This film gives us a thoughtful look at the horrifying potential of fear, ignorance and superstition. I have to say I admire the courage Benjamin Christensen showed in making this film which not only must have offended the sensibilities of the time for the obvious reasons but also because it dared to champion reason over superstition as a way of explaining things which we do not fully understand. This film resonates with its message that those who judged others unjust may not have been just themselves.
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Space_Mafune7 November 2002
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claudio_carvalho8 August 2010The writer and director Benjamin Christensen discloses a historical view of the witches through the seven parts of this silent movie.
In the beginning, there is a slide-show alternating intertitles with drawings and paintings to illustrate the explanations of the behavior of pagan cultures and in the Middle Ages regarding their vision of demons and witches.
Then there is a dramatization of the situation of the witches in the Middle Ages, with the witchcraft and the witch-hunts.
Finally Benjamin Christensen compares the behavior of hysteria of the modern women of 1921 with the behavior of the witches in the Middle Ages, concluding that they are very similar.
"Häxan" is incredibly perfect for a for a 1922 movie. Like in a thesis, he exposes his point of view based in his study of the theme along the time. The reconstitution of the witches in the Middle Ages is amazing. The last part with the comparison with the hysteric women is funny in 2010, but it was the reality in 1921. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Häxan - A Feitiçaria Através dos Tempos" ("Häxan - The Witchcraft Through the Time")
Note: On 16 Aug 2018 I saw this film again. -
Snow Leopard28 February 2005The striking visuals would in themselves be sufficient reason to watch "Häxan", but in addition it is a thought-provoking feature that combines dark humor, some occasional chilling moments, and perceptive commentary on human nature. It's an unusual package and an unusual feature, and there aren't many films quite like it.
Simply on the surface, the series of unusual visuals and believable recreations of bygone eras would make for interesting viewing. Benjamin Christensen added a strong dose of the macabre to practically every scene, even in some of the smaller details that are only noticeable upon repeat viewings. Some of it is fascinating, some of it unsettling, all of it interesting.
But there is much more to "Häxan" than a mere collection of grotesque images and vignettes. Towards the end, in particular, the commentary becomes quite pointed. It is quite easy for anyone - film-maker, writer, commentator - to criticize and condemn the beliefs and practices of the Middle Ages or of any other long past era. But it is far more of a challenge to, as Christensen has done here, point out the sometimes devastating parallels to one's own era. It is always such a comforting fiction to believe that we are so much more enlightened than past generations have been, and yet it is rarely if ever true.
Christensen aptly illustrates the point that the inability to deal with the odd, the eccentric, and the unusual in our fellow beings is a perennial failing of humanity. Each generation simply devises its own means of stigmatizing and punishing those who cannot conform. (Nor is our own generation markedly better than was Christensen's.) This feature can certainly be viewed (either in the original silent version, or in the 1960s version with some spoken narration) for entertainment value alone. But it is even more pertinent in its observations on human nature. It's an often unsettling movie, with some images that might be bit too uncomfortable for some viewers. But for all that, it's an unusual and worthwhile viewing experience. -
And I couldn't be more pleased! I have never seen this film, but thought I would try it out, as I have always had a fascination with the grotesque, mysticism, and the occult. Haxan delivers in spades.
This 1922 Danish silent film about black magic, witches, satanism, and the persecution of said subjects during the middle-ages, which attempts to make a connection between the ancient phenomena and the modern study of hysteria (modern in 1922), has been wonderfully presented by The Criterion Collection in their new dvd. This new Criterion dvd has the original 104 min. version with a newly recorded 5.0 soundtrack orchestrated from archival documentation, and the 76 min. version released in 1967, which has narration by legendary counter-culture icon William S. Burroughs.
Watching the original version, I found it full of great imagery and fine silent acting. Emotions and actions are superbly conveyed by the actors, and the sets, costumes, lighting, and effects are all wonderfully done. I especially like the interrogation chamber and the Sabbath scenes, which display lots of good props and much deviltry with rather convincing special effects and make-up. The movie is structured in seven chapters, the first giving a historical account of witchcraft's origins in literature and illustrations. We then are presented with drama plays, having to do with the practice of witches, and the persecution, trying, and torturing of said witches. We are also presented with several instances of the devil manifesting and making demands on his minions. In the end, Christensen attempts to make a correlation between the acts, mannerisms, and various disfigurements anciently attributed to witches and their craft, and the modern affects of hysteria. This is apparently the most criticized part of the film, as mentioned in the commentary, and while it certainly is not as strong as the period dramas, I think it does a good job of raising valid questions, and does work with the film quite well.
As for the quality of the transfer... with the exception of element specs throughout, and just a few scenes marred by scrapes, the print is very clean and clear. I thought it looked great. True, the print could have been cleaned up a bit more as far as the specs go, but not every film Criterion does will get the star treatment given Akira Kuroswa's "Seven Samurai". So long as contrast is good, and edges are well defined, I'm usually a happy camper, and this transfer delivers.
The new score was arranged by film music specialist Gillian Anderson who attempted to recreate the music presented at the film's Danish premiere as best as possible by referencing the list of musical cues printed in the theater's weekly program notes. It includes works from Franz Schubert, Richard Wagner, Max Bruch, W.A. Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Christoph Gluck, and Ludwig Van Beethovan, as well as others. Anderson conducted the Czech Film Orchestra in June 2001. The score does an incredible job of accompanying the film, sounds wonderful, and is is presented in 5.0 Dolby Digital.
There is a knock-out commentary here. Narrated by Danish silent film scholar Caspar Tybjerg, the commentary centers on the director Benjamin Christensen's life in film, the Danish silent film industry, origin of the documentary film genre, technical aspects of Haxan, the cast of Haxan, historical aspects of the study of hysteria in psychology circles, the origins of the devil as a character in media, and of course, the phenomena of witchcraft and witch hunting. References are made to Nosferatu, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the German Expressionist movement, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Seventh Seal, Sigmund Freud... the list goes on and on. While there is an incredible amount of information presented here, with bibliographic references even, Tybjerg does an excellent job of tying it all together and presenting the relevance of the material to the film. This was a very engaging look at Christensen, his film, and the sociological atmosphere both during the middle-ages, and during the time of Haxan's production.
As for the 1967 version narrated by William S. Burroughs, "Witchcraft Through The Ages"... I must say that I have not sat through the whole thing. In fact, I just watched the first two segments before finally succumbing to sleep (I have, gladly, spent a LOT of time with this dvd, but have to sleep sometime). My first impression is, while Burroughs is always so interestingly droning yet intense in the same breath, the jazz score was just plain ridiculous, in the presentation of Haxan anyway. The producer composed a jazz score for the film, which by itself, is some very hip music indeed, but it was just terribly out of place in the film. I'm sure the production was aiming to enhance drug trips rather than present the film itself. With Burroughs involvement, I don't think I'm too far of base in this. I'll have to give it another go when I've had some sleep, so I can watch the whole thing, but I doubt I'll be changing my mind. The jazz score is just too out of place, and as Christensen has often said, dialogue would ruin Haxan, as well as several silent films. After witnessing this 1967 version, I must agree with the director.
For avid students of special effects, I would make an evening of it with Haxan, as well as Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast", and "Der Golum", found on Elite's "Masterworks of the German Horror Cinema" dvd set. Much mysticism, magic and enchantment abound in these films, and state-of-the-art at-the-time special effects to boot.
I am extremely happy with this dvd, and highly recommend it to anyone who is into the study of classic film or anyone who is interested in the occult, whether solely for entertainment or as a study of sociological phenomena. -
MrETrain5 August 1999More commonly known as "Witchcraft Through the Ages", this is definitely one of the most bizarre, visually arresting movies of all time, even nearly 80 years later. It starts out as a rather dry documentary, detailing medieval superstitions and folklore while showing ancient woodcarvings of witches and demons in various forms. Then we move on into the dramatic portion of the film. In one scene we see witches concocting potions using the body parts of corpses from the gallows. One witch walks in carrying a bundle of sticks, and undoes the bundle revealing a decomposed human hand hidden inside. Fans of "The Blair Witch Project" should take notice, especially considering that the Danish title of this film is "Haxan", also the name of the movie company that created "Blair Witch".
Director Benjamin Christensen appears as a leering, tongue-wagging Satan, with very realistic makeup. The witches are shown with the Devil and his minions performing various acts of sacrilege and perversion that must have been extremely shocking at the time the movie originally appeared, and would be offensive to many people still. The film was banned for many years because of the depiction of these acts (not to mention the occasional nudity), as well as sacrileges performed by nuns and monks. There are some stop-motion animation sequences (pre-Harryhousen, no less) that are very good, especially for the time. This is a difficult movie to describe. It really is something that you'd have to see for yourself.
The version I am reviewing is actually the re-issue from 1966, with a dubbed-over narration by beat novelist/junkie William Burroughs, and a modern, jazzy score featuring Jean-Luc Ponty. I enjoyed Burroughs' narration quite a bit, but oftimes the music is annoyingly inappropriate. Sometimes it works very well, but most of the time I was wishing for a standard orchestral, or vitaphone, score. A Klezmer score, even, would have been very effective. There are a few different versions available, some with subtitles and an orchestral score. Maybe one of these days they'll come out with a version featuring the Burroughs narration along with a more appropriate orchestral score. That would be perfect. As it is, this an impressive, compulsively watchable film that still goes further than most dare to go, even in these much more permissive times. -
Cineanalyst7 July 2005"Häxan" is a bizarre film, one impressively photographed with a unique narrative structure. There are many varied perspectives on it, because, as fellow commenter mmmuconn pointed out, director Benjamin Christensen presents the film from various perspectives. I prefer the facetious and fantastic perspective, when the film's seriousness is dubious: the fictional drama of witchcraft and the trials, mostly. The documentary perspective, with the slideshow and end hypothesis that witch-hunters misunderstood hysterical women for witches, is vapid at times, if not sexist, especially given that the hypothesis is now outdated as the belief in witches with supernatural powers.
