Morgiana – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Czechoslovakia, 1972
Director: Juraj Herz
Writers: Juraj Herz, Vladimír Bor
Cast: Iva Janžurová, Josef Abrhám, Nina Divíšková, Petr Čepek, Josef Somr, Jiří Kodet 

Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 102 Minutes 3 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Czech
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $99.95 (only available as part of House of Psychotic Women: Rarities Collection Volume 2)

"When their wealthy father dies, cruelly jealous Viktorie will lead her naïvely trusting sister Klára—both portrayed in 'a frightening, stellar performance' (At The Mansion Of Madness) by legendary Czech actress Iva Janžurová—into a gothic nightmare of deception, blackmail, and murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative by The National Film Archive in Prague. The sources for the digitization were the original image negative and the original sound negative. The digitization was done in 2024."

Morgiana comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.2 GB

Feature: 29.3 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Czech with removable English. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a short film directed by Rachel Amodeo titled Rest in Peace (13 minutes 13 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo, no dialogue), a vampire rock musical made for Czech TV directed by Juraj Herz titled Nightmares (26 minutes 22 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Czech, no subtitles), a short film on shooting location, Pobiti Kamani, animated by Leslie Supnet and narrated by Kier-La Janisse titled The Stone Forest (6 minutes 25 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Iva Janžurová titled Little Drop of Poison (14 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Czech with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Stranger With My Face festival director Briony Kidd and Cerise Howard, co-founder of The Czech and Slovak film festival of Australia, and an introduction by Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women (3 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Juraj Herz directed Morgiana. He’s known for The Cremator, Oil Lamps, Beauty and the Beast, and Ferat Vampire.

The narrative centers on two sisters, Klara and Viktoria. Viktoria becomes increasingly jealous when their father leaves his fortune to Klara, and her emotional state deteriorates further when Klara begins a relationship with the man Viktoria loves.

Morgiana is a period-set psychological melodrama that explores envy, jealousy, blackmail, and paranoia. Its score, especially its main music motif, does an exemplary job setting the mood and conveying the two sisters' states of mind. Production design is another area where Morgiana excels.

Juraj Herz's original intention was to climax Morgiana with the revelation that the two sisters were actually one person suffering from schizophrenia, but he was forced to make changes at the request of the company producing Morgiana. Fortunately, the result is a film that blurs the line between reality, and its use of duality in many ways keeps his original intentions alive. 

Another reason why the two people sharing a singular persona works so well is Iva Janžurová’s extraordinary performances in the dual roles of Klara and Viktoria. While there are clear distinctions physically and internally, her performance blends these two characters in such a way that one questions if one is real and the other is all in her mind. This distinction is further accentuated when Viktoria removes some of her layers to reveal her true self in the final moments.

The narrative gives you just enough information without it ever fully revealing where things are destined to end. The narrative does an excellent job holding your attention and building momentum to its moment of truth. The way in which the camera frames people and objects and moves greatly heightens the mood. The editing and juxtaposition of images play a crucial role in the unfolding story. Ultimately, Morgiana serves as an extraordinary exploration of descending into madness.

My only complaint about this release is that they did not subtitle Nightmares. That said, Severin Films gives Morgiana an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer