Morgiana (1972) User Reviews

A tale of two sisters

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 28 January 2014]

Morgiana is a product of the Czechoslovakian new wave. It's a turn of the century melodrama that has elements of Gothic horror. It's about two sisters, Klára and Viktorie. The former is good hearted and the other is wicked. The story begins with the death of their father and the reading of his will. Unsurprisingly, his inheritance favours Klára, much to Victorie's displeasure. Her uncontrolled jealousy drives her to try and murder her sister with a hard-to-detect slow-acting poison but events do not pan out quite as planned.

The most obvious film to compare this one to is Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, the wonderful dark fantasy film from a couple of years earlier. It too, was a product of the Czechoslovakian new wave and both films share a similar aesthetic. While Valerie is the more visually striking, Morgiana is a very beautiful film too. Its female characters wear intense make-up and over-the-top elaborate costumes. Very garish and almost grotesque at times, the look is very reminiscent of characters from a fairy tale, which is an aspect that Morgiana definitely shares with Valerie.

The Central European ambiance certainly counts for a lot in this movie and from the outset it's pretty evident with an opening credit sequence replete with surreal paintings of the type very much associated with this part of the world. The slightly unreal and fantastic feeling is maintained throughout the movie, with melodramatic acting, garish décor and unusual outdoor locations such as the elaborate gardens and the standing stones near the cliff. The look is accentuated further by the use of fish-eye lenses and even agitated camera-work from the point-of-view of Morgiana the cat! The score from Lubos Fiser is extremely effective too, capturing the dark tone very well. As far as dramatics are concerned, it's essentially a tale of two sisters and both are played by the same actress, Iva Janzurová. She is so convincing that, when watching, I thought it must be two different real sisters in these roles.

Morgiana is a real treat for anyone who appreciates Gothic cinema, particularly those who loved the Czechoslovakian ambiance of Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. It's a visually enchanting film and one that should certainly be seen by a wider audience.

The draught will kill me one day!

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 2 November 2015]

"The draught will kill me one day", Viktoria (Janzurová) fussily complains about the opening window, her words will actually come true, through a tenuously linked poetic justice, it is a symbol of Morgiana's revenge.

The story of this Czechoslovakian drama is rather minimal, set in an unspecified period time, Viktoria is plotting to murder her twin sister Klara (also played by Janzurová, but distinct with a light-colored hairdo and dress-code from Viktoria's black widow outfit, yet equally ornamented by the over-saturated make-up) through slow poisoning, since the latter inherits most of their father's property. Then, who is Morgiana? It is Viktoria's pet black cat, and one of the tricks of this garish sibling-rivalry tale is the fish-eyed angle from Morgiana's viewpoint, a nifty bit of sleight-of-hand, will become a key takeaway from the film, apart from its Klimt-esque opening credits and striking Gothic grandeur, however, the same admiration cannot be referred to the lurid hallucination shots.

Morgiana is a loyal witness of its mistress' evil plan, but unwittingly its own life happen to be the victim of its collateral damage. The said window is Morgiana's entrance into the room, and due to the maid's casual gesture, it is opened at that particular moment, through the ripple effect, the draught and the bang of the door, it counteracts Viktoria's carefully calculated pseudo- suicidal bluff. Apart from this well-conceived comeuppance, the plot is amateur at its core, namely, the jejune involvement of a blackmailer is a major distraction from the central suspense, whether Klara will die or not.

It is not just wealth prompts Viktoria's motivation, the suppressed sexual desire is the culprit here, Klara is a sweetheart, a perfect specimen of a desirable maiden, inadvertently wins over everyone's heart including those Viktoria feels attracted to. Director Juraj Herz expressly accentuates Viktoria's jealousy and dyed-in-the-wool conservative reckoning towards sex and sensuality, with a terrific score fittingly hones up the menacing but otherworldly ambiance.

Performances are fairly attenuated to be functional with a theatrical stiffness, save Janzurová, who benefits greatly from playing both twins, gives an exceptionally expressive split image divided by polarised personalities, also credits must be given to her cosmetic and costume props.

After all, Herz manifestly leaves his eccentric directorial marks in this film (particularly impressive is the shots where both twins appear in the same frame), MORGIANA is an inviting piece of curio bodes well for further digging into his body of work.

good beginning, expected more from the ending

[hofnarr · 8/10 · 25 July 2003]

I really enjoyed the opening with the gilt black coffin being lowered into the grave and then the reading of the will to the two sisters (both played by Iva Janzurova'). Following that scene was the opening credit sequence with a montage of somewhat surrealistic paintings of different body parts (eyes were prominent) and geometrical patterns.