Yet, to incorporate these perspectives and different means of storytelling, as well as multiple story-lines, is innovative and interesting in itself. Christensen connects them via intertitles and the use of the same actors, as well as having the fictional characters connect the stories. Christensen's narrative voice in the intertitles is occasionally bothersome and condescending, but it adds consistency and unity to the entire production. Still, as a documentary, the film fails and is unenlightening.
As visual delight, however, in addition to the well-crafted narrative structure, it succeeds. Christensen had mastered visual style with his two previous Danish films: "Sealed Orders" (Det Hemmelighedsfulde X) and "Blind Justice" (Hævnens nat) (both of which I've actually seen). This includes the use of low-key lighting, silhouettes, tinting, transitional effects, masking the camera lens and camera movement. Something new is the nighttime photography. The use of close-ups during the trial does well to create intensity, which fellow Dane Carl Theodor Dreyer would make extreme use of in "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) (1928).
The shots of witches flying on broomsticks are perhaps the most remarked on and most innovative, involving a miniature model, superimposed images and a moving camera. From there, the old seamstress tells the inquisitors of images of humor, perversion, profane occult rituals and the grotesque. The costumes and sets add to the dark atmosphere. Christensen delights in playing the devil himself. He had played major roles in his previous films, including a monstrous turn in "Blind Justice", and, here, his performance helps to further link the narratives. "Häxan" was an ambitious film, and although it doesn't work entirely, it's a landmark achievement.
(Note: The 1968 condensed version "Witchcraft Through the Ages", with narration by William S. Burroughs and a jazz score, is an abomination.) -
kneiss18 September 2010This is a documentary, but a documentary that doesn't give much informations. It gives more of an emotional insight of what witchcraft meant back in the days. The movie transported that amazingly. - A truly unusual documentary.
My god, I am amazed what you can do without color, without voices and without modern special effects. I have never seen so realistic looking mystical creatures. Even though you don't see "a lot", this is a great visual experience.
The musical score: I am a fan of classical music, even with a black screen, I would have loved watching the movie. Absolutely fitting classical scores have been used for this movie. -
bkrauser-81-3110646 July 2016The concept of Haxan is deceptively simple. It's a dramatization of witchcraft throughout the ages providing reenactments largely based on the Malleus Maleficarum a 13th century witch-hunting manual. There isn't really a formal narrative though director Benjamin Christensen himself becomes the reoccurring character of the devil throughout the film's various vignettes. It's split into four acts: one setting the standard for what witchcraft is, two giving the audience rhetorical and increasingly surreal "evidence" of witchcraft and the last giving us a pat explanation for witchcraft in a modern context.
What sets Haxan apart from other surviving films of the silent era is it's attempt to construct a central argument and support it with "evidence" in the form of its reenactments. It doesn't work but the visual intelligence and editing of Haxan is leaps and bounds above anything Edison Manufacturing ever released. The comparisons between D.W. Griffith and Christensen are certainly well founded as Christensen provides coherence and insight amid the film's proto- surreal cinematography. He even provides some silhouetted animation that channels Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926).
Yet just like Luis Bunuel's L'age d'Or (1930), Haxan sells itself as a documentary of sorts. The first act of the film struts across the screen with all the authority of an anthropology professor, dully pointing at this and that as evidence of witchcraft. There are still images of paintings and woodcarvings in addition to a moving diagram of the heliocentric solar system; all signalling to the existence of witchcraft in all its ugly, foul and murderous forms. As the other acts take over, so do our emotions. Only the "bad guy" as it were, becomes hypocritical clerics and gullible townsfolk. Are these poor desperate women victims of he times or are they truly accessories of the devil? It's clear the film wants to have it both ways.
The film ultimately deconstructs the act of witchcraft from one of maleficence and devil worship to one of mental illness; cheer- leading for the current time's rational thinking winning out against superstition. It's this last act's classroom lecture-like prognostications, that stringently frames what we just saw in an un- disputable context, that ruins the film. It's as if we were put into a somnambulist trance; images of an almost existential nature filling our head with complex thoughts. Then like a blunt hammer, the film knocks us into reality and asks "what did you learn?" Plus, considering the film was released in 1922, we're experiencing a "modern" rationality that included the concepts of hysteria and electroshock therapy so Haxan isn't exactly the bastion of progressive thinking it thinks it is.
From a historical perspective, Haxan is an interesting little relic that provides some stunning visual tableaux that rivals Nosferatu (1922) in the horror genre. Yet as a narrative, the film is an absolute mess. It ruins any credibility it has by constantly employing heavy-handed metaphor, and at times outright saying "look how backwards we once were." -
planktonrules23 August 2011"Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages" is one of those films that you really cannot adequately describe--you just have to see it for yourself. And, while not all of the film is perfect and it's a bit uneven, the overall production is really quite amazing as you have a hard time believing that such special effects and makeup were possible almost a century ago.
The film purports to be a history of witchcraft, though the vast majority of the film is a supposed recreation of a case from the Middle Ages. So, early metaphysics and witchery were only given a very cursory and dull portion at the very beginning of the film--sort of like a stuffy college professor's lecture spiced up a bit with visual aids. Then, when it jumps to the Middle Ages, the case is acted out with extreme vigor--and the director, Benjamin Christensen, playing an incredibly memorable Devil. Again, this is something you just have to see for yourself. This portion features some gorgeous set designs with costumes that really look like they are from the year 1400. There also is quite a bit of gratuitous nudity (often edited out of the earlier releases of the film) and some incredibly silly scenes involving pigs and cats (again, you have to see this to believe it). And, there is a certain sado-masochistic bent to the Middle Ages portion that you just have to believe. Finally, the film ends with an epilogue attributing the belief in witches to the modern psychological disorder 'hysteria'--which was very popular in Freud's day but no such disorder is in the DSM manual today which lists all known mental illnesses.
This is one of the most unique and bizarre films I've ever seen. At times, it seems very dated and even silly, but at other times you can't help but feel amazed at the production...that, once again, you can't really describe. See this one...you'll know what I mean.
The DVD from Criterion has a great classical score. It also includes a terrible 1968 re-release that is narrated by William Burroughs. Though adored for his strangeness and beat generation poetry, Burroughs was a terrible narrator--dry and not the least bit interesting or professional. In addition, this modern version has HUGE chunks of the old movie removed--and I can't see why they would bastardize the original film like this. It certainly does not make it more watchable or enjoyable. -
Leofwine_draca28 June 2015HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES is the famous Swedish/Danish documentary exploring the history of witchcraft through to the modern day. It's a stark and unsettling film packed with the kind of horrific imagery that has since become clichéd in the cinema, and yet some scenes retain their brutal power and feel surprisingly fresh and terrifying.
The documentary begins on a slow note with lots of description and not much in the way of life, but after a time the staged dramatisations begin and this is where HAXAN comes to life. The whole "witch hunt" subject has been done to death, yet the storyline which plays out here is never less than engrossing. It's also surprisingly strong stuff, with explicit sequences of torture and black masses which are still tough to bear even today.
Danish director Benjamin Christensen elicits strong performances from his cast members, particularly from Maren Pedersen who gives a haunting turn as the condemned witch, and the 1920s-era special effects are a lot of fun; strange how the flying broomstick scene looks better nowadays than the lamentable CGI of the Harry Potter franchise. It's interesting to watch how political sentiments - pro-feminism, anti-religion - creep into the finished film. HAXAN is a must for both horror fans and cinema fans in general. -
There are probably spoilers in here, so watch out! Enter at your own risk. So I'm walking through Borders the other night and what do I come upon but the Criterion collection version of this movie. I'd heared a lot of vague things like "one of the most bizarre film ever made" and I'd always wanted to. I hadn't actually seen it, and the fact that I'd never before been able to locate a copy of it was always nagging at me. Here was my chance to own it, so I got it. Wow. This has got to be one of the the trippiest pieces of film ever put togeather. Can you name any other movie that reproduces so vividly those famous woodcuts from the middle ages showing the witches sabbath? Are there any other films that offer the same pitch-black whit and irony that this movie does, or that recreates the middle ages so vividly? And what other movie has a scene were a bunch of pretty wenches dance lustfully on a cross and then get down and kiss Satan's backside? Yes, there's all that. There is all that and more. There are scenes where a tiny old woman slips a love potion into the drink of a slobbering, gluttonous monk that has stolen her heart. There is a scene where a warlock unwraps a hand and arm he took from a human corpse and breaks off one of the fingers (I think he then eats it, if my memory serves me). There's some dead baby foo, heaps of naked flesh, crazy nuns running around, torture scenes, and (best of all) a bit where the devil himself, played by director Benjamin Christiansen, appears at a window to temps a nude wife to leave her sleeping husband and come out and play in the garden. At times it feals like an porno made by Anton LeVey, with a strangely sexy devil as the centerpiece. In every scene, though, we're garenteed Rembrant lighting, brilliant art direction and an exceptional cast of characters. There are several versions of this movie. As of yet (this review), I've only seen the two versions that are on the Criterion disk. Of the two, I'll saw that I did not prefer the 1968 version, although anything that William Burroughs is involved with can't be all bad.
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SnoopyStyle1 November 2021Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen creates a faux documentary about the evolution of witches. The first part of 15 minutes depicts witches in medieval Europe through a series of old drawn pictures. Then the movie turns into live action as a dissertation on witchcraft.
I like the opening series of drawn pictures. It's a little long but it's fascinating. It fits the faux documentary style. Once it gets to the live action, I would rather have a single narrative story. I do like some of the ideas. The costumes can be a bit campy. It's a lot of animalization of demons. Kissing the butt is kind of funny. There are some good special effects. All in all, this has some fascinating concepts in this silent movie. -
dudeman568523 April 2006I had wanted to see this film forever. Finally, I came upon the Criterion edition at Frys and eagerly spent the $30 on it as soon as I had the money.
I want my money back.
I had been expecting a horror film, showcasing the innovative special effects, the costumes, puppetry, etc, that was supposed to be so terrifying and spooky. There was that IN ONE OR TWO sequences, mostly during Maria the Weavers narrative of the witches Sabbath, and a couple of shorter scenes. But thats it.
