| Häxan | |
|---|---|
 Danish film poster for Häxan |
|
| Directed by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Starring | Benjamin Christensen Clara Pontoppidan Oscar Stribolt Astrid Holm Maren Pedersen |
| Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri |
| Release date(s) |  September 18, 1922 May 27, 1929 |
| Running time | 104 min. Benjamin Christensen, also known as Benjmain Christie and Richard Bee was a Danish film and stage actor as well as a film director Benjamin Christensen, also known as Benjmain Christie and Richard Bee was a Danish film and stage actor as well as a film director AB Svensk Filmindustri or Svensk Filmindustri ( SF) is Sweden 's best-known company for Film production, distribution of Film (both Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (original length / restored length) 77 min (1968 American re-release) |
| Country |  Denmark Sweden |
| Language | Silent film Danish intertitles |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Häxan is a 1922 Swedish/Danish black-and-white silent film directed by Benjamin Christensen. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Events November 26 - The Toll of the Sea, starring Anna May Wong and Kenneth Harlan, debuts as the first general "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Black-and-white is a number of Monochrome forms in Visual arts. Benjamin Christensen, also known as Benjmain Christie and Richard Bee was a Danish film and stage actor as well as a film director It is a documentary about witchcraft, but contains numerous dramatized sequences that are reminiscent of horror films. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers
Contents |
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 the early modern period. Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series.
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 statuary, 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. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering
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. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally 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' Sabbath, even going so far as to "name" other supposed witches, including two of the women in the dying man's household. The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice Witchcraft, Satanism, or other rites 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. Sleepwalking (also called somnambulism or noctambulism) is a Parasomnia or Sleep disorder where the sufferer engages in Kleptomania ( Greek: κλέπτειν, kleptein "to steal" μανία, " Mania " is the condition of not being able
Production
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.
Christensen himself plays Satan, and also shows up briefly as Jesus Christ during a scene set in a convent. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) A convent is a community of Priests religious brothers religious sisters or Nuns or the building used by the community particularly in the Roman Catholic Church He also appears as himself in the film's opening credits.
Danish composer and conductor Launy Grøndahl composed the film's original score. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures Launy Grøndahl (1886–1960 was a Danish Composer and conductor.
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. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Jean-Luc Ponty (born September 29, 1942, Avranches, France) is a virtuoso French Violinist and Jazz Composer William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word
On October 16, 2001, Häxan was released on DVD by The Criterion Collection. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Criterion Collection is a Privately held company that distributes "authoritative" consumer versions of "important classic and contemporary films" This release features a restored print of the original version of the film, as well as the 1968 Witchcraft Through The Ages version. Also featured are 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.
Soundtracks
In 2007, two new soundtracks for the film were composed. One was by the British composer and performer Geoff Smith, to be performed on the hammered dulcimer. Geoff Smith may refer to Geoff Smith (British musician, English musical performer and composer Geoff Smith (American musician, American The hammered dulcimer is a stringed Musical instrument with the strings stretched over a Trapezoidal sounding board Smith performed the soundtrack throughout the UK in 2007. [1] The other was by the British group Bronnt Industries Kapital, and was also performed throughout the UK and Europe in 2007. Bronnt Industries Kapital are a band from Bristol England. They released their debut album Virtute et Industria, in May 2005 A DVD of the film featuring both soundtracks was released by Tartan Films on September 24, 2007. Tartan Films, established in 1982 was a United Kingdom -based film distributor Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Barði Jóhannson of Bang Gang made a symphony over the silent film with the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra. Barði Jóhannson (born October 10, 1975) commonly known as Barði in Bang Gang is an Icelandic musician Bang Gang is a band from Iceland. Bang Gang is often the musical alias of songwriter/producer Barði Jóhannsson who formed the band and lives in Reykjavík The Häxan Score was released on CD in 2006. Häxan is the first album Barði Jóhannson released under his own name A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio
External links
- Haxan at the Internet Movie Database
- Download Haxan at archive.org
- Häxan at Silent Era
- Criterion Collection essay by Chris Fujiwara
- Criterion Collection essay by Gillian Anderson
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic