Bathory (film)
Encyclopedia
- For other films about Elizabeth Báthory, see Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture.
Báthory is a European
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
co-production film written and directed by the Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
filmmaker Juraj Jakubisko
Juraj Jakubisko
Juraj Jakubisko is a Slovak film director. In his movies he managed to catch life's most beautiful colors, unhinge the poetry behind the ordinary and to be ahead of his time without forgetting his roots....
. The filming started in December 2005, and the film was released in July 2008. This is Jakubisko's first English-language film.
Plot
The film is based on the story of Elizabeth BáthoryElizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
, a 16th/17th century Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
countess. Her story takes place in a part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. She is infamous for killing many young women because — according to legend — she thought that bathing in their blood would preserve her youth. Eventually the royal authorities investigated, and she was walled up in her castle, where she died four years later.
Juraj Jakubisko declared in an interview:
“I decided to make this film because Countess Elizabeth Bathory is the most famous Austro-Hungarian aristocrat that lived in what is Slovakia today. She is so well known that she is also included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most prolific mass murderer. She supposedly murdered 650 people during her lifetime. The film is essentially a mix of genres. What is interesting about this story is that it doesn’t even lack humour and it is also a kind of crime story as there are two monks investigating what is actually going on with Bathory. But there is also political intrigue, and the drama of an intelligent woman too weak to face all the odds she had to face… It is the story of a woman, Elizabeth Bathory, who, in short, was unfortunate to have been born at the wrong time in history…”
http://cineuropa.org/makingclip.aspx?lang=en&documentID=1254
Financing and production companies
The budget of 10 million EUREuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
(around 15 million USD) makes it the most expensive Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Czech movie ever. The film is a joint effort of Slovak, Czech, UK and Hungarian production companies:
Jakubisko Film Slovakia s.r.o. (SK), Eurofilm Studio KFT (HU), Jakubisko Film, s.r.o. (CZ), Lunar Films Ltd (UK) and Concorde Film Trust (HU), with additional government funding provided by Eurimages
Eurimages
Eurimages is the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution, exhibition and digitisation of European cinematographic works. It aims to promote the European film industry by encouraging the production and distribution of films and fostering co-operation between professionals....
(EU), the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic (SK), Státní fond ČR pro podporu a rozvoj české kinematografie (CZ)
Cast and crew
- Directed by: Juraj Jakubisko (SK)
- Writing credits: (dialogue) John Paul Chapple, (script) Juraj Jakubisko
- Cast: Anna FrielAnna FrielAnna Louise Friel is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap Brookside.-Early life:...
, Karel RodenKarel RodenKarel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
, Vincent ReganVincent Regan-Career:Regan was born in Swansea on 16 May 1965, the son of Irish immigrants. As a youth he moved to Ireland with his parents, but returned to Britain and attended St Joseph's College, Ipswich in Suffolk....
, Hans MathesonHans MathesonHans Matheson is a British actor.-Life and career:Matheson was born in Stornoway, Scotland, the son of Sheena, a therapist, and Iain , a folk musician and painter. He made his feature film debut as Johnny Silver in Jez Butterworth's critically acclaimed directorial debut, Mojo...
, Franco NeroFranco NeroFranco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
, Deana Jakubisková-Horváthová, Bolek PolívkaBolek PolívkaBoleslav Polívka is a Czech film and theatre actor, mime, playwright and screenwriter. Polívka played in more than 40 films.- Career :...
, Antony Byrne, Jiří MádlJiri MadlJiří Mádl is a Czech film actor. Among his most prominent roles are a part in the 2008 film Night Owls, for which received the Best Actor award at the 2008 Karlovy Vary film festival....
, Lucie VondráčkováLucie VondráckováLucie Vondráčková is a Czech singer and actress. She is the niece of Czech singer Helena Vondráčková. She played in Czech Lion award-winning film Snowboarďáci. She also gained considerable fame as a pop-singer in the Czech Republic especially for her song Strach.Lucie Vondrácková comes from a...
, Marek Majeský, Hana VagnerováHana VágnerováHana Vagnerová is a Czech stage and television actress.- Biography :She was born in 1981 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was raised in Prague's district Jižní Město. She began as model... - Cinematography: Ján Ďuriš (SK), František A. Brabec (CZ), János Kende (HU)
- Editing: Joe Walker
- Costume Design: Julia Patkos (HU)
- Music: Jan Jirásek (CZ)
Casting
In late January 2006, Famke JanssenFamke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
was announced to play Bathory, and her photos with Jakubisko showed up in the media. Her first appearance was planned for 6 March 2006. Meanwhile other sequences (those not involving her) were being shot. Around 8 March 2006, news agencies reported that Janssen had been replaced by the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress Anna Friel
Anna Friel
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap Brookside.-Early life:...
.
Release dates
SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
10 July 2008 Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
10 July 2008 Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
20 January 2010