The Devil's Trap Blu-ray

British label Second Run is preparing a Blu-ray release of Frantisek Vlacil's The Devil's Trap (1962). Currently, the release is set to arrive on the market on February 28.

Description: The first in František Vláčil's trilogy of beautifully realized historical epics (which also includes his legendary works Marketa Lazarová and The Valley of the Bees), The Devil's Trap is set in 16th century Bohemia where a miller and his son find themselves under investigation by Inquisition authorities after daring to question the local landowner's decision to build on unstable land.

Evoking a time where religious authority holds sway, and an understanding of the natural world is interpreted as evidence of a diabolical pact, The Devil's Trap stunningly creates a cruel but credible world torn between superstition and science.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• NEWLY RESTORED BY THE CZECH NATIONAL FILM ARCHIVE
• In the Web of Time V (1989): cinematographer František Uldrich's documentary portrait of Vláčil
• The Week Starts on Friday (1962): Elmar Kloss' short film about Czech cinema exhibition in the early 1960s, and featuring The Devils Trap.
• Booklet featuring a new essay on the film by author and Czechoslovak cinema specialist Peter Hames
• New and improved English subtitle translation