Medioevo al femminile

Nominated Sitges-Catalonian International Film Festival: Best Film

La contessa

(The Countess)

2009, regia di Julie Delpy  

Scheda: Nazione: Francia-Germania-USA - Produzione: The Steel Company, Tempête Sous un Crâne, Social Capital, EMC Filmproduktion, Fanes Film, X-Filme Creative Pool - Distribuzione: Italia Film, X Verleih AGCCV, Bac Films, Benelux Film Distribution, Empire Film Group, Lusomundo Audiovisuais, Atlantic Film, Pa-Dora D.O.O., Soyuz, Magna Pacific - Soggetto: Julie Delpy - Sceneggiatura: Julie Delpy - Fotografia: Martin Ruhe - Montaggio: Andrew Bird - Art Direction: Astrid Poeschke - Scenografia: Hubert Pouille, Michael Fechner - Costumi: Pierre-Yves Gayraud - Musiche: Julie Delpy - Effetti speciali: Michael Apling - Formato: Color - Durata: 94'.

Cast: Julie Delpy, Daniel Brühl, William Hurt, Anamaria Marinca, Sebastian Blomberg, Anna Maria Mühe, Charly Hübner, Frederick Lau, Adriana Altaras, André Hennicke, Maria Simon, Katrin Pollit, Nikolai Kinski, Andy Gatjen,  Christine Mayer, Henriette Confurius, Helen Woigk, Jesse Inman, Jeanette Hain, Robert Schupp, Felix Vörtler, Nora von Waldstätten, Anna Hausburg, Theresa Schwierske.

Trama e commenti: cinematografo.it - it.wikipedia.org - film.virgilio.it - mymovies.it - movieplayer.it - cinema-tv.corriere.it - cinema.ilsole24ore.com - film.tv.it - comingsoon.it: «Europa Centrale, inizio del XVII secolo. La contessa Erzebet Bathory è considerata la donna più potente del suo paese. Bella e intelligente, non è disposta ad accettare che le regole siano imposte da uomini. Durante una festa, conosce Istvan, molto più giovane di lei. I due s'innamorano follemente. Ma la loro felicità non è destinata a durare molto: il conte Thurzo, padre di Istvan, obbliga suo figlio a interrompere ogni contatto con Erzbet. Quest'ultima, convinta di essere stata rifiutata a causa della grande differenza d'età, finisce per aderire a una strana credenza che basti bere il sangue di giovani vergini per conservare in eterno bellezza e giovinezza. Così molte giovani donne cominciano ad essere portate al castello, e il comportamento ossessivo di Erzbet non fa altro che peggiorare. Si accorgerà troppo tardi di essere stata vittima degli intrighi politici e delle lotte di potere del padre del suo amante...».

Plot Summary, Synopsis, Review: IMDb - en.wikipedia.org - movieweb.com -  rottentomatoes.com -  premiere.fr - allmovie.com: «Julie Delpy directs and stars in this biography of Erzebet Bathory, the 17th century countess whose love of a younger man drove her to madness and beyond. At the dawn of the 17th century, Countess Bathory was the most powerful woman in Hungary. At the age of 14, she married a powerful warlord twice her age and bore him four children. While her husband was away fighting wars, Countess Bathory maintained their estate with the help of her one true confidant, a powerful witch named Anna Darvulia. Over time, Countess Bathory's gained great influence, even holding sway over decisions made by the King. But she was unwilling to accept a world in which men were able to break the rules without consequence while women were expected to be unquestionably subservient, and after her husband died, Countess Bathory fell deeply in love with a young nobleman named Istvan (Daniel Brühl), whom she encountered at a lavish feast. Istvan too was smitten, though his relationship with the countess was cut short when his father, Count Thurzo (William Hurt), forced him to break off the romance. Meanwhile, as Countess Bathory becomes obsessed with the prospect that age was a factor in the failure of the relationship, Count Thurzo begins crafting an elaborate plot against her. Eventually Countess Bathory's blinding sadness gives way to irreversible madness, and she becomes convinced that she can maintain her youth and beauty forever by bathing in the blood of virgins. Her dementia and obsession flowing like the virginal blood she bathes in every night, Countess Bathory eventually realizes that she has become the victim of a vast political conspiracy hatched by the father of her beloved. But by now it's already too late, Countess Erzebet Bathory's downfall had already been set into motion» (Jason Buchanan).

Approfondimenti: Movie Review

Conosciuto anche con i titoli: La Comtesse; Die Gräfin.

Scheda a cura di Lorenza Cervellera

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