Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1970
Lokis (film)
Buy Lokis (film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Lokis' is a 1970 Polish folk horror film written and directed by Janusz Majewski, and based on the 1869 Prosper Mrime horror novel of the same name. "Lokis" is Mrime's misspelling of the Lithuanian word 'lokys' for "bear".
Plot
In 19th century Lithuania, Pastor and folklorist Wittembach, who is traveling the remote countryside in an attempt to research and catalog the folk customs of its inhabitants, is invited to stay at the home of a young nobleman named Count Micha Szemiot. After being temporarily delayed when his carriage breaks down, Wittembach arrives at the vast estate the following day. Upon arrival, Wittembach is greeted by the estate's staff, who tell him the Count cannot see him at the present moment, as he is suffering from an unspecified ailment that temporarily suffers spells from. Wittembach is quickly befriended by the estate's residing physician Doctor Froeber, who admits to Wittembach that the Count's mother is sequestered in the estate's tower, as she was driven mad after a tragic event.
Settling in for the night, Wittembach discovers a strange man spying on him in a tree outside his window but fails to apprehend the intruder. The next day, Wittembach is greeted by the Count, revealed to be the man who was spying on him. Apologizing for his rude behavior the previous night, Micha offers to help Wittembach in his study of the folk beliefs, giving him access to the rare books housed in his vast library which Wittembach graciously accepts. A little while later, Wittembach meets with Froeber, who confides with Wittembach as to the reason for the Countess' madness; while riding horseback with her now deceased husband, the then pregnant Countess was brutally attacked by a wild bear. Although the Countess survived the attack, she was driven irredeemably mad by the incident. After giving birth to Micha, she attempted to kill him several times, convinced he was not human. Even though Froeber has attempted to cure the ailing Countess through old-fashioned remedies, he laments that she is incurable.
As Wittembach's time at the estate continues, Micha begins to display odd animal-like behavior that grows worse which each passing day. Wittembach learns from Froeber that the villagers believe Micha to be a Lokis (the local name for bear), the half-human spawn of the bear that attacked his mother all those years ago.
Desperate to retain his own humanity, Micha becomes engaged to Julia Dowgiao, a beautiful young woman who has been vying for his affections. The wedding, officiated by Wittembach at Micha's request, is plagued by several ill omens which are brushed off by onlookers. The following morning, when Micha and his new bride do not answer the servants call, the increasingly worried staff, and Wittembach break down the door to their bed chambers. Once inside they find Julia's corpse, her throat brutally ripped out, and Micha is nowhere to be seen. Tracks supposedly from Micha are soon found in the snow outside the bedroom window, which appear to change shape as they disappear into the nearby woods.
Sometime later, as Wittembach and Froeber prepare to leave at a nearby train station, they contemplate what really happened to Micha, theorizing that he accidentally killed Julia in a fit of passion before panicking and fleeing the estate. While boarding the train, the two encounter a group of hunters who have returned after a successful hunt with an assortment of wild animals. One animal in particular catches Wittembach's attention, a large bear whose muzzle is covered in blood. As the train departs, Wittembach asks for God to have mercy on Micha's soul, whom he believes to be trapped in the body of the bear.
Cast
* as Count Micha Szemiot
* Edmund Fetting as Pastor Wittembach
* Gustaw Lutkiewicz as Doctor Froeber
* Magorzata Braunek as Julia Dowgiao
* Zofia Mrozowska as Countess Szemiot, mother of Micha
* Hanna Stankwna as Governess Pamela Leemon
Production
'Lokis' was written and directed by Janusz Majewski. The film itself is based on the Prosper Mrime's 1869 novella of the same name.
Release
Home media
'Lokis' was released for the first time on Blu-ray in North America in December 2021 as part of the 'All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror' set by Severin Films.Reception
Modern
Stephen Thrower on the website 'Movies and Mania' commended the film's atmosphere, characterizations, cinematography, and visuals. However, Thrower criticized film's overall restraint in regards to the horror aspects of Mrime's original story. Adam Groves of 'Fright.com' offered the film similar criticism, calling it "a well made though somewhat monotonous work of atmospheric horror."Dave Sindelar from 'Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings' gave the film a mostly positive review, comparing it favorably to the works of Val Lewton, while noting the film's runtime and slow pacing.
Awards
In 1971, 'Lokis' earned for Majewski the "Best feature film director 'ex-aequo'" award at the 14th International Festival of Science Fiction and Horror Films, Sitges, Spain,[http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/1971/palmares#01 Sitges Film Festival: 1971 awards]'An Outline History of Polish Culture', 1984, , [https://books.google.com/books?ei=xv1RTKv5Jon9nAe47eH8Ag&ct=result&id=xUZMAAAAIAAJ&dq=lokis+film+majewski&q=lokis+ p. 362] as well as Polish film awards.References
Citations
Sources
Books
**
Buy Lokis (film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1970