I rather liked the "Morgiana-cam" (well before David Letterman used the "monkey-cam" on his late-night show) and it was very effective seeing from the cat's P.O.V. - I wish it could have been used more, and perhaps more effectively the few other times it was used.

I was trying to pay particular attention to the two sister's being played by one actress, noticing the various technical devices used. There were a couple times I was pulled into the story that my attention to this slipped - one time that Victoria slapped Clara I didn't quite see how it was done. The other special effect that was interesting was the use of overlapping shimmering shadings of blue and red, used to indicate the effect the poison was having on Clara.

The basic story line is that of two sisters whose father has died with the older & less-liked sister attempting to do away with the younger to get all of the estate. Victoria's cruel streak is shown not only by her poisoning her sister; she also holds Morgiana the cat up to a birdcage and puts poison in the water for a dog in the household - you'd think she might worry about her cat - the one creature she appears to have a liking for - besides herself, anyway, but perhaps knowing cats have "nine lives" is enough for Vicky to know, at least in the present.

The doctor brought in to treat Clara seems to be a bit of a buffoon, telling her to "read a novel or something and take the quinine and watch your diet."

Victoria begins to get blackmailed by the woman who sold her the poison and Clara gets an anonymous letter telling her of the poisoning - the story spools out from these events, but I can't say anything more without getting into spoilers. I wasn't entirely pleased with the ending - I thought it might have been more inventive, but it did point up a little foreshadowing that I'd missed earlier in the film.

I really did like the painted images before the opening credits, though . ..

Sumptuous Gothic semi-parody

[ofumalow · 16 August 2003]

Juraj Herz's 1971 Morgiana is less Carroll-gone-softcore than Edward Gorey as filmed by Ken Russell-a sardonic chunk of Victorian penny-dreadful melodrama tweaked to new levels of aesthetic and emotional hysteria. Jealous of her vapidly "good" sister's popularity, poisonous Viktoria doses pretty Klara's tea with a slow-acting fatal substance. As the latter grows hysterically weak, the former finds success increasingly compromised by guilt, blackmail, and the pesky need to kill others lest she be exposed. The women here are painted as elaborately as psychedelic-drag-queen Cockettes, and the purple extremity of their predicament is drawn in equally bizarre/extravagant terms. It's like a dress-up, younger-generation version of Baby Jane?, set in an ornamental snow globe.

An interesting director, Juraj Herz!

[RodrigAndrisan · 6/10 · 25 February 2024]

I saw "Morgiana" on February 24, 2024 on YouTube, I didn't have money to see it at the cinema in 1972 in communist Romania, when I was only 13 years old. The director Juraj Herz was also an actor and in a picture from another of his films, looks exactly like Peter Sellers, as if they were twin brothers. Back to "Morgiana" (which is the name of a cat), what I saw on YouTube was mostly a completely black image, from which you could not understand anything, you could only hear the dialogue. Was it like this, a complete black screen, on Juraj Herz's intention? I kind of doubt it. I won't narrate the film, I'll just say this much: a few shots are filmed from the cat's point of view, which I consider original. Then, the double interpretation of the actress Iva Janzurová, is a remarkable performance. A much better film made by Juraj Herz, in fact, his absolute masterpiece, is "The Cremator" Original title: Spalovac mrtvol from 1969. As an actor, Juraj Herz had a small role in a comedy that enchanted my childhood "Lemonade Joe" Original title: Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera 1964.

this is what cinema is all about!

[lakemagenta84 · 9/10 · 15 August 2005]

This is my favorite film. possibly the most melodramatic films i've seen, the costumes and make up are so over the top that you can barely tell that the two main characters are played by the same actor. The film has so much color in it with all the costumes and gardens but this dark fairytale could almost be considered a film noir. The soundtrack might be it;s only downfall, the music itself is so beautiful and powerful but it plays too big a part in creating an atmosphere, some scenes are downgraded by the overwhelming score. My favorite scene is in the brothel, i've never seen such amazing looking prostitutes! they make me want to buy a caravan and take up witchcraft.

as a matter of interest; In the book the two sisters are one character with a multiple personality. Unfortunately Herz was unable to make such a controversial film, so, to stay as close to the original story as possible the two sisters are played by the same woman. This book by Alexander Grin (who starved under Stalin) has not been translated into English as far as i know.

Strange but transfixing

[gee-15 · 6/10 · 28 February 2024]

A woman attempts to poison her sister out of sheer malice spiced with avarice. Her attempted crime brings about her own doom. Odd film whose plot is inferior to its production values. But the visuals are enough to keep you entertained. The incredible wigs, the almost clownlike makeup, the gothic sets and the acting extremes (the actress in the dual role does melodramatic angst and crazed spaciness very well.). In the end, it makes as much sense as the title (Morgiana is the cat and really only impacts the plot in one muddled scene). So it's kinda a bad film but bad in the most entertaining of ways.

