Who said they didn’t have rock music in Russia during the Iron Curtain? The Devil’s Bride, the Lithuanian Rock Opera, smashes that notion. What could only be inspired by the nuclear-level cultural shockwaves (I’m not sorry for the historical pun) that Jesus Christ Superstar sent through the world a few years prior. This Faustian tale of temptation and deals with the devil is unlike musical one has seen in the western world.
After Pinčiukas, a devil, is cast out of Heaven, he finds a farmer, Baltaragis, to tempt with a deal. Pinčiukas will get the farmer the beautiful woman of his dreams in exchange, Pinčiukas must be allowed to marry their daughter. Baltaragis agrees and soon finds he is married to the woman of his dreams with a child on the way. After the child is born, the farmer’s wife is dead, and the ticking clock begins before Pinčiukas collects his bounty… the beautiful now-grown daughter of the farmer. But can Baltaragis do anything to save his daughter from marrying the devil???
Director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ film feels like Ken Russel decided to turn an Ibsen or Chekhov play into a Rock Opera. It has that sort of theatricality that Russell’s Tommy was lauded for. There is a sort of earthiness and almost grounded realism in the characters and acting that Žebriūnas and his actors produce that feels like something out of Ibsen or Chekhov’s work. Though everything has a sense of playful artificiality, with choreographed dance numbers mixed into real-world settings.
The film always sides on the witty or cheekier side of style and tone, creating a story that even in its moodiest moments is somehow playfully fun. The Devil’s Bride’s biggest asset beyond its visual style is its music and musical numbers by composer Vyacheslav Ganelin and its adaptation by Sigitas Geda. The numbers are catchy and the lyrics witty, even if one does not speak a word of Russian.
Though many will find The Devil’s Bride a strange affair for those attuned to its specific vibe will find a new classic to fawn and obsess over.
The Transfer
The transfer with Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion is another prime example of the considerate and beautiful work done by Deaf Crocodile for their titles. The image is clean and crisp, free of any dirt or scratches. The color, contrast, and black levels are wonderfully verbose, giving the film an almost oversaturated look. The greens of the mountains and lush foliage pop off the screen, and the devil’s red velvet jacket is transfixing in its bright color, literally jumping off the screen. Bravo to DC for another excellent transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
New commentary by Michael Brooke
Interview with director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ daughter Monika Edgar (In English)
Interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė (In English)
“The One who Carries a Tune”: Rock ‘n Roll Sessions and The Devil Bride
The all-new audio commentary by Michael Brooke opens with his credentials as a film critic and his passion for Eastern European films, as The Devil’s Bride is an example of why he loves films from this area of the country. Some of the details include the location where the film’s opening moments were filmed; the reason why the color red was shied away from for color coding for the Devil; the visual style that Žebriūnas employed during the opening scene and how that translated to the entire film; the history of Soviet film musicals, including other regions in the Eastern Euro film musicals; the work of cinematographer Algimantas Mockus; the professional and personal history of actor Gediminas Girdvainis; the professional and personal history of actor Vasilijus Simčičius; a discussion of the singing voice actors for Girdvainis and Simčičius; the personal and professional history of composer Vyacheslav Ganelin; the professional and personal history of actor Vaiva Mainelytė; a larger discussion of Lithuanian cultural norms, like wedding traditions, matchmakers, and etc.; a larger discussion of the adaptation of the source novel and how much it differs from the film; ; a larger discussion of the various locations that the production used in and outside of Lithuania; a discussion of the various actors that appeared in the film and their personal history and other film appearances; and much more.
“The One who Carries a Tune”: Rock ‘n Roll Sessions and The Devil Bride (13:34) – is an all-new visual essay by Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill of Someone’s Favorite Productions. Dodson begins with a history of Lithuania and its long-storied history of resistance by the Lithuanian people for hundreds of years in keeping their history intact, and how that translated into their film industry, how the rise of underground rock music into the state, the staging of Jesus Christ Superstar in Lithuania all give context to the production and release of The Devil’s Bride. The visual essay goes on to review the state-controlled film industry under Russian censorship, which forced filmmakers to create more complex, visual, and thematic films and gave rise to director Arūnas Žebriūnas films and his musical. Dodson goes on to discuss the film, its themes, its cultural references, the source novel, and much more.
