Bathory - the most expensive Czech film

Director Juraj Jakubisko directed the most expensive film of Czech cinematography. His drama and historical movie is called Bathory and tells the story of Elizabeth Bathory (Ersebet Bathory), a Hungarian countess who lived in today´s Slovakia in 16th/17th century.

Bathory is very infamous for murdering and torturing her vassals. She is also said to kill many innocent young girls to get their virgin blood, which she believed should help her to preserve her beauty. But now, for almost hundred years later, historicians´ opinions about her and her life are not that uniform. Some say that she got extremely rich and independent, and thus become a target of jealousy and then evil machinations of her enemies. So who really was she?

The film with budget of 10 000 000 Euros, which makes it the most expansive film in the history of not only Czech, but as well Slovak cinematography, was made in international coproduction of companies from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and United Kingdom with additional funding provided by European Union´s Eurimages, the State Czech funding for cinematography (Statni fond CR pro podporu a rozvoj ceske kinematografie) and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. If you want to know more, read on