Grimm Fabrications- Photo Credit- Of' Storms Creative Studios

Sunday 9 February 2014

The Countess


I've been spending my Sunday morning working on projects, and watching a movie called 'The Countess'. It's really good. I enjoy drama that is historical and macabre... this one in particular. It is a film about Elizabeth Bathory. She is one of my favourite historical figures. She is the one who is rumored to have killed virgins, in order to attain their blood. The legends say that she thought the blood made her look younger. The stories are so creepy and macabre. I'm fascinated with the idea of cultures and individuals killing virgins for their purity. It's a bit arbitrary, and so... what's a good word for evil?

This film is fantastic. The costuming is absolutely beautiful, and there are so many moments in this film that cause the slightest cringe. I'm curious as to where the filmmaker got the idea for such scenes. A young Elizabeth burying a live chick, because she thought that it would grow like a seed. Instead, she dug it up to find a decomposed chick, covered in maggots. Later, she is heartbroken over her young lover. She cuts open a large, deep cut in her chest. She places a lock of his hair in the cut, and sews it up. Later, she finds a new lover who enjoys pain, and she discovers her enjoyment of inflicting pain (a very Venus in Furs kind of scene). Scenes of blood-drained young girls, disposed of in the woods, and being eaten by wolves. It's all very strange, very morbid, very macabre.... just so... subtly bloody. It's almost fairy tale like... At least the German fairy tales, in its gruesomeness. Elizabeth Bathory always makse me think of Bluebeard.

I'm finding this film to be very inspirational. Then again, I get a huge amount of inspiration from dark history, particularly the legends that may or may not be true. This film is particularly inspiring because of the small things (like the cringe worthy scenes mentioned above), and the costuming. Here are a few stills from the movie. It's such a stunning film. I'm sorry for the influx of photos. I'm in love with the costuming. You can click on the photos for larger views.





 

 

 

Absolutely lovely. I find that Renaissance costumes inspire me quite a bit. The detail is fantastic, and everything about it is just so beautiful. Just as Renaissance painting inspires me, so do the garments that the artists wore.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves costuming, or just likes historical films in general. It's beautiful, and creepy, and morbid. 

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