Interview with director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ daughter Monika Edgar (54:30) – is an all-new video interview with Monika Edgar, director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ daughter, moderated by Dennis Bartok, cofounder of Deaf Crocodile. Edgar goes on to talk about Žebriūnas, his life, his career, and the making of The Devil’s Bride. Some of the details that Edgar and Bartok cover are Žebriūnas’ early childhood and what prompted the director to begin to turn to film and art; the inspiration Žebriūnas took from Marlene Dietrich; how WW2 and post-war affected the family and Žebriūnas himself; the director’s love of sports and how sports played a part in his literal survival, and specifically his love and Lithuanian’s obsession with basketball; the reasons why the director went to architecture school and how he became involved with film, breaking through as a set designer; his time as MosFilm in Moscow; how her father and mother met – her mother being a very famous singer; the reason why they never collaborated; a discussion of the director’s favorite films; her time on her father’s sets; a discussion of The Devil’s Bride – including how the film came to be adapted by Žebriūnas; and much more. Another winning long-form interview moderated by Bartok. Monika Edgar is quite knowledgeable about her father, his life, and his films, including a truly fascinating discussion of The Devil’s Bride and its production.
Interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė (53:27) – is an all-new video interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė, moderated by Dennis Bartok, cofounder of Deaf Crocodile. Šukytė opens with her association with the arts and how she became a film critic/historian/curator, starting as a student of Art History at the same school/university that director Arūnas Žebriūnas attended. Some of the details that Šukytė and Bartok discuss some of her first films and favorite films – including her love of the Harry Potter series; the history of Lithuanian film; why the documentary was such a heavy part of their production during the early stages of the formation of the industry; the rise in production during the Russian controlled/state funded films in Lithuania; some of the important current filmmakers and films of Lithuanian cinema; a discussion of director Arūnas Žebriūnas including his style, his work with children but not making children’s film, what are her favorite films, what made his films so special, and a discussion of what makes The Devil’s Bride so special within his filmography; and much more. This interview is a great companion piece to Monkia Edgar’s interview with Bartok, giving us further context to Lithuanian cinema, both past and present.
The Final Thought
Deaf Crocodile continues to bring unique and singular films from all over the world to home video with not just the best picture and sound, but contextual special features. Highest Recommendations!
Deaf Crocodile’s Blu-ray Edition of The Devil’s Bride is out now.
The Lithuanian Rock Opera The Devil’s Bride is a Faustian tale unlike anything you’ve ever seen. New to Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
The Film
Who said they didn’t have rock music in Russia during the Iron Curtain? The Devil’s Bride, the Lithuanian Rock Opera, smashes that notion. What could only be inspired by the nuclear-level cultural shockwaves (I’m not sorry for the historical pun) that Jesus Christ Superstar sent through the world a few years prior. This Faustian tale of temptation and deals with the devil is unlike musical one has seen in the western world.
After Pinčiukas, a devil, is cast out of Heaven, he finds a farmer, Baltaragis, to tempt with a deal. Pinčiukas will get the farmer the beautiful woman of his dreams in exchange, Pinčiukas must be allowed to marry their daughter. Baltaragis agrees and soon finds he is married to the woman of his dreams with a child on the way. After the child is born, the farmer’s wife is dead, and the ticking clock begins before Pinčiukas collects his bounty… the beautiful now-grown daughter of the farmer. But can Baltaragis do anything to save his daughter from marrying the devil???
Director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ film feels like Ken Russel decided to turn an Ibsen or Chekhov play into a Rock Opera. It has that sort of theatricality that Russell’s Tommy was lauded for. There is a sort of earthiness and almost grounded realism in the characters and acting that Žebriūnas and his actors produce that feels like something out of Ibsen or Chekhov’s work. Though everything has a sense of playful artificiality, with choreographed dance numbers mixed into real-world settings.
The film always sides on the witty or cheekier side of style and tone, creating a story that even in its moodiest moments is somehow playfully fun. The Devil’s Bride’s biggest asset beyond its visual style is its music and musical numbers by composer Vyacheslav Ganelin and its adaptation by Sigitas Geda. The numbers are catchy and the lyrics witty, even if one does not speak a word of Russian.
Though many will find The Devil’s Bride a strange affair for those attuned to its specific vibe will find a new classic to fawn and obsess over.
