Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) ( Häxan ) ( The Witches )

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) (Blu-Ray) (*)

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Original Title: Häxan
Alternate Title: The Witches
Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Subtitles )
German ( Subtitles )
Italian ( Subtitles )
Portuguese ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Subtitles )
Silent ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C )

Running Time:
91 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Black & White

Movie filmed in 1922 and produced in:
Denmark ( Scandinavia, Iceland )
Sweden ( Scandinavia, Iceland )

Directed By:
Benjamin Christensen

Written By:
Benjamin Christensen

Actors:
Maren Pedersen ..... Heksen / The Witch
Clara Pontoppidan ..... Nonne / Nun
Elith Pio ..... Heksedommer / Witch Judge (The Young Monk)
Oscar Stribolt ..... Graabroder / Doctor (The Fat Monk)
Tora Teje ..... En hysterisk kvinde / Modern Hysteric (The Kelptomaniac)
John Andersen ..... Chief Inquisitor (as Johs Andersen)
Benjamin Christensen ..... Djævlen / The Devil
Poul Reumert ..... Juveler / Jeweler
Karen Winther ..... Anna
Kate Fabian ..... Gammel jomfru / Old Maid
Else Vermehren ..... Nonne / Nun
Astrid Holm ..... Anna
Johannes Andersen ..... Heksedommer / Witch Judge
Gerda Madsen ..... Nonne / Nun
Aage Hertel ..... Heksedommer / Witch Judge

Synopsis:

Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen's obsession with bizarre lighting effects reached its apotheosis with his 1922 masterpiece Häxan. Beginning in a deceptively sedate fashion with a series of woodcuts and engravings (a technique later adopted by RKO producer Val Lewton), the film then shifts into gear with a progression of dramatic vignettes, illustrating the awesome power of witchcraft in the Middle Ages. So powerful are some of these images that even some modern viewers will avert their eyes from the screen. Though obviously a work of pure imagination, the film occasionally takes on the dimensions of a documentary, a byproduct of the extensive research done by Christensen before embarking on the project (incidentally, the director himself can be seen in the film in a dual role as Satan and the Doctor). Häxan marked a parting of the ways for Christensen and the Danish film industry; thereafter, he confined his activities to the German cinema, before answering Hollywood's call in 1928. A separate version of this film exists, with a shorter running time, retitled Witchcraft Through the Ages and released in 1968. It features narration by the legendary Beat writer William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) and a score by Jean-Luc Ponty.

Made in Sweden in 1918-1921 using contemporary engravings and illustrations, the film shows by means of dramatised vignettes, the processes of witch-hunting and brainwashing that are today still familiar.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 12 April, 2024.