The Valley of the Bees (Blu-ray)

František Vlácil’s visionary medieval epic, now on Blu-ray.

Set in 13th-century Europe, František Vlácil’s visionary medieval epic chronicles the tale of a young boy forced to join the Order of the Teutonic Knights. Years later he abandons the Crusaders, only to be pursued by a fanatical comrade and pay a terrible price for his rejection of the Holy Order.

With dazzling monochrome cinematography and vivid recreation of the period, the film is a raw and haunting moral fable about the conflict between human nature and dogmatism – and just as powerful and compelling a film as his more famous work, Marketa Lazarová.