The only other interesting part of the movie is the long sequence when the monks are torturing and witch hunting through the village. While this does give a good human look at the Burning Times, the plot is predictable, and is nothing we haven't see elsewhere.
The other segments of the film are hardly worth watching. The parts where Christensen in his Devil out fit pops up and scares the monks or nuns or seduces women in their beds are more amusing than anything. But not "darkly humorous" just chimerical.
The opening and ending of the film have slight historical interest, either as a documentary on witchcraft or as a historical document on psychology during the 1920s.
Overall a somewhat interesting film, but not for everyone. Read closely and know what you are getting the next time you spend 30 dollars. -
smitchell-126 June 2003I found this 1922 "documentary" to be amazing in it's inovative and creative portrayal of witchcraft in the middle ages. Scenes of nudity and torture made this film very controversial in 1922 and caused it to be banned as well as greatly edited in later versions. Criterion has done a great job of preserving the film as it was intended to be seen with censored footage restored, an excellent tinted print, a corrected "projection" speed, a new score that recreates the music played at the original Danish premiere, and some interesting extras. The 1968 William Burroughs narrarated version is also included here and it's pretty ridiculous. The jazz soundtrack is just so very wrong. But still, it's interesting to see, kind of like the "Love Conquers All" version of Brazil. I think that anyone who is interested in film and film history will find this dvd facinating.
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It is still hard to imagine that this film was produced in the early-1920s! Haxan also illustrates the vitality of Swedish film at this time--and what a time. We can bemoan the quality of commercial film-making today, but it should be understood that the period after WWI was unique in the history of the medium, as quite a lot had yet to be done. Watch this film, and you will see the source (along with Murnau's seminal, "Nosferatu" of the same year)of a LOT of contemporary horror imagery. Most of our popular-images of witches, demons and horror-film monstrosity comes from this era, and Haxan is surely a great-contributor to this reservoir.
Of-note, I think Ken Russell must have seen this film before making his magnum-opus, "The Devils" (1971). Incidents of sexual-hysteria in Convents/nunneries are well-documented in Christensen's film (and scholarly-writings), and the connection between it and "outbreaks" of "posession" and "witchery" are solid. And yes, that's a Freudian-analysis, because he wasn't always "wrong." While we may have to strain to understand this hysteria that infected communities, we should observe that so-called witches are regularly murdered in Africa, India and Asia-in-general. It is a feature of most primitive, peasant-societies.
This is still an excellent introduction to the history of witchcraft-persecution in the West, and extremely watchable. The Criterion edition is superb, you can do no better as it contains the Anthony Balch/William S. Burroughs cut of the film with the Burroughs-narration. Also, the image-quality of the 1922-cut is astounding, and must come from the camera-negative, a real treat. 1920s film-technology, we find, was very-good in the right-hands. One can even watch a film like this--or other equally-pristine films--and see that this was not so long-ago. In many-respects, we have changed very-little since the 1920s in America! With "Satanic panics," "recovered-memories," "alien-abductions" and other social-panics, we can see the roots of such reactions (and iconography) surfacing even today. A must-have for Halloween-parties! -
Witchfinder-General-66612 September 2008This is a review of the silent version.
Benjamin Christensen's silent masterpiece "Häxan" of 1922 is easily one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring experiences a fan of Horror or cineaste in general can have. This film is fascinating and brilliant in so many aspects that it is hard to decide where to start. "Häxan" (aka. "Häxan" - Witchcraft Through the Ages") is a groundbreaking film, amazing and scandalous for its time in both its topics and its images, but its value as a classic and milestone is by far not the only quality this masterpiece bears. Not only is "Häxan" one of the most fascinating and groundbreaking films made in the 1920s, it is one of the most fascinating cinematic experiences to date.
The film breathtakingly follows the topic of witchcraft and witch-hunts in seven chapters, from different points of view, and in different styles. It begins fascinating already, with documentary-style explanations about the idea of witches,demons and sorcery in pagan cultures and medieval societies. The film then continues to show amazingly detailed examples of how the medieval European ideas of witchcraft were, how the people imagined the witches' pact with the devil, and their unholy rites. Some other chapters focus on the topic of medieval witch-hunts, and personal fates of those accused and their accusers.
Back when it was made, the film was heavily censored in many countries for its macabre topics and, especially for its explicit depictions. And indeed the film includes footage some of which one would not hold possible in a film from the time. It was not only the realistic, graphic depiction of torture in witch trials that shocked censors of time, but also the macabre rituals of witchery. I do not want to give away too much, but these scenes sure were shocking and unspeakably macabre back then. Some of them are still shocking today and all of them are fascinating. The film is also visually stunning, and incredibly creepy at times. Be it the devils and demons, the witches and their feasts, or the madness of witch-hunts and inquisition - all these scenes are brilliantly depicted in a breathtaking, immensely eerie manner. The astonishing black and white cinematography, and the duskiness of film of the time, only improve on this impression. Writer/director Benjamin Christensen as well as Art director Richard Louw, cinematographer Johan Ankerstjerne and editor Edla Hasen prove exceptional visual talent. Some of the visuals, such as the scenes when witches fly over the countryside on broomsticks are incredible for the time. Every single sequence of this is astonishing - "Häxan" simply is a film that fascinates on all levels. There is also a voiced-over English language version which was narrated by Willam S. Burroughs, which I have not yet seen. If I am considered, however, silence is golden in the case of "Häxan". The scenes are accompanied by a brilliant score, and the inter-titles are interesting and comprehensive. I also found many of the performances to be impressive.
