Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) - Criterion Collection

Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) - Criterion Collection | Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen | A study of ignorance.

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Haxan (Witchcraft ...

	Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) - Criterion Collection Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen Criterion Collection, The, 2001 average customer review:based on 26 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the middle ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious-instead it's a witches' brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. The Criterion Collection is proud to present two versions of this genre-defying "documentary," for the first time ever on DVD.

An amazing film

I was prepared to not be hugely impressed by this film, since I'd heard it doesn't really have a plot, but I ended up really loving it. Sometimes an episodic structure can work better for a film than being plot- and character-driven, particularly in a film such as this one. It's part documentary, part cultural and historical overview of, as the subtitle says, "witchcraft through the ages." It starts out with various drawings from different cultures, depicting their views of the universe and evil spirits, and then goes into the meat of the film, the terror of the Burning Times in Europe, in this case in Germany, where most of the women falsely accused of being witches lived. We first see the types of people who were accused of witchcraft, such as two medical students who dug up a fresh corpse for dissection purposes, a coven of women using white Magick for various ends, and an old woman who casts an evil spell on a man who cursed her. This leads up to the story that takes up most of the film, the trial of Maria the Weaver, who has been accused of being a witch simply because she's old, desperate, and homely, and because the people whose house she went into for some food are the typical superstitious people of the time, believing she's the reason the man of the house suddenly fell ill. Following the lengthy story of Maria's trial, eventual forced "confession," and the subsequent arrests and trials of other people in town, there's a chapter about how many nuns of the era were thought to be possessed of the Devil, either because of excessive religious piety and things like self-flaggelation, or because their strong belief in such things became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The film's final section, the modern coda, is admittedly the weakest chapter, and appears a bit dated today in spots. It attempts to explain the seemingly strange behavior and reactions of women accused of witchcraft by the retroactive diagnosis of hysteria and related psychiatric and neurological disorders. The hysteria described herein, which includes insensitivity on some parts of the body, is known as conversion disorder today and has nothing in common with the long-debunked pseudocondition "female hysteria." While it certainly seems laudable to have turned a modern scientific eye towards explaining some of these strange phenomena, today it seems just as simplistic and naïve as the Medieval belief in dark forces and witches. Its connection to the witch trials also seems a stretch; how are we supposed to see any real similarities between a kleptomaniac or sleepwalker and the average woman denounced for "witchcraft," nor between someone legitimately suffering from conversion disorder?

The acting is really phenomenal, and the special effects and makeup are spellbinding considering the era. All of the scenes of Devil-worship, orgies, secret covens, people flying through the air on broomsticks, torture instruments, and other diabolical things are very well-done, surprisingly R-rated for the era, and enough to satisfy anyone with a taste for the macabre and classic horror. And since I'm very interested in Medieval history, I loved how most of it was set during the Middle Ages, with so many great costumes, sets, and depictions of Medieval life. For those who can get past the fact that it happens to be silent and from 1922, the theme is timeless and just as pertinent today as it was back then, that we need to get past ignorant fears and superstitions about the world and towards people who aren't in line with what is believed to be the norm, and use reason, knowledge, compassion, and science to explain and understand things we don't understand.

Extras are an incredible commentary by Danish film scholar Caspar Tybjerg, a stills gallery, outtakes (particularly valuable since barely any films from the silent era have surviving outtakes), a filmed introduction to the 1941 re-release, by director Benjamin Christensen, a gallery of all of the still images presented in the film, along with more detailed commentary about them, and the 1968 re-released version of the film, which has narration by William S. Burroughs and a modern jazz score which can be a bit intrusive and inappropriate at times. This version can probably only be explained by virtue of the fact that it was the Sixties.

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A study of ignorance.

You've got to be kidding me, this movie is [.......] amazing! Haxan is a silent mockumentary film from 1922 about witchcraft and superstition. It plays out almost as an educational film about the history of witchcraft, but it's more like a satire on the idiocy of the human race in general. I was so entertained and involed with what was going on I forgot this was a silent film at all. 86 year's later it's still finding it's followers (me) and is much better than anything to come out recently. Stop motion animation, nudity, and reverse footage in the 1920's?!?! Not to mention grave robbing and other distasteful event's. Worth every penny!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

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Creepy & Very Entertaining

I've always enjoyed B&W movies, but was never much into silent films until a couple of years ago. Some of them are really amazing in terms of plot & sexuality. The Silent Era was fortunately before the censorship of the late 30's that dictated things like bra size & how close actors could be with each other when doing a kissing (and no French, please!) The TMC channel recently hosted a night of silents that featured "Gay Actors." It was a scream. I don't know how many people out there in Cyperland remember Zazu Pitts (perfect name!), but her silent shorts (as in film length, not leg wear) are really funny and perfectly performed. Anyway, I had seen little snippets of Häxan used to illustrate documentaries, but only ten seconds or so--and while doing my own research on witchcraft (doesn't everybody?), decided it was time to take a longer look.

At first the introductory segment is reminiscent of phys-ed "just say no to premarital sex" films. However, in Häxan the format is a deliberate & sophisticated seeting up of what follows. I say "sophisticated" because the movie works with the subject on different levels and dimensions. Sometimes you can't even believe what you are seeing!

The ways the film weaves various themes reminded me of "Intolerance" by (racist) American director D.W. Griffith; but I think Häxan presents an even more fully integrated multilayered storyline. Another interesting feature is the use of sepia (reddish brown) tinting, to give an even more documentary and realistic effect. The added background music fits perfectly; often an effective counterpoint to the action.

The acting too is very believeable, very realistic for the time. In fact, it would be considered suplerative even today. Religious and social prejudices are broadly & authentically lampooned in images so realistic that sometimes watching the movie is like looking through a peek hole in time.

Anyone interested in film history and/or the occultism/horror must see Häxan.

Rosemary's Baby
Reefer Madness [Remastered] 1936
Nosferatu / Vampyr [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]
IntoleranceThe Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies

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drip. drip. drip.

The holes in some people's logic can cause quite a mess. This strange movie mixes documentary and madness to illustrate how stupidity and fear can cause strange reactions by folks.
I found this movie pretty interesting. It exposes lots of myths behind witchcraft. Women would get beat til they admit what their tormenters wanted to hear.
This movie has it all--demons, torture, magical potions, grave-robbing. Satan also appears, seducing a woman while she was in bed with her husband. Some of the costumes in this film are a little cheesy, but it's still a great spook story.

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Häxan

THough this movie is 80+ year old it is one of the best protrayals of witches I've seen. The acting is really quite corny, but how the events are shown is pretty uch in tune with what historians agree actually happened. Witches are not normally the sexy seductress, but instead were the ugly crones who have no way to defend themselves. The inquisition stepped in to help bring about confessions, and without basic civil legal rights, the condemned was usually convicted through confessions.

This movie shows the whole gamut of events. The sick child, the succubus, the trials, the temptations, and the trials. There are no real special effects, but it kind of amazes me that no other film has attempted to cover this same subject as this film does. It's a rare find, but worth the time spent watching it.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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