The Pagan Queen
Encyclopedia
The Pagan Queen is a 2009 historic drama film directed by German director Constantin Werner. The film combines realism with fantasy elements and is based on the legend
of Libuše
, the Czech tribal queen of 8th century Bohemia
who envisioned the city of Prague
and founded the first Czech dynasty with a farmer called Přemysl, the Ploughman
.
(Winter Ave Zoli
) as their new ruler. Together with her two beautiful sisters, the healer Kazi (Veronika Bellová) and the priestess Teta (Vera Filatova
) and an army of women under the command of her best friend, the Amazon
Vlasta (Lea Mornar), Libuše guides her people with the power of her visionary abilities. A seer
by nature, she can travel into the Otherworld
, the land of the death, from where she returns with predictions of the future and answers for people in need.
During her reign Libuse envisions the city of Prague
at the Vltava
river, starts mining in the rich Bohemian mountains and helps her farmers to fight a deadly plague. She also starts a secret affair with the charismatic ploughman Přemysl (Csaba Lucas).
When the peaceful community of farmers is under attack by raiders and split into different parties of power hungry landowners under the guidance of their plotting chieftains Domaslav (Pavel Kríz) and Vrsovec (Marek Vašut
), Libuše is eventually forced into marriage by her own people. Desperate she elects Přemysl to become her husband and king. Soon Přemysl takes over the new kingdom and rules with an iron fist, enslaving the formerly free farmers.
But Libuše's friend Vlasta, who loves her since childhood, refuses to follow the new leader and with her maiden army declares war on the men of Bohemia. After Vlasta kills Ctirad [Mirek Hrabé), a popular warrior and blinds Domaslav, Přemysl meets Vlasta in a showdown and kills her. At the same time Libuše gives birth to his son Nezamysl
.
The film ends with Libuše diving into the river Vltava which symbolizes her becoming a legend
.
, Clemens Brentano
and Franz Grillparzer
who emphasize the supernatural elements of the story and combine that with psychology and philosophy, as well as on the 1894 publication Old Bohemian Legends (Staré pověsti české
) by Czech author Alois Jirásek
.
The film recreates the pagan, pre-Christian time period of the so-called Dark Ages and shows the transgression from a pagan matriarchate to a modern patriarchate. It is also a passionate love story between two lovers from different social status, a queen and a ploughman, who meet in a time when the old ways of the Slavic
tribes were coming to an end.
using reconstructions of Slavic settlements for the buildings in the story.
It was released theatrically in the Czech Republic in October 2009 by Atyp Film where it ran in movie theaters until January 2010. It was released in Russia and the Russian speaking countries on DVD November 2009 by Lizard Trade and in the US on June 29, 2010 by Vanguard Cinema. It was released in the German speaking countries on September 9, 2010 by Eurovideo. It has been sold to over a dozen countries.
The critical reception in the Czech Republic was very negative. Many Czech critics like Frantisek Fuka
attacked every aspect of the film , some even the hair color of the lead actress , as they didn't feel that the film represented their traditional view of the story and characters. The film was also rejected by the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
.
In the United States the film's reception was much better. Ian Jane from AV Maniacs called it "a nicely made picture with some beautiful camera work and strong performances. It plays around with some interesting themes quite effectively and makes for a decidedly different type of film all together" and the Pagan Newswire Collective called it "a beautiful and realistic look at early medieval paganism" .
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
of Libuše
Libuše
Libuše, Libussa or, historically Lubossa, is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as whole. Libuše was the wisest of the three sisters and prophesied the foundation of Prague from her castle Libušín...
, the Czech tribal queen of 8th century Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
who envisioned the city of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and founded the first Czech dynasty with a farmer called Přemysl, the Ploughman
Premysl, the Ploughman
The Czechs name Přemysl, the Ploughman, as the mythical ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty, containing the line of princes and kings which ruled in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown from 873 or earlier until the murder of Wenceslaus III in 1306.-Story:According to a legend, Přemysl was a peasant of...
.
Plot
After her father, the great chieftain Krok (Ivo Novák) dies, the tribes of the Bohemian forests elect his youngest daughter LibušeLibuše
Libuše, Libussa or, historically Lubossa, is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as whole. Libuše was the wisest of the three sisters and prophesied the foundation of Prague from her castle Libušín...
(Winter Ave Zoli
Winter Ave Zoli
Winter Ave Zoli is an American actress and model, best known for her role as Lyla Winston in FX's TV series Sons of Anarchy.-Early life:...
) as their new ruler. Together with her two beautiful sisters, the healer Kazi (Veronika Bellová) and the priestess Teta (Vera Filatova
Vera Filatova
Vera Filatova is a Ukrainian-born British actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.Since graduating her theatre and film work includes:...
) and an army of women under the command of her best friend, the Amazon
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
Vlasta (Lea Mornar), Libuše guides her people with the power of her visionary abilities. A seer
Seer
Seer or Seers or SEER may refer to:Predicting the future* A clairvoyant, prophet, oracle, or diviner* The Seer , a fictional character on the television series Charmed...
by nature, she can travel into the Otherworld
Otherworld
Otherworld, or the Celtic Otherworld, is a concept in Celtic mythology that refers to the home of the deities or spirits, or a realm of the dead.Otherworld may also refer to:In film and television:...
, the land of the death, from where she returns with predictions of the future and answers for people in need.
During her reign Libuse envisions the city of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
at the Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...
river, starts mining in the rich Bohemian mountains and helps her farmers to fight a deadly plague. She also starts a secret affair with the charismatic ploughman Přemysl (Csaba Lucas).