I am always willing to accept different tastes in cinema, but whoever does not appreciate the greatness of "Häxan" is just plain wrong. This is an incredible cinematic experience that is intriguing and tantalizing beyond comparison. Nobody interested in cinema could possibly afford to miss this wonderful gem. "Häxan" is a uniquely brilliant film, and one of the most fascinating masterpieces in the history of motion pictures! 10/10 -
Well this is more a piece of documentary and lecture about witches and witchcraft than an actual movie with a story. Sure there are sequences with narrative elements but their only purpose is to show the audience how during Middle Ages people looked upon the unknown which was labeled quickly as witchcraft. The story is told in 7 chapters of which the first only consists of texts and drawings explaining things. Interesting without doubt but it felt much like being schooled. The next chapters shows us concrete situations with actors and a great setting. Images are shown of the bad things that witches would do, how they brew potions, how they were flying on broomsticks and celebrating in the woods with devils. The fantasy aspects were pretty impressive even though it's obvious the devils are wearing suits, yet the horns, tail, sharp claws and teeth it's all there. Much attention goes to how innocent people were accused of witchcraft, how they were tortured (the instruments really look gruesome) and thus forced into a confession. In the end there is also made a connection with the current time (which is 1922) which I thought was a bit off. Nevertheless an enjoyable piece of cinema even if it's only for a one time view.
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Death_to_Pan_and_Scan8 August 2006I think we should also show people Michael Reeves' "Witchfinder General", a film about the brutality of a sadistic and cruel officially-sanctioned witch hunter in Britain. Though I admit that film may be considered a bit too graphic by some, hey so was the harsher 'Passion of the Christ' and people thought that was okay to show younger people because it's message was important. "Haxan" and "Witchfinder General" are important films for pointing out the dangers of intolerance, jealousy of your neighbors and the insanity caused by mass hysteria and people bowing down to the status quo when an 'authority' is obviously in the wrong and seems 'hell bent' on increasing human suffering.
It's vital to learn from the mistakes of history so as not to repeat them. In a current world often at wars connected to conflicting fundamentalist religious beliefs, and an environment where people are quick to want to persecute others for having different religious views from their own, it's important to remember a time (which I call the Age of Unreason) when religion went very wrong and church elders were complicit in the deaths of (what has been estimated in the) millions of men, women and children. Much of this was due to fear and/or hatred of anyone who looked or thought different than you. The extremists in any religion can potentially allow things to go too far in the wrong direction. The enemy isn't religion, but atrocities committed under the banner of religion.
Christensen's classic silent film (pronounced 'Heck-sen') was indeed controversial back in its initial release and many might still find it controversial today because of its indictment of elders of the goodly church. A church that in this case was definitely in the wrong. Many accusers were common people who wanted to be rid of enemies or were fearful of others or just plain loony, but the church helped foster an environment of superstition and an overwhelming paranoia that evil incarnate and its sworn agents were waiting around every corner. (Ouch! I stubbed my big toe. I couldn't possibly take responsibility for my own actions and consider that I might have been temporarily clumsy so I must have been bewitched!).
Some modern audiences may have a bit of difficulty getting through the film (as they might with many silent films). We've become quite accustomed to 'talkies' by now and its odd to look back at that bygone silent era if you've never done so before. The director himself and others (including critics like Ebert) have said that silent films work great for horror's nightmare landscape where excessive dialogue or explanations could get in the way of the unsettling mood. The director (who played the role of the devil in this film) also said that Haxan wouldn't have been effective if the devil would have spoken in the film, it's better for viewers to imagine that for themselves. This Scandinavian film is beautifully shot despite containing some none-too-pretty images. Well-crafted sets and lighting and a cast ranging from established actors of the day (in their country) to amateur unknowns does a good job overall in bringing the recreations to life. The scene of the witches' broomstick flight is a well-done special effect for the time.
Haxan is in a documentary format with dramatic recreations of the witch accusing and torturing to obtain confessions and includes stuff right out of the 'Malleus Maleficarum' (that infamously repulsive 1480's witch hunters' handbook of choice written by two Dominican monks who had previous papal sanction to hunt witches and whose writings in the 'MM' embraced highly sadistic methods). It starts with discussing primitive belief systems about the nature of the world and proceeds to discuss the types of women accused of witchcraft and the progression to their sham of a trial/interrogation/torture session and their execution, often by burning. There is some great iconic horror film imagery contained in Haxan where it seems to interpret those olde tyme artistic depictions of witches and their alleged Sabbaths. The type of imagery that bored priests sat around envisioning and dreaming up back in those days. It's ironic that ultra-religious types complain the most about horror films when some of their former religious leaders long ago helped to dream up some of the visions later contained in horror films.
