Häxan
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| Häxan | |
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 Region 1 DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Starring | Benjamin Christensen Clara Pontoppidan Oscar Stribolt Astrid Holm Maren Pedersen |
| Release date(s) |  September 18, 1922 May 27, 1929 |
| Running time | 74 min. |
| Country | Denmark/Sweden |
| Language | Silent |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Häxan is a 1922 silent film directed by Benjamin Christensen. The film is presented in black-and-white with intertitles in the Danish language. The film is usually classified as a documentary, although because of the subject matter, it is sometimes classified as a horror film. The film was shot in Christensen's home country of Denmark.
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[edit] Plot
The film is a documentary of witchcraft and a study of how human superstition, coupled with a lack of understanding of the causes of things such as mental illness and disease, may have led to the witchcraft hysteria of medieval times.
The first part of the film is a scholarly dissertation on the appearances of demons and witches in primitive and medieval culture. A number of photographs of stauary, paintings, and woodcuts are used as demonstrative pieces. In addition, several large scale models are employed to demonstrate medieval concepts of the structure of the solar system and the commonly accepted depiction of Hell.
The second part of the film is a series of vignettes theatrically demonstrating medieval superstition and beliefs concerning witchcraft. These include Satan (played by Christensen himself) tempting a sleeping woman away from her husband's bed and terrorizing a group of monks. Also shown is a woman purchasing a love potion from a supposed witch, and a sequence showing a supposed witch dreaming of flying through the air and attending a witches' gathering.
The third part of the film is a long narrative broken up into several parts. Set in the Middle Ages, it concerns an old woman accused of witchcraft by a dying man's family. The narrative is used to demonstrate the treatment of suspected witches by the religious authorities of the time. The old woman, after being tortured, admits to heavy involvement in witchcraft, including detailed descriptions of a Witches' Sabbat, even going so far as to "name" other supposed witches, including two of the women in the dying man's household. Eventually, the dying man's wife is arrested as a witch when she admits that she falsely accused the old woman of witchcraft.
The final part of the film seeks to demonstrate how the superstitions of old are better understood now. Christensen seeks to make the claim that most who were accused of witchcraft were mentally ill, and in modern times, we recognize that people are not possessed by the devil but suffering from a disease. His case revolves around vignettes about a somnambulist and a kleptomaniac, the implication being that these behaviors would have been thought of as demonically-influenced in medieval times whereas modern times recognizes them as psychological ailments.
[edit] Alternate Versions
The film was re-released in 1941 in Denmark with an extended introduction by Christensen. The intertitles were also changed in this version.
In 1968, an abbreviated version of the film (77 minutes as opposed to the original's 104 minutes) was released entitled Witchcraft Through The Ages. This version featured an eclectic jazz score by Jean-Luc Ponty and dramatic narration by William S. Burroughs.
[edit] Criterion Release
On October 16, 2001, Häxan was released on Criterion Collection DVD. This release featured a restored print of the original film, as well as the entire Witchcraft Through The Ages edit. Also featured were extensive production notes, a re-recorded musical score, commentary by Danish film scholar Casper Tybjerg, a gallery featuring the images used in the film's first section, and the introduction Christensen recorded for the 1941 re-release.
[edit] Miscellanea
- In addition to playing Satan, Christensen shows up briefly as Jesus Christ during a scene set in a convent. He also appears as himself in the film's opening credits.
- Most of the film was shot at night, ostensibly to enhance the sinister mood of some of the scenes. Such a technique was unheard of at the time of filming.
- Haxan Films, the studio that produced The Blair Witch Project, took their name from this film.
- Norwegian industrial metal artist Mortiis, used excerpts from the film in a promotional video for the re-mix of the song 'Marshland', from his 'Smell of Rain' album.