When the peaceful community of farmers is under attack by raiders and split into different parties of power hungry landowners under the guidance of their plotting chieftains Domaslav (Pavel Kríz) and Vrsovec (Marek Vašut
Marek Vašut
Marek Vašut is a Czech film, stage, and television actor, best known for his appearances in Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw and Thief Takers.-Biography:...
), Libuše is eventually forced into marriage by her own people. Desperate she elects Přemysl to become her husband and king. Soon Přemysl takes over the new kingdom and rules with an iron fist, enslaving the formerly free farmers.
But Libuše's friend Vlasta, who loves her since childhood, refuses to follow the new leader and with her maiden army declares war on the men of Bohemia. After Vlasta kills Ctirad [Mirek Hrabé), a popular warrior and blinds Domaslav, Přemysl meets Vlasta in a showdown and kills her. At the same time Libuše gives birth to his son Nezamysl
Nezamysl
Nezamysl was the first of the seven Bohemian mythical princes between the founder of the Přemyslid dynasty Přemysl the Ploughman and the first historical prince Bořivoj...
.
The film ends with Libuše diving into the river Vltava which symbolizes her becoming a legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
Cast
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Libuše Libuše Libuše, Libussa or, historically Lubossa, is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as whole. Libuše was the wisest of the three sisters and prophesied the foundation of Prague from her castle Libušín... |
Winter Ave Zoli Winter Ave Zoli Winter Ave Zoli is an American actress and model, best known for her role as Lyla Winston in FX's TV series Sons of Anarchy.-Early life:... |
| Přemysl | Csaba Lucas |
| Vlasta | Lea Mornar |
| Kazi | Veronika Bellová |
| Teta | Vera Filatova Vera Filatova Vera Filatova is a Ukrainian-born British actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.Since graduating her theatre and film work includes:... |
| Vršovec | Marek Vašut Marek Vašut Marek Vašut is a Czech film, stage, and television actor, best known for his appearances in Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw and Thief Takers.-Biography:... |
| Domaslav | Pavel Kříž |
| Ctirad | Mirek Hrabě |
| The Emissary of Vyšehrad Vyšehrad Vyšehrad is a castle located in the city of Prague, Czech Republic. It was probably built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River... |
Daniel Brown |
| Krok | Ivo Novák |
| Šárka | Mirka Koštanová |
| Roxhon | Marko Ingonda |
Story Sources
The English language screenplay by Irish writer/director Lance Daly and director Constantin Werner was based on the 18th and 19th century romantic German fairytales and plays by Johann Karl August MusäusJohann Karl August Musaus
Johann Karl August Musäus was a German author from Jena. He studied theology at the university of Jena, and would have become the pastor of a parish but for the resistance of some peasants, who objected that he had been known to dance.From 1760–62 Musäus published in three volumes his first...
, Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano, or Klemens Brentano was a German poet and novelist.-Overview:He was born in Ehrenbreitstein, near Koblenz, Germany. His sister was Bettina von Arnim, Goethe's correspondent. His father's family was of Italian descent. He studied in Halle and Jena, afterwards residing at...
and Franz Grillparzer
Franz Grillparzer
Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer was an Austrian writer who is chiefly known for his dramas. He also wrote the oration for Ludwig van Beethoven's funeral.-Biography:...
who emphasize the supernatural elements of the story and combine that with psychology and philosophy, as well as on the 1894 publication Old Bohemian Legends (Staré pověsti české
Staré pověsti české
Staré pověsti české can refer to:* Staré pověsti české - a 1894 book by Alois Jirásek known in English as "Ancient Bohemian Legends"* Staré pověsti české - the puppet animation film adaptation by Jiri Trnka...
) by Czech author Alois Jirásek
Alois Jirásek
Alois Jirásek was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a secondary-school teacher until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of historical novels imbued with faith in his nation and in progress toward freedom and justice...
.
The film recreates the pagan, pre-Christian time period of the so-called Dark Ages and shows the transgression from a pagan matriarchate to a modern patriarchate. It is also a passionate love story between two lovers from different social status, a queen and a ploughman, who meet in a time when the old ways of the Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
tribes were coming to an end.
Locations
The entire film was shot on location in the Czech RepublicCzech 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....
using reconstructions of Slavic settlements for the buildings in the story.
Release history and critical reception
The film had its premiere at the October 2009 Estepona Fantastic Film Festival/Spain where it won the Silver Unicorn award for best original film music.It was released theatrically in the Czech Republic in October 2009 by Atyp Film where it ran in movie theaters until January 2010. It was released in Russia and the Russian speaking countries on DVD November 2009 by Lizard Trade and in the US on June 29, 2010 by Vanguard Cinema. It was released in the German speaking countries on September 9, 2010 by Eurovideo. It has been sold to over a dozen countries.
The critical reception in the Czech Republic was very negative. Many Czech critics like Frantisek Fuka
František Fuka
František Fuka is a computer programmer and musician from the Czech Republic, well known in the ZX Spectrum and SAM Coupé communities for his work in the late 80s and early 90s as Fuxoft, especially for Tetris 2, an objective based unofficial sequel to Tetris...
attacked every aspect of the film , some even the hair color of the lead actress , as they didn't feel that the film represented their traditional view of the story and characters. The film was also rejected by the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
.
In the United States the film's reception was much better. Ian Jane from AV Maniacs called it "a nicely made picture with some beautiful camera work and strong performances. It plays around with some interesting themes quite effectively and makes for a decidedly different type of film all together" and the Pagan Newswire Collective called it "a beautiful and realistic look at early medieval paganism" .
Music
The orchestral score for Pagan Queen was written by German composer Benedikt Brydern and recorded in Prague with a full symphonic orchestra. The main theme of the film was quoted from Antonín Leopold Dvořák, Romance in F minor, Op. 11.External links
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pagan-Queen/110414552334883?ref=ts
- http://www.thepaganqueen.com
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1096997/