Haxan reminds us that alleged 'witches' were people like: folk medicine practitioners, old impoverished women with physical deformations, or simply women that someone else had a disagreement with and figured would be easy to dispatch of by accusing her of what was considered that worst of crimes. People were quick to condemn anyone they saw as different from themselves and accusation of being a witch was the same as a conviction and death sentence, the interrogation/trial was really just a formality where they would torture you to coerce a false confession and get you to name other witches, who would then also be condemned to death. To paraphrase and old hair product commercial a few decades ago: 'You name 20 witch friends and they name 20 witch friends and so on and so on '. This led to the senseless death of millions of people.
The last part of the film takes place in more contemporary enlightened times (early 1920s) and basically states that we've come a long way and that in more modern times hysterical or different people are simply put in sanitariums. Yay us! We've come so far *cough*
The Criterion disc I watched also contained the 1968 version where the film was re-edited and given a (horribly out of place) jazz score and voice-over narration by William S. Burroughs replacing most of the inter-titles.
It's not a typical new-fangled blockbuster Hollywood film full of explosions and car chases, but it is worth seeing if just to remind us of the dangers of what mankind is capable of doing. Man's inhumanity to man (and woman) indeed! -
Red-Barracuda21 August 2009Häxan is a real curiosity. It's a study of witchcraft that is surely one of the first examples of docudrama. It combines non-fiction elements with dramatized sequences illustrating various aspects of witchcraft through the ages. It's not story-based but instead is made up of a number of mini-narratives alongside the non-fictional pieces.
Presented in various colour filters, Häxan is a very beautiful looking film. Its use of models, variety of costumes, elaborate make-up and inventive special effects is exemplary. The film often enters the realm of the surreal and its conception of Hell and its minions is really very good; the witches Sabbath being a great example of imaginative visual film-making. Häxan is a film that has aged better than most silent movies. This is probably due to the fact that it focuses less on dramatics than was normal at the time; as a result there is a reduction in the type of melodramatic over-acting that typified, and dated, so many films from this period. The insertion of non-fictional elements into the flow comes across as quite a bold move and somewhat experimental for the time. The inclusion of shock content such as nudity, severed hands and torture, also puts the film ahead of its time. And what other film dares to include a scene showing witches kiss the Devil's behind? Or the black humour and surreal imagery of the procession of cats exiting the church guarded by the animal-men (this bit is seriously in David Lynch territory).
If Häxan has a weakness, it's that it's overlong. Some of the dramatized scenes do drag on a bit and lessen the impact of the film as a whole. But, that aside, it's a very impressive and daring film with some pretty formidable imagery. Like the best silent films, Häxan derives its power from its imagery. In many ways it's one of the least dated 1920's films and comes highly recommended for fans of the silent era and/or weird cinema. -
AlsExGal6 December 2015If there is one thing I come away with in this film it is this quote near the beginning - "The belief in sorcery and witchcraft is a result of naive notions about the mystery of the universe." The film is presented documentary style with the first portion being about the beliefs of the ancients in regard to sorcery, just so nobody believes that all of this came completely from the Roman Catholic church. It is interesting that there are such commonalities among the ancients and those of the middle ages. They had similar physical forms for demons and believed that sorcerers made people ill or were responsible for certain catastrophes. They never say so, but I imagine this was one way to keep people in line politically speaking. If the townspeople blame sorcerers for their dying cattle or a huge fire they are less likely to revolt against the authorities. Remember the Catholic church and the kings of the Middle Ages were in close alliance.
The dramatic portion is about the last two thirds of the film in which the inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church in the middle ages is shown along with instruments of torture indicating that it would be easy to get someone to confess anything given such devices. It was much like the House Un American Activities Committee of the early 1950's. If you were called a Communist the only way to clear yourself was to name a bunch of other people as Communists. Likewise, witches under torture were forced to name a bunch of other people as witches, they were tortured, and so on. The traveling monks who did this work would thus leave a town after burning half the women to the stake and be able to say "Wow! It's a good thing we showed up! Look how many witches you had and never even knew it!" The film jumps to the present and says that modern science has shown that many of the symptoms of witchcraft - such as lack of sensitivity to pain - have been found to be the result of hysteria and thus has a psychological component, not a demonic one. Funny though how Christensen makes all of these hysterical people out to be women, in particular women who have lost somebody from WWI and turned to shoplifting or some other antisocial or compulsive behavior because they can't fathom going through life without the person they lost. I cut Christensen some slack on this because this film was made almost 100 years ago, plus he does show that it is women who still suffer now (in 1922) from intolerance - locked away in asylums - rather than burned at the stake as they were in the middle ages. And he encourages charity to the poor and misunderstood.
The only thing I'm not sure about is the veracity of the film when it comes to the creative methods of torture. I've heard some people say that many of these devices came from a museum that simply made some of the devices up to increase sensationalism, and thus attendance and ticket sales. Still it's a fascinating piece of film work and I'd recommend it. Just realize that it is creepy enough you might not want to watch it late at night when you are alone. -
bean-d11 March 2011"Häxan" (1922) is a strange, silly, and sad film about the supernatural and our human reaction to it. A documentary of sorts, the film reviews different conceptions of God, the cosmos, and the Devil throughout history and in different cultures. While it is easy to laugh at much of the film (for example, the Devil always appears with a flickering tongue), the scenes dealing with the Inquisition are painful. We see innocent people coerced into confessions and then burned at the stake. We feel their powerlessness against the juggernaut of the Church.
