Morgiana, by
Slovak director Juraj Herz, is a seldom spoken of curio from the
Czechoslovak New Wave that’s heavily stylized with regards to its visuals and
mood but is straightforward with its story and might feel a little influenced
by the ‘Grand Dame Guignol’ horror of What
Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Much like Poe’s
The Black Cat, there is an
escalating sense of guilt in its protagonist, aristocratic villainess Viktorie
(Iva Janzurová), that’s not particularly
out of remorse or regret for her crime, but from paranoia, constant annoying
reminders of her misdeed, and fear of being found out, which is where I think a
lot of the suspense comes from.
I like that there is a lot of appeal to its
detestable, unsympathetic villain. Viktorie (Viki) is probably one of my new
favorite villains. She emanates a wicked aura, primarily due to her excessively
evil gothic look that pretty much gives away the nature of her game at first
glance. Janzurová's performance is frightening,
stellar, and versatile. I say versatile because she also plays Viki’s sister, Klára.
The personalities and appearances between the sisters are like night and day,
and I don’t know if I was a bit naïve at the time, but after watching the whole
movie for the first time, I had no idea the same actress played both sisters.
