Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Blu-ray Movie Review

"Long live your false cheque factories!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 23, 2024

In other "what the hell did I just watch?" discoveries from the foreign-films vault comes The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, a delightful little Czech comedy gem that's part Monty Python, part Dracula send-up, part delirious treat all its own. Hands down my favorite part of this gig is being forced to watch oddities I might not otherwise give a second thought, much less spend a day laughing my way through both the feature and its bountiful supplemental package. Sure, there are plenty of duds. But it's all worth it for that forgotten bit of genius filmmaking that, for whatever reason, has been nearly lost to time. Thank the movie gods for labels like Deaf Crocodile and their insistence on preserving, restoring and reintroducing great films and overlooked cult classics to our 21st century movie-verse. No need to read much further. Take a chance on The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians. You won't be sorry. That said, on with the Blu-ray breakdown...

It's not coconuts but just look at that umbrella. Mmm.

A unique and almost indescribable mix of Gothic fiction, slapstick comedy, romantic opera, and steampunk gadgetry (designed by Czech animation wizard Jan Švankmajer), director Oldřich Lipský’s wonderfully bonkers delight has elements of The Fearless Vampire Killers, Terry Gilliam, Mel Brooks, and "The Benny Hill Show". Based on the 1892 Jules Verne novel "The Carpathian Castle" (which partially inspired Bram Stoker to write "Dracula"), the film follows Count Teleke of Tölökö (Michal Dočolomanský) on the trail of the count’s lost lover, opera singer Salsa Verde (Evelyna Steimarová) – only to discover she’s been abducted by fiendish Baron Gorc of Gorceny (Miloš Kopecký), whose castle home is filled with the bizarre inventions of mad scientist Orfanik (Rudolf Hrušínský). Littered with puns, sight gags, and Python-esque non-sequiturs -- "Later, in Werewolfston", an invented dialect, a detached golden ear for eavesdropping, a staff topped by an enormous TV eyeball, et al -- Mysterious Castle was the fantastical third film from director Lipský and writer Jiří Brdečka, after their much-loved musical western spoof Lemonade Joe (1966) and their detective/horror satire Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet (1977), both major Czech cult hits. Actor Miloš Kopecký and Jiří Brdečka also worked on the supernatural anthology Prague Nights together, released by the Národní filmový archív, Deaf Crocodile and Comeback Company.

Released in 1981, Mysterious Castle has an unmistakable Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) wit and whistle, with the same faux-beard and hand-crafted charm, and was obviously one of the primary influences on director Oldřich Lipský’s trek up the mountain. But similarities are just that, similarities, and very little else feels lifted from Team Python. Castle is its own comedic creature; one that revels in a small but suitably strange cast of misfits that render the titular castle's denizens otherworldly and amusing. Low on intelligence or perhaps just attentiveness, our central heroic duo is a comedy of errors in hiking boots, and the resulting physical slapstick is as effective and hilarious as it needs to be to keep the feature moving along at such a brisk pace. The castle, meanwhile, has a trio of beasties -- the Christopher Lee-like Baron, his Lurch-ian henchman (who sports a beautiful ZZ Top beard), and his blazingly mad live-in scientist, with all his maddening ramshackle toys -- bounces off the straight players (if they can be counted as such) with supernatural ease, chomping down on sketch-born bit after bit, earning increasingly loud laughs. It comes together brilliantly, even viewed some forty-odd years after it first graced screens, and the wicked whimsy at its core is as infectious as ever.

Is it all genius? Not quite. The Mysterious Castle seems to run out of steam midway, or more likely budget, and gets stuck a few too many times repeating itself (particularly in regards to its mad inventor). It doesn't cease to be funny or entertaining by any means, but it also isn't always in a hurry to get back to business, a distinctly '70s and early '80s trait when filmmaking was just at the tail end of transitioning its influence from vaudeville, stagecraft and golden era Hollywood strictly to other films. If it were a modern production, I'd describe it as "padding its runtime", but here, it's merely a product of four decades past. Still, the cast and filmmakers' inventiveness and eye for zany hijinks powers through and brings The Mysterious Castle to its endgame, energized and enthusiastic. Like Python's Holy Grail, it suddenly rolls credits, unsure of how to walk off stage... other than to march out an army that bring things to a quick close (though I suspect this is a clever, very intentional nod to its predecessor). Intentional or no, even it had me laughing, and I'm a hard sell on comedy. All told, I'm happy to have taken the journey with Count Teleke of Tölökö and look forward to a return trip.