In 1967 "Häxan" was recut (losing 28 minutes), retitled as "Witchcraft Through the Ages," and given an odd and wildly inappropriate jazz score that succeeds so wonderfully precisely because of its inappropriateness. In many ways the latter version is superior, simply because of the weirdness of it. The former, with a classical music score (at least on the Criterion DVD), is powerful, but often the score (which was not specifically written for "Häxan") does not match or strengthen the images. -
Funeral Laugh17 July 2005Pros: Excellent extras of behind the scenes footage. Cons: This film is underrated.
This is not a movie review, but a DVD review. This may contain some spoilers, but will not go into detail of the plot. Please consult another venue for information on the movie itself.
I first seen this film years ago on PBS when I was a preteen. Now that I am thirty and have purchased the Criterion release of Haxan, I am totally in awe.
The film I had seen on PBS was embedded in my head because of its awesome scenery, something important for silent films. The grain of the film gave it a more controversial feel since this was released in 1922 and depicted images of daemons and witchery unseen before. When I first seen it, generations later, I could still see controversy in it. The grain now, however, is cleaned-up, and restored a sepia tone to various scenes. Beautiful crisp images fill the screen, making the Devil (played by director Benjamin Christensen himself) more realistic than the Exorcist's Pazuzu (speaking of: Pazuzu is first mentioned and shown in this film, later referenced and characterized in the tale and film The Exorcist). It's truly amazing how this reel got so cleaned up and speed-corrected.
The extras are even more extraordinary than the film itself. There is a collection of outtakes (or what I want to call Behind the Scenes) that will blow your mind. How often do you see a film before the forties even have FOOTAGE of outtakes, besides photos? Here, you will see special effects test of the "witches flight", set design work, of what appears to be just Christensen being himself, and stills gallery. What is interesting, but I could have done without, was the 1968 William S. Burroughs narrated version, filled with '60's dope music, full-screened, and cut. I'm am glad that this was included, for historical value, but I just can't stomach it. Too darn trippy, and (ironically) blasphemous to Christensen's version.
This "documentary" has long been underrated. Ahead of it's time in f/x and content, this RSDL dual-layer edition will aim to please. Criterion's new release, and best transfer to date by them, is for the Horror film enthusiast and collector who takes their films seriously. -
Sometimes released with the subtitle 'Witchcraft Through the Ages', this Swedish documentary sets out to illustrate the history of sorcery, witchcraft and Satanism. The film gets off to a slow start with an overload of title cards and mundane still images as humanity's longtime fascination with the supernatural is shown, however, things soon become very interesting after around fifteen minutes as the film switches to reenactment mode. There are some truly bizarre sights to see, with discreetly filmed naked witches, dissolve edits for drifting spirits and an appearance by the film's director, Benjamin Christensen, playing the Devil. The best part of the film though comes around halfway in as the witch hunt trials of the 1600s are reenacted in harrowing detail. There are also several graphic shots of torture instruments used in the trial process. As far as documentaries go, 'Häxan' might not be the most enlightening film out there, particularly with the way it blurs Satanism and witchcraft together, but between the intense witch trial section of the movie and several weird shots of witches engaged in rituals with Satan, the project has enough going its favour to rate as an undeniable curio. The lack of spoken dialogue only makes the trials and sorcery shots creepier and more otherworldly, plus the colour tinting (at least in the version on the Criterion DVD) adds loads of atmosphere.
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x-human21 January 2002Review of the reissue with William S. Burroughs' narration.
Although this film uses powerful imagery, advanced camera and special effects, it's far to sarcastic for the audience's good. The film at first points out the rather flawed beliefs of early science, but then goes on to portray witch hunts in a rather sarcastic manner, which tells the audience in a dry tone all the "good" the clergy's doing. I sat through, knowing at least the narrator (Burroughs) can't believe this to be true in real life, at was satisfied at the end with conclusions on how so many were falsely accused of witchcraft. Although today, any one who's going to pick up this film will already know enough not to fall into the trap of cheering on the Catholic church of the witch hunts, when it was first released it wasn't uncommon for audience members to walk in and out of theaters and would entirely miss the whole point of the movie. I doubt the public was that ignorant to fall head first, or would easily become bored enough to walk out of such a daring film, but anyone who should have see in for the truth would have been miles away from the film to begin with. It was either preaching to the already converted, or fell upon the death ears of those who wanted a satanic peep show. And although it's findings may have been on the top of it's game at the time, such research has crossed mountains since.
It's a film which will fall flat with it's presentation as a documentary, any documentary which was 80 years old would, but will dwell on your mind as it takes such a risky exploration into the occult. As a milestone in history of film it will not disappoint, but as an exploration into witchcraft and the occult it only scratches the surfaces.