Though his name will always be synonymous with the legendary The Cremator, Czechoslovak director Juraj Herz was responsible for several other fantastic-tinged films that have been building cult followings over the years including Morgiana, The Ninth Heart, and Beauty and the Beast. Less genre-oriented but no less spellbinding 1971's Oil Lamps (Petrolejové lampy), his first starring vehicle for the lauded Iva Janžurová who went on to excel in her dual roles in Morgiana the following year.

At the turn of the 20th century with many feeling optimistic about the future ahead, one of the most enthusiastic revelers is Štěpa (Janžurová), a young woman expected to marry soon since she will be taking on her family's farm. She ends up settling on a removed cousin, military officer Pavel (Čepek), a cousin of some sort whose own family sees her as an opportunity to dig themselves out of a financial hole. However, their marriage goes unconsummated after the wedding, and the truth soon comes to light: Pavel contracted syphilis during his military service, and it's gradually eating away at his mind and body. Determined to salvage what's left of her new domestic life, Štěpa has to take the reins and pull together what she can to save face with the townspeople and do what she can for her deteriorating husband.

If you can imagine a cross between The Music Lovers and Places in the Heart, that sort of gets at the unique tone of this visually sumptuous character study with a pair of exceptional performances at its heart. The subject matter could have lent itself to a traditional melodrama, but it doesn't feel that way at all as the main couple seem to exist in a tragic tailspin without an escape despite all the townspeople and family members who keep floating around them. Another top tier score by the great Luboš Fišer (Valerie and Her Week of Wonders) is the icing on the cake here, and the chilly atmosphere and period detail add to a thick atmosphere that never lets up.

Released a couple of times on Czech DVD and fairly easy to see on the gray market in fansubbed editions, Oil Lamps underwent a much-needed 4K restoration in 2023 by the Czech National Film Archive and made its worldwide Blu-ray debut in 2025 in the U.K. from Second Run. The presentation looks extremely impressive with fine film grain and nice detail throughout, with the delicate color scheme relying on soft white, grays, and rose tones for the most part. The LPCM Czech mono audio sounds excellent and features optional, newly translated English subtitles. An energetic 2021 episode of The Projection Booth podcast dedicated to the film is included as a commentary track with Mike White, Kat Ellinger and Jonathan Owen examining Herz, early '70s Czechoslovak cinema, the themes at play, the influence of Gothic literature, a possibly important scene that was cut for inexplicable reasons, and other recommended films by the director including Sweet Games of Last Summer. The 1947 short film A Conversation on a Train (Rozhovor ve vlaku) (13m1s) is a public information short in which three passengers in a train carriage have a conversation demonstrating the dangers of indulging in alcohol, "be it spirit, beer, or liquer, it's all the same evil," which can lead to a violent accident at work or cause you to contract a nasty venereal disease that will wound the national economy. A newly created trailer is also included, and the package comes with an insert booklet featuring a Peter Hames essay about Herz's background, the development of this film and the process of adapting the 1935 source novel by Jaroslav Havlíček, the political issues caused by Herz's prior work, and the segue to Morgiana and its aftermath.

Reviewed on April 17, 2025