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Minted from a new restoration from Deaf Crocodile's Craig Rogers, The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians arrives on Blu-ray with a remarkable 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Only two things, in my estimation, could have improved the presentation: one, had more of the film's original grain field been preserved, and two, had the film been released in 4K as well. Otherwise, there's very little, and I mean very little to criticize here. Colors are subdued but faithfully so, until that is stunning bursts of vibrant color fill the screen. Rich reds and blues, golden yellows, and other stylistic flourishes show just how powerful the palette can be. (Not trying to mention The Holy Grail yet again, but Mysterious Castle resembles it visually in almost every way.) Detail is excellent, barring the occasional soft shot that traces back to the original photography. Edges are clean and free of haloing, and textures are notably refined in a number of properly lit scenes. There are several shortcomings in nighttime sequences -- among them middling shadow delineation -- but, as before, it's difficult to fault a transfer for the limitations of its source elements. Grain is still faintly present too, which lends the image a filmic edge, and there aren't any instances of blocking, banding or errant noise. This is as relatively impressive a transfer as is possible. Kudos to Rogers and Deaf Crocodile's efforts and faithfulness to Lipský and cinematographer Viktor Ruzicka's intentions. The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is reborn.

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Deaf Crocodile's LPCM 2.0 track is no less faithful. Voices are clean and intelligible (save in a few outdoor scenes where the original dialogue is a tad muffled and/or wind noise is perceptible), sound effects have the brightly canned charisma of the most memorable catalog foreign comedies, and music, though thin, sounds quite good. There's no LFE or rear speaker involvement to speak of, which may bother some of you, but purists will be pleased with the work that's gone into restoring the original sound design and stereo mix.

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Czech screenwriter/FAMU professor Tereza Brdečková (whose father wrote the movie's screenplay) and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova provide a lot of context and insight regarding Czech film history, The Mysterious Castle, its contemporaries, and the collaborations between director Oldřich Lipský and Jiří Brdečka. Their discussion of comedy of the era is too dry (sometimes comedy is just fun, no greater meaning), but the pair do a fine job painting a picture of the challenges and potential pitfalls the filmmakers faced in conceiving and executing Castle's tone and tenor.

• Universum Brdečka (HD, 87 minutes) - Directed by Miroslav Janek, this feature-length documentary focuses on the life and career of filmmaker, animator, screenwriter and illustrator Jiří Brdečka, covering his childhood, his work as a screenwriter with Jiří Trnka, Karel Zeman and Oldřich Lipský, and his own acclaimed work as an animator and director. In Czech with English subtitles.

• Interview with Tereza Brdečková (HD, 39 minutes) - Brdečková covers some of the same ground concerning her father as she does on the film's commentary track, but still manages to offer new details, analysis and anecdotes. Plus not everyone enjoys a good commentary.

• Prince Měděnec's Thirteenth Chamber (HD, 9 minutes) - A 1980 animated short film from Jiří Brdečka.

• Love and the Zeppelin (HD, 9 minutes) - A 1948 animated short film, also from the elder Brdečka.

• Booklet - With an essay from writer Jonathan Owen on Central and Eastern European cinema.

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is a comedy I didn't know I needed. Crawling out of the primordial Python ooze, this 1981 Czech cult gem is a laugh riot that establishes its own identity quickly and often, and easily earned its place in my collection. Deaf Crocodile's Blu-ray release is excellent as well, with an impressive restoration and video presentation, a faithful LPCM audio track, and a deep, informative supplemental package with plenty of treats all its own. I highly recommend a blind buy on this one.