Hailed by Freddy Buache, Director of the Swiss Archive, Lausanne, in 1970 as "The most beautiful, and the truest of Swiss films," Romeo and Juliet in the Village is a luminous invocation of nature in narrative. The poetic visuals, reminiscent of the silent era-and here, beautifully nuanced with music-render the dialogue not only obvious but obsolete, and the film strangely modern for that. We were at times reminded of Dreyer, of Frankenstein, then again of the Wenders/Handke collaborations (we only wished for Buñuel) in this film that, despite its sincerity, offers an ominous vision of rural life. The Romeo and Juliet story is transported to a 19th century Swiss village, where a petty dispute over land divides the families of the would-be lovers. The lovers' progress and their fate are reflected in the seasons-bright sun, sudden shadows-the moody use of low- and high-angle shots, the bold portioning off of bodies, and the constant river beckoning. The final scene, as the "marriage bed" in a rowboat disappears in the fog, is worthy of Ugetsu.