Excellent Gothic visuals

[timmy_501 · 9/10 · 3 July 2012]

Like his somewhat more famous Cremator, Juraj Herz's Morgiana is primarily interesting because of its unique visual style. In Morgiana, Herz uses fisheye lenses generously and he also gets a lot of mileage out of unusual camera angles. These aren't the only things that give the film visual interest, however: each frame is packed full of Gothic details as it's primarily set in a couple of ornate Victorian style mansions. Further, there are several psychedelic point of view shots that indicate a character's hallucinations and some wild pans to represent disorientation.

The plot of Morgiana focuses on a pair of sisters, Klara and Viktorie, who each inherit half of their father's large estate. The two sisters are essentially opposite, which is conveyed both by their behavior-Klara is happy and popular while Viktorie is depressed and lonely-and by their looks as Klara wears bright colors while Viktorie wears dark colors. Viktorie becomes jealous of her sister who has the better life and better inheritance and decides to poison her, which causes her to hallucinate and waste away. Meanwhile Viktorie becomes increasingly unable to hide her guilt. There's nothing particularly novel or clever about the plot as is (though Herz reportedly did have a clever twist in mind that he wasn't allowed to film) but the visuals enrich the narrative as well, particularly the way Herz develops different motifs for the different sisters.

Overall, Morgiana is a masterpiece that should be especially appealing to fans of The Cremator or other Czech New Wave films such as Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.

"This may not be the loveliest rose,but it's the one I like best."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 29 April 2016]

Originally planning to watch Karel Kachyna's Long Live the Republic got stopped in their tracks,when the DVD kept jamming up in the player.Since I had planned to watch the movie after seeing Horseman,I decided that it was time to meet Morgiana.

The plot:

After the sudden death of their dad,sisters Klára and Viktoria attend the reading of the will.Caught completely by surprise, Viktoria discovers that their dad has left most of the riches to Klára.Shortly after the reading of the will, Klára starts to go out with a guy who Viktoria has secretly had her eyes on for ages.Burning with rage,Viktoria picks up their pet cat Morgiana,and starts to tell Morgiana her plans to take from Klára what is rightfully hers.

View on the film:

Whilst the print does have some noticeable dirt,Second Run still run with a strong transfer which picks up the notes of Lubos Fiser's spidery score with a clarity and also showcases the depth of vision for this Gothic nightmare.

Breaking out from the grainy black and white world of The Cremator,co-writer/(along with Vladimír Bor) director Juraj Herz leaps into colour with an infectious energy.Opening with clipped paintings,Herz and cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera crush the screen with vibrant reds and charcoal blacks which under a cloud of mist reveal the Gothic Horror Melodrama that the sisters are entwined in with a delicious richness. Unexpectedly dipping into the psychedelic,Herz shows an amazingly playful side which jumps from an ultra-stylised "light show" and Giallo-style first person tracking shot, (with black gloves!)to reflecting in-camera special effects which highlight the deadly differences between each sister.

Getting Alexander Grin's (whose books were banned by the Soviet Union for "not promoting socialism") novel from out of the cave,the screenplay by Bor & Herz cleverly uses the sisters to link the genres that the movie is crossing,as Klara's ordeal keeps the Melodrama bubble away whilst Viktoria's sting makes the Gothic chills strike with a mysterious atmosphere.Making sure that the sisters don't get to keep all the fun to themselves,the writers edge out their Gothic dream with wonderfully quirky sides,from a cat who witnesses everything,to a dashing lover who injects Viktoria with burning eyes of jealousy.

Reuniting with Herz after making Oil Lamps a year earlier, Iva Janžurová gives an exquisite performance as Klára & Viktoria.Taking on both roles, Janzurová lavishly gives each sister a distinctive quality,thanks to Janzurová soaking Klára in a care-free mood which is crushed by Viktoria's blistering eyes and twitch of a furious lip,as Viktoria tells her secrets to the pet Morgiana.

Stylish Czechoslovakian Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 4 December 2022]

When their wealthy father dies, his daughters Viktoria and Klára (Iva Janzurová) inherit his fortune. The evil Viktoria inherits a small castle and all the possession inside including jewelry but the naive Klára inherits most of his assets. Viktoria plots with the gypsy fortuneteller Otylie (Nina Divísková) to poison her sister with an undetectable liquid to inherit her fortune. Klára feels sick and her doctor cannot diagnosis her, while Viktoria uses the poison in the milk of her dog. Meanwhile, Klára falls in love with Lieutenant Marek (Josef Abrhám). When Otylie blackmails Viktoria, she throws Otylie off the cliffs in the sea. Soon Klára receives a letter telling that she was poisoned and asking for money to give the antidote to her. Who wrote the letter?

