Sixteen year old Marek (Mirek Caslavka) leaves his dreary small town life for the beautiful but treacherous streets of Prague, a city where everything can be had for a price. He is quickly lured by a greasy pimp into selling his body to the many tourists who flock to the city for its cathedrals, castles and tender male flesh. Emboldended by his clear marketability (he's gorgeous), Marek and his handsome streetwise buddy David decide to enter the teen flesh trade on their own. But kinky johns, all too available drugs and their own self destructive natures propel them instead into a hellish world in which the instinct to survive is their only hope. Directed by leading Czech filmmaker Wiktor Grodecki (Not Angels But Angles, Body Without Soul), Mandragora is based on true stories with a mostly non-professional cast (including actual prostitutes) and shot on the streets, train stations, and sex clubs of Prague.

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Now let's discuss the DVD itself. It's terrible. The studio that released this film, Water Bearer, apparently did so without love or care for this film, just the possibility of making some fast money. The print used for this transfer skips in several places (this is really unacceptable as the film is only four years old as of this writing), and could use some cleaning up and remastering (too many scratches and artifacts). Some darker scenes suffer from some very visible digital transfer problems. The sound is poor through some passages, resulting in background bass "thumps" whenever the characters speak. The English subtitles are riddled with blatant spelling errors, typographical errors and very poor grammar, most likely translated by someone for whom English is not a first language. A few scenes in English are subtitled in Czech, for some unknown reason. And, although this doesn't bear on the film directly, there are no extras. You either view the film in its entirety, select one of seven incredibly long chapter stops which will have you hitting the fast-forward button in frustration, and that's it! No interviews, no commentaries, no trailers, no talent files, nothing.

So buy this DVD for the story alone and you won't be disappointed. Expect more and you'll be sorry.

33 of 35 found the following review helpful:

Excellent and intense filmNov 11, 2000

The story of a Czech runaway's descent into the world of drugs and male prostitution. If you ever bought a Bel Ami video, this might make you think twice about the world that these boys come out of. Excellent acting, good story, might be too intense for many. Makes _Basketball Diaries_ look like a Disney movie, so beware.

21 of 22 found the following review helpful:

The Belly of the BeastAug 15, 2005
By Grady Harp
NOTE: According to the dictionary: Mandragora is 1) a plant of nightshade family: a plant with a forked root resembling a human body that was formerly believed to have magical powers and was made into a drug and 2)a 14th century alteration of medieval Latin mandragora, influenced by man, drake "dragon" (from its emetic and narcotic properties).

MANDRAGORA, the astonishing film from the Czech Republic written by Wiktor Grodecki (who also directs) and David Svec (who also acts in the film), is aptly named: mandragora is the world of male prostitution that seduces young lads with promises of money and ultimately poisons them with the burning disease of loss of self respect and ultimately of life.

Marek (Miroslav Caslavka in a stunning performance) is a beautiful 15-year-old kid from a little village in the Czech Republic who has aligned himself with petty criminals to have better things such as classy clothing, a lad whose single father (Jirí Kodes) demands he stay in school (yet is always in the background to salvage Marek's errant life situations) and who seems to be prepping his son for a better life. Marek hates school, which he sees as merely a path to be a welder like his father. The father and son collide after another crime spree and Marek leaves home for the big city promises of Prague.

Once in Prague Marek is observed by the pimp Honza (Pavel Skripal) who follows Marek, knowing that Marek's future in the city is doomed without Honza's 'protection'. Within a day's time Marek's luck with the slot machines dries up and Honza convinces him to be his 'rabbit' - a male prostitute. Marek's first encounter with an American 'john' ends disastrously and the beaten Marek returns to the streets where he encounters a fellow hustler David (David Svec). Together they forge an alliance to escape Honza's compound and begin a life of successful prostitution. They are bonded (the probability of Marek's actually being gay and physically attracted to David is strong) and together they encounter all manner of unseemly characters involved in the underbelly of Prague's male prostitution life.

Characters weave in and out of Marek's and David's life, each time leaving scars that grow more visible as does the threat of drug problems and AIDS. They eventually consent to embrace the lowest level of making gay porn where the cruel director forces Marek to be sodomized by David. They are raided by the police and Honza reappears as Marek's nemesis. Through a series of drug-induced hallucinations and dreams Marek envisions what his future holds and his descent is stamped. Yet at this point Marek's father journeys to Prague in search of his son, discovers his life style, is terrified and angry and tangentially passes Marek in a critical final scene that is devastatingly sad.

This film is dark, frank, cruel, realistic, and sweats with the evil of the belly of the beast that is Prague's underworld. Yet the direction is so fine and, equally important, the acting by Miroslav Caslavka so sensitive that we as the audience are swept into an overwhelming compassion for these unfortunate lads whose seemingly only hope for a better life is one of humiliating degradation. MANDRAGORA is a no holds barred examination of a dark life that maintains a precarious balance between caricature and character development. Yes, it is lengthy at 126 minutes, in need of editing in areas, has faulty subtitles, and a strange musical score by Wolfgang Hammerschmid who extrapolates Puccini's 'Nessun dorma' and Bach's 'Erbarme dich' and 'Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder' from the St Matthew Passion for heavy effects, and very dark cinematography by Vladimír Holomek, but despite these sidebar problems, they only slightly mar the overall impact of a very important film. Grady Harp, August 05

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:

Intense!May 04, 2000

This is a Czech film (subtitled) about a 15-year-old boy that runs away from home and finds himself penniless and lost on the streets of Prague. Spotted by an evil pimp, he's soon dragged into a life of prostitution, drugs and crime, transforming him from a wide-eyed boy into a hardened street junkie turning tricks for money or drugs. Eventually he ends up in a sleazy porno film made by a real sleaze that can't seem to get enough powder up his nose. Meanwhile, the boy's father searches for him in horror and disbelief of the lifestyle he's uncovering in the grim, seedy underworld in the clubs and streets of Prague. A well-directed film, with a great, moving and honest performance by Miroslav Caslavka as Marek, the main character.

Don't buy this thinking it will will be "erotic" or "sexy". The film goes for gritty realism, and you hardly see any of the sex that goes on in the film. There's also occasional violence that gets rather bloody...not for the squeamish, but an intense, moving film.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Realistic Gay HorrorJul 26, 2002

Before deciding to view this film, I had researched much of the background about the director and actors involved with this production. This film's first objective, I believe, is to expose the humiliating and degrading underbelly of underaged male prostitution and the horrors of the gay porn industry. But it also succeeds in evoking amazing thought processes in the mind of the astute viewer, who will be questioning whether this realistic depiction is truly believable. In the end, the viewer will realize that it is. Anyone who cannot feel pity for the youth who are sucked into this terrifying, unforgiving realm must need to have their head examined.

A necessary word about the DVD edition, not at all impressive folks. The print used was obviously well played with no attempt to correct film artifacts or sound distortion. This is only mildly distracting, mostly at reel changes, and shouldn't discourage anyone who is interested in the subject from viewing the film. And don't expect any bonus materials either, there are none. I suppose we should be grateful that Waterbearer at least makes the film available, but how unfortunate that some background about the director, screenwriters, actors and others was not at least attempted. Grossly overpriced for what you get, rent it instead, if you can find it, and keep your fingers crossed for a more expanded version soon. You WILL want to view it again with some friends.

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