The Transfer
The transfer with Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion is another prime example of the considerate and beautiful work done by Deaf Crocodile for their titles. The image is clean and crisp, free of any dirt or scratches. The color, contrast, and black levels are wonderfully verbose, giving the film an almost oversaturated look. The greens of the mountains and lush foliage pop off the screen, and the devil’s red velvet jacket is transfixing in its bright color, literally jumping off the screen. Bravo to DC for another excellent transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new audio commentary by Michael Brooke opens with his credentials as a film critic and his passion for Eastern European films, as The Devil’s Bride is an example of why he loves films from this area of the country. Some of the details include the location where the film’s opening moments were filmed; the reason why the color red was shied away from for color coding for the Devil; the visual style that Žebriūnas employed during the opening scene and how that translated to the entire film; the history of Soviet film musicals, including other regions in the Eastern Euro film musicals; the work of cinematographer Algimantas Mockus; the professional and personal history of actor Gediminas Girdvainis; the professional and personal history of actor Vasilijus Simčičius; a discussion of the singing voice actors for Girdvainis and Simčičius; the personal and professional history of composer Vyacheslav Ganelin; the professional and personal history of actor Vaiva Mainelytė; a larger discussion of Lithuanian cultural norms, like wedding traditions, matchmakers, and etc.; a larger discussion of the adaptation of the source novel and how much it differs from the film; ; a larger discussion of the various locations that the production used in and outside of Lithuania; a discussion of the various actors that appeared in the film and their personal history and other film appearances; and much more.
“The One who Carries a Tune”: Rock ‘n Roll Sessions and The Devil Bride (13:34) – is an all-new visual essay by Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill of Someone’s Favorite Productions. Dodson begins with a history of Lithuania and its long-storied history of resistance by the Lithuanian people for hundreds of years in keeping their history intact, and how that translated into their film industry, how the rise of underground rock music into the state, the staging of Jesus Christ Superstar in Lithuania all give context to the production and release of The Devil’s Bride. The visual essay goes on to review the state-controlled film industry under Russian censorship, which forced filmmakers to create more complex, visual, and thematic films and gave rise to director Arūnas Žebriūnas films and his musical. Dodson goes on to discuss the film, its themes, its cultural references, the source novel, and much more.
Interview with director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ daughter Monika Edgar (54:30) – is an all-new video interview with Monika Edgar, director Arūnas Žebriūnas’ daughter, moderated by Dennis Bartok, cofounder of Deaf Crocodile. Edgar goes on to talk about Žebriūnas, his life, his career, and the making of The Devil’s Bride. Some of the details that Edgar and Bartok cover are Žebriūnas’ early childhood and what prompted the director to begin to turn to film and art; the inspiration Žebriūnas took from Marlene Dietrich; how WW2 and post-war affected the family and Žebriūnas himself; the director’s love of sports and how sports played a part in his literal survival, and specifically his love and Lithuanian’s obsession with basketball; the reasons why the director went to architecture school and how he became involved with film, breaking through as a set designer; his time as MosFilm in Moscow; how her father and mother met – her mother being a very famous singer; the reason why they never collaborated; a discussion of the director’s favorite films; her time on her father’s sets; a discussion of The Devil’s Bride – including how the film came to be adapted by Žebriūnas; and much more. Another winning long-form interview moderated by Bartok. Monika Edgar is quite knowledgeable about her father, his life, and his films, including a truly fascinating discussion of The Devil’s Bride and its production.
Interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė (53:27) – is an all-new video interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė, moderated by Dennis Bartok, cofounder of Deaf Crocodile. Šukytė opens with her association with the arts and how she became a film critic/historian/curator, starting as a student of Art History at the same school/university that director Arūnas Žebriūnas attended. Some of the details that Šukytė and Bartok discuss some of her first films and favorite films – including her love of the Harry Potter series; the history of Lithuanian film; why the documentary was such a heavy part of their production during the early stages of the formation of the industry; the rise in production during the Russian controlled/state funded films in Lithuania; some of the important current filmmakers and films of Lithuanian cinema; a discussion of director Arūnas Žebriūnas including his style, his work with children but not making children’s film, what are her favorite films, what made his films so special, and a discussion of what makes The Devil’s Bride so special within his filmography; and much more. This interview is a great companion piece to Monkia Edgar’s interview with Bartok, giving us further context to Lithuanian cinema, both past and present.
The Final Thought
Deaf Crocodile continues to bring unique and singular films from all over the world to home video with not just the best picture and sound, but contextual special features. Highest Recommendations!
Deaf Crocodile’s Blu-ray Edition of The Devil’s Bride is out now.
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