"Morgiana" is a stylish Czechoslovakian movie from the 70's, with a great story of ambition and evilness. The first point to highlight is certainly the magnificent performance of Iva Janzurová in a double-role that certainly deserved an Oscar. The cinematography, camera work, lightning and costumes are also amazing. The story, the unexpected plot point and the screenplay are also fantastic. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Morgiana"

Eye whirls but no gravity

[chaos-rampant · 17 March 2013]

Don't watch this for the story. As other films by this maker, it starts well enough, twin sisters, one of them wicked, the other is pure, have inherited a fortune from their dead father, but the wicked sister is envious of the other and plots her murder. Slow-burn poison. But she's uncertain whether it works or not.

It is tantalizing for a while. You have poison-induced hallucinations in the 'good' sister, mirrored in paranoid tension in the 'bad' sister— testing the poison, she has fed it to her maid's dog, but her own cat may have eaten some, and her maid's child. Eaten inside by doubt (both are), all she can do is wait.

So you are prepared to conflate parallel layers, ready for rich overlap. The two sisters are played by the same actress.

But it doesn't take inside.

It doesn't abstract. It is, to the end, about what's going to happen with the story. Which is too bad, because the camera, the way we see, is already abstract. Having seen now a few films by this guy, Herz, I'm convinced he was visually the most ambitious of the Czech filmmakers— there are hallucinative swirls here, distortion of space, dynamic prowling. The Gothic mood may recall Bava, but the camera is on a whole other level, much more cinematic.

There is some pretty amazing stuff here. Not the overt hallucinations, but some of the peripheral blurring, like the swirling shots as the carriage filled with soldiers eager for sex is dashing through the 'red- light' district. The whole film, rooted in the delirious sisters, is about such bending of vision.

It's as simple as this, however. Truly great films, those with the power to change you, aren't about the story. The story is there, the images with some logic behind them, but that is so we have something 'real' to bend as we reach for the more expansive causality of how images and logic come into being, which is not a logical process but structured chaos. Even Jess Franco can work when logic is sufficiently bent.

If you watch this to the end, the last scene features some truly mind-bending causality, it can be taking place in reality, maybe not, it's puzzling that it happens. Is it feigned insanity? Is it structured chaos as film noir fate? For a moment, you're airborne, hovering as you try to make sense. And in the next scene we have the clean explication, suddenly deflating you back to what its all about. I read that the filmmaker was working under heavy constraints, this may explain the blunder.

So we have whirls and eddies in the camera, but no whirls in logic to get gravity pull.

Pure magic

[BandSAboutMovies · 10/10 · 25 April 2023]

Juraj Herz is most often associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave and his 1969 film The Cremator. A Holocaust survivor who had sixty of his family die in the camps, he was a self-taught director who gravitated toward horror while also keeping his eye toward fairy tales. He commented once that dark humor was a form of expression and he believed that even serious films should be laughed at.

Based on Alexander Grin's Jessie and Morgiana, this film explores the hatred between two sisters, Klara and Viktoria, both played by Iva Janzurova. Yes, their father may have given all of his fortune to Klara, but Viktoria is left with a small castle of her own. But the final push toward the overwhelming resentment Viktoria feels is when her sister falls for the man she loves, Lieutenant Marek.

That's when she begins to work alongside Otylie, a gypsy sorceress, to create a poison that no one will ever discover has killed her sister. As Klara grows ill, Otylie takes advantage and begins to blackmail Viktoria, who responds by literally casting her into the sea.

And while Klara is always clad in white and seemingly the damsel in distress, her sister is forever in black but worse, unable to escape not only the guilt and shame, but even the ghost of Otylie who will never leave her even in death.

So who is Morgiana? Why, she's the cat. A cat so essential that she has her own point of view shots throughout the film.

The write-up for this film promises that the poison given to Klara open her mind to "kaleidoscopic hallucinations" and that is, if anything, less hyperbole than it should be. This movie practically explodes and delivers a cosmic freakout filled with ancient Tarot cards, distorted lenses and a deluge of only the fanciest of clothes (the hat budget on this movie had to be excessive), the most extravagant of makeup and filled with sonic fury, delivered by Lubos Fiser, who also composed the music for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.

This movie is drugs and I want to overdose.