to the wiles of men, including lustful priests, vampires and even her own father or brother. Watchable, at least once, for the waif-like beauty, Valerie, and her forays into a mystical, magical and surreal world, where corpses converse with the living, and brothers lust for their sisters.

Second Run DVD brought out an excellent edition of this film in 2008. It's a new digital transfer that, while not quite up to Criterion standards, does justice to this criminally neglected film. Nice extra features, too: an informative introduction by film historian Michael Brooke; an interview with Jaroslava Schallerova (Valerie); and a superb booklet, containing an in-depth essay and a lovely appreciative piece by Joseph A. Gervasi of Exhumed Films. This dream of a film seems to have been a one-off for director Jaromil Jires, whose other films - from what I've read - appear to be more conventional in scope. There are so many films that deserve to be consigned to the celluloid bonfire. This is not one of them. Well done, Second Run!