Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (film)

Infobox Film
name = Valerie a týden divů


writer = Vitezslav Nezval (novel)
Jaromil Jireš (screenplay)
Ester Krumbachová (screenplay)
Jirí Musil (dialogue)
starring = Jaroslava Schallerová
Helena Anýzová
Karel Engel
Jan Klusák
Petr Kopriva
music = Lubos Fiser
Jan Klusák
director = Jaromil Jireš
producer = Jirí Becka
distributor = Janus Films (US release)
released = 1970
1974 (US release)
runtime = 77 min.
language = Czech
imdb_id = 0066516

"Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" (Czech: "Valerie a týden divů") is a 1970 Czech film directed by Jaromil Jireš and based on 1935 the novel of the same name by Vítězslav Nezval.

The 1970 film adaptation of "Valerie a týden divů", was filmed in 1969 starring the then 13-year-old Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie, with a supporting cast of Helena Anýzová, Karel Engel, Jan Klusák, Petr Kopriva, among others. It was filmed in the Czech town of Slavonice and surrounding areas. The film portrays the heroine as living in a disorienting dream, seduced by priests, vampires, men and women alike.

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DVD

In January 2004 the film became available commercially in the US on the Facets Video label. In June of the same year, the film was released on DVD in the UK by Redemption Films Ltd. In 2006 the film was officially released in the Czech Republic by label CÈV/Bonton. All three releases present the film in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, but the print quality varies between them. Unlike the Facets and Redemption releases, the CÈV/Bonton DVD is not presented with hardcoded English subtitles, but with optional Czech subtitles. The CÈV/Banton release also contains a photo gallery, interviews with Jaroslava Schallerová, Jan Klusák, and Pavel Taussig, filmographies of the various players, as well as production & distribution notes.

Acclaimed British label Second Run DVD [http://www.secondrundvd.com] will release an all-new remastered edition of the film on PAL Region 0 DVD on 25 August 2008. This new edition will feature newly-remastered picture and sound, new improved subtitle translation, interview Jaroslava Schallerová, new filmed introduction by author and film critic Michael Brooke, newly created trailer, booklet featuring new essay by Peter Hames and appreciation by Joseph A Gervasi.

There will be a screening of the film at this year's Green Man Festival at Glanusk Park in Wales on August 16th [http://www.greenmanfestival.co.uk] , with musical accompaniment by Monkey See Monkey Do.

oundtrack

The film soundtrack, featuring music composed by Luboš Fišer, was released for the first time by [http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/ Finders Keepers Records] in December 2006. Available both on CD and LP, the booklet reveals previously unseen images, international poster designs, as well as notes by Andy Votel, Peter Hames and Trish Keenan from the band Broadcast.

Influence

Many writers have cited similarities between the film and the work of English writer Angela Carter, who had seen the film during its release in England.Fact|date=July 2008 Angela's screenplay for "The Company of Wolves" (adapted, in collaboration with the film's director Neil Jordan, from Carter's short stories) bears a direct or indirect influence. A May 2005 Jireš retrospective film series at Riverside Studios would, in fact, pair the two films together.

In 2006 members of Espers, Fern Night, Fursaxa and other musicians formed [http://www.myspace.com/thevalerieproject the Valerie Project] . The group performs original compositions in unison with the film.

External links

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* [http://dvdfreak.bloudil.cz/freak.php?p=valerieatydendivu&dz=0 Comparison between CÈV/Boton, Facets, and Japanese DVD release]
* [http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview2/valerie-week.htm DVD Beaver] (film review)
* [http://www.monstersatplay.com/review/dvd/v/val.php Monsters at Play] (film review)
* [http://www.cfn.cz/film_picture.php?id=22041 Film stills
* [http://www.secondrundvd.com/comingsoon.php

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