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| Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages) |
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  (7/10)
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Runtime: 94 m |
| Public Rating: 10.00 (3 votes) |
Director: Benjamin Christensen |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Silent/Pseudo-documentary |
Year: 1922 |
| Writer(s): Benjamin Christensen |
| Reviewed by: Goatdog |
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This is possibly the strangest "documentary" I have ever seen. I put the word in quotes because I am still not sure if that's the best place to put it. It starts out as a documentary--the boring kind that you might see in a history class (as a history major, I saw my share). It shows woodcuts, carvings, murals, etc., all illustrating what ancient and medieval cultures thought about witchcraft. Then, after about 20 minutes, it takes a jump right off into surrealism when it substitutes reenactments of historical cases of witchcraft for the more traditional structure. Complete with the director as a grinning, tongue-protruding devil, it is a sight to see. It's downright hilarious at times, even more so because I am convinced that the filmmakers intended it as a (somewhat) serious exercise in documentary filmmaking.
The film is based on documentation of witchcraft trials in the 15th and 16th centuries. It presents short vignettes that illustrate traditional elements of witch trials, in an attempt to call attention to the corruption and evil of the medieval (and perhaps modern) church. We see forced confessions and false accusations (most notably pilloried in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), the seduction of nuns, the temptation of clerics, and the like. Toward the end, the director appears again as a modern-day psychologist attempting to explain the possessions that people suffered as manifestations of mental disorders.
The film is technically brilliant: the version I saw was a restored print with the original, wonderfully evocative tintings intact. (Many viewers not familiar with silent films think of them in black and white, but many of them were originally tinted in various colors that evoked the mood or setting of the film; blue for night scenes, yellowish for indoors, etc.) The sets are a sight to behold, especially the great convent scenes. The special effects (and yes, they had special effects in 1922) are light-years ahead of their time. Many of them use simple multi-strip film and double exposure to create effects that look surprisingly modern. Viewers who think "silent" films are boring and primitive would do well to start with this one as an example of how advanced they really were.
There are various prints in circulation; possibly the most famous is the 1966 version complete with narration by William Burroughs. Those expecting something odd and poetic will be disappointed, since he basically just reads the subtitles aloud in that tired voice of his. The Criterion Collection DVD is chock full of great extras, so I advise checking that one out.
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