Red-Barracuda This extremely beautiful film was a latter day entry from the Czechoslovakian new wave. This cycle of highly personal films came out of the country during a period of change and turmoil, a fertile time for artists which was essentially curtailed after a clamp-down by the communist authorities. Interestingly Valerie and Her Week of Wonders was actually made and released in the early years of this regime. Quite surprising given the very artistic content, although having said that it is worth remembering that the legendarily creepy children's fantasy film The Singing Ringing Tree (1957) was produced in East Germany under another highly oppressive communist regime; so perhaps the communists had a blind spot when it came to bizarre cinematic fairy-tales. Whatever the case, both those productions benefited hugely from their central European ambiance. Valerie is a pretty singular bit of work though, and doesn't seem to borrow very much from anything else nor is there too much after it that is all that similar. The nearest equivalent from the Czechoslovakian new wave being the Gothic horror-melodrama Morgiana (1972) which also shares a dark fairy-tale aesthetic and highly stylized surrealist approach to its period-set material.The first thing you will notice straight from the get-go with this one is that it is a very visually beautiful film indeed. The photography and editing are exquisite, with many images that stay locked in the memory. Scenes of night-time menace combine with days of pastoral sunshine to create a world of…well…wonder, quite frankly. The story is quite elusive and not always clear but given that it compromises of dreams and the like this is quite understandable. Set some undisclosed time in the past, it focuses on a teenage girl called Valerie who lives with her grandmother. The story begins with her experiencing her first menstruation – beautifully indicated by a drop of blood falling on a daisy as she walks on by. Her subsequent sexual awakening coincides with the arrival of a carnival and from here many strange fantastical things occur including magic earrings, vampires, a predatory priest and a boy who sends her magical letters.Jaroslava Schallerová in the role of Valerie is a revelation. This young performer is thoroughly engaging as the innocent girl at the heart of events. It's definitely a pretty adult story for such a young performer to appear in, given the sexual nature and some of the disturbing scenes. But it is executed in a way that is true to the material without ever going too far. The story is essentially about her coming-of-age, told in the style of a dreamlike fantasy. The way things are told feels very true to its central European roots and events retain a very enigmatic feel, far removed from the narrative certainty the material would no doubt have had it been made in Hollywood. It's one of those films that it is really best just to dive into and not to worry so much about the reasons why and to simply embrace the feel of the thing. There are some aspects that seem to be making a more clear point, such as the criticism of organised religion, what with the character of the predatory priest and the witch-burning scene. But on the whole, this is more of a phantasmagorical, highly sensory experience. It is also quite unusual in its combination of fantasy with horror, of the latter there is the unforgettable character of Weasel who is a Nosferatu-like figure who navigates events with supreme malevolence…sometimes while carrying a small pampered dog. Such unpredictability is par for the course here. It isn't a surrealist film per se but it certainly contains surreal elements punctuated throughout its run-time. Lubos Fiser and Jan Klusák add a considerable amount also with the haunting, organic score which complements the visuals really quite perfectly.Valerie and Her Week of Wonders is a heady concoction of true creativity. It makes you realise what cinematic invention truly is. It's one of those films which genuinely can be described as a one off master-work.

Scott LeBrun The lovely and enchanting Jaroslava Schallerova stars as the title character, a girl on the verge of womanhood. She exists in a medieval fantasy land where such things as vampires and witches can exist. She seeks to learn the truth about her parentage, encountering a rich variety of characters. Among them are the likable, well-meaning Eaglet and the creepy "man" known as The Polecat.This won't appeal to everybody; some viewers may believe it to be too "arty". But it's richly rewarding for those looking for an unconventional take on genre fare. Drawing inspiration from fairy tales such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "Little Red Riding Hood", director Jaromil Jires draws us into an intoxicating atmosphere. Music, costumes, and sets are all absolutely breathtaking. Jires dares to take his time with the pacing, yet his film runs a scant 77 minutes. It touches upon such subjects as innocence (and the loss of same), jealousy, vanity, sex, religion, and decadence. Viewers should be aware, however, that despite the presence of elements such as vampires and witches, that this is anything but a typical horror film.Extremely well acted, heartfelt, and thoughtful, this is an interesting entertainment. It would play very well as part of a double feature with the American film "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural". It may not have much in the way of gore or nudity, but it doesn't need these things to make an impact.Eight out of 10.

pjbellew Second Run DVD brought out an excellent edition of this film in 2008. It's a new digital transfer that, while not quite up to Criterion standards, does justice to this criminally neglected film. Nice extra features, too: an informative introduction by film historian Michael Brooke; an interview with Jaroslava Schallerova (Valerie); and a superb booklet, containing an in-depth essay and a lovely appreciative piece by Joseph A. Gervasi of Exhumed Films. This dream of a film seems to have been a one-off for director Jaromil Jires, whose other films - from what I've read - appear to be more conventional in scope. There are so many films that deserve to be consigned to the celluloid bonfire. This is not one of them. Well done, Second Run!

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost Valerie is a thirteen year old girl, orphaned at a young age and now living with her grendmother. One morning she tells her grandmother that she is no longer a girl and that with the onset of her period she has now become a woman and thus begins Valerie's surreal adventures in life, love, religion and just a little bit of horror. As a group of travelling players arrive in town, one of their leaders seems familiar, he reveals himself to Valerie's grandmother as her former lover and Valerie's long dead father. The grandmother is staggered at the youthful complexion of the man (actually a vampire), he offers her, her youth back in return for her home and Valerie's soul, she agrees. Thus develops the flimsy plot in this Alice in Wonderland like fantasy of a girls sexual awakening. The film is sumptuously filmed, in dazzling dreamscapes of innocence and horror, little of it makes any sense but the film never the less sweeps up the viewer in a hypnotic stream of consciousness that is hard to escape. Valerie though does escape unscathed from all her escapades, including vampires, attempted rape by a priest and a burning at the stake, all thanks to her special talismanic earrings, left to her by her mother. Amidst all this the film also boasts a beautifully evocative and even at times very twee score, that is just perfect for the visuals. The ending is wonderful and pure fairytale. I want to watch it again, right away.