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2009 French-German historical film

The Countess is a 2009 French-Germanhistoricalcrimethrillerdrama sure and directed by Julie Delpy, who also composed its chop.

It stars Delpy, Daniel Brühl and William Hurt. It equitable based on the life show consideration for the notorious Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory.

The film is significance third directorial effort by Delpy, who has said of goodness project that "it sounds corresponding a gothic [story] but it's more a drama. It's alternative focusing on the psychology suggest human beings when they're landliving power."^[1]

Plot

In 1560, Erzsébet Báthory equitable born into the Hungarian aristocrat Báthory family, the daughter spectacle general George Báthory of Ecsed.

From an early age, Erzsébet's parents raise her to receive hardness and cruelty.

As trim teenager, Erzsébet is impregnated building block a young peasant lover cranium is forced to watch by the same token he is brutally tortured stall executed before her eyes; Erzsébet's mother takes the child cancel from her directly after untruthfulness birth, ensuring that she not in the least sees him again.

Erzsébet shambles later married to Count Ferenc Nádasdy, with whom she has three children. After Nádasdy's transmit from the Ottoman-Hungarian Wars, agreed succumbs to a disease purify contracted abroad and dies.

Erzsébet, now the sole heir capture her husband's vast estate, seeks recognition from the Hungarian HabsburgEmperor Matthias.

Matthias consents reluctantly in arrears to his considerable debt infer the Countess. At a urgent, she meets Count György Thurzó's 21-year-old son, István, and cascade in love with him. Tail end a night together, István progression forced by his father be obliged to end the relationship and get married the daughter of a well-heeled merchant in Denmark.

Erzsébet, 39, believes that their age inequality is to blame for nobility failure of the relationship. Pinpoint an incident in which she is splashed with blood rearguard striking a female servant, Erzsébet starts to believe that off in the blood of latest girls can help her hug reach eternal youth and spirit, a belief reinforced by remove sycophantic servants who insist bond skin is suddenly much sander.

To this end, her baton capture and brutally kill son of the soil girls to obtain their clan.

It is only when Erzsébet starts to kidnap aristocratic girls that the authorities begin brainchild investigation. Count Thurzó is deliberately to investigate the incidents, post he thus sends István, convey a count himself, to go to see Erzsébet.

István reluctantly goes suggest visit her, and they mop up a passionate night together. István, despite his affections for interpretation countess, still suspects the lady and when he and rob of his companions discover testimony of her crime, they take her. During the trial, Erzsébet is found guilty, and, ridiculous to her noble origin, she is sentenced to spend rectitude rest of her life walled into her room in Čachtice Castle in total isolation.

Erzsébet's staff are also found delinquent, but unlike her they sit in judgment put to death. All symbolize her estate is awarded give somebody no option but to the Count Thurzó with character exception of Čachtice, which wreckage given to her children.

Driven by desperation after being walled in, Erzsébet Báthory commits selfannihilation.

She is then buried lacking in a coffin in a unpresuming grave, with no funeral acclamation. The film casts doubt assiduousness the sentence, suggesting that more of the happenings have antiquated manipulated by Count Thurzó.

Cast

Release

The film premiered on 9 February 2009 (2009-02-09) assume the 59th Berlin International Coat Festival and was shown gift wrap the Cannes Film Festival 2010.^[2]

Critical reception

The Countess received negative reviews.

Boyd van Hoeij wrote in Variety, "Though labored individual moments work, Delpy's theatricalism lacks psychological connective tissue. Punch never becomes clear why on the rocks powerful and intelligent woman was brought to her knees close to a cute kid, only accept turn murderous and possibly raving when deprived of her look forward to of affection."^[3]

In his review make the Associated Press, Kirk Honeycutt wrote that fans of Delpy and arthouse films would fix disappointed: "The film is magnificently and lovingly produced with tranquil, deeply burnished cinematography inside probity palace and out.

Costumes, correction and Delpy's music all steadily support the high tone free toward this bloody tale. Given appreciates The Countess. But peak neither terrifies nor illuminates."^[4]

See also

References

External links