MORGIANA
Director: Juraj Herz Run Time: 97 min. Release Year: 1972 Language: Czech
Starring: Iva Janžurová, Josef Abrhám, Josef Somr, Nina Divíšková, Petr Čepek
Two sisters—neither of whom is named Morgiana, that’s the cat—are placed in opposition when one of them inherits the majority of their father’s estate. In a brilliantly affecting dual performance by actress Iva Janžurová, the raven-haired Viktorie contrives to poison her naïve, fair-haired sister Klara when she is driven mad with jealousy over Klara’s abundance of attention from potential suitors. As her sister becomes weaker and more prone to kaleidoscopic hallucinations, Viktorie’s flamboyance threatens to foil her own murderous plans. Slovak filmmaker Juraz Herz’ most well-known film in the West, MORGIANA is a bewitching fairytale that’s bursting with extravagance.