The Valley of the Bees (Blu-ray)

Set in 13th-century Europe, František Vláčil’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.

• A new Projection Booth commentary with Mike White and Robert Bellissimo.
• František Vláčil's acclaimed 1972 short documentary films, photographed by František Uldrich, with music by Zdeněk Liška: The City in White (Město v bílém) and Karlovy Vary Promenades (Karlovarské promenády)
• 24-page booklet with writing on the film by author Peter Hames.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• World premiere release on Blu-ray