Häxan (1922)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Benjamin Christensen

Writer:

Benjamin Christensen (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Benjamin Christensens stora film.

Plot:

A documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshow...

Plot Keywords:

Witchcraft | Spell | Surrealism | Fake Documentary | Monastery

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (USA) (DVD box title)
Heksen (Denmark)
The Witches (USA)
Witchcraft Through the Ages (International: English title) (short version)

Runtime:

Sweden:87 min | USA:77 min (1968 re-release) | 104 min (DVD version) | Argentina:87 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Silent

Certification:

UK:15 (1994) | UK:X (1968) | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Aljosha Production Company

Trivia:

Maria, the weaver (one of the persecuted witches) was played by Maren Pedersen, whom Christensen allegedly discovered while she was selling flowers on a street corner. Pedersen claimed that she was the first Red Cross nurse in Denmark. During the shoot, Pedersen reportedly turned to Christensen and said, "The Devil is real. I have seen him sitting at my bedside." Christensen was so struck by this confession of modern demonic activity (or at least the belief in modern demonic activity) that he incorporated this anecdote into the film itself.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of, and position of, gold coins on the table and on the floor of the bedroom during the hag's dream.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los 5 Faust de F.W. Murnau (2002) (V)

Atmospheric, nightmarish, and even a bit silly

Directed by Scandinavian filmmaker Benjamin Christensen, ‘Haxan' / ‘Witchcraft Through the Ages' (1922) is a head-trippy silent film depicting black magic, witchcraft, and demonology from the middle ages to the 20th century. Shot and presented in documentary form, the film is more akin to a pseudo-scholarly lecture with moving visual aids. Not as intense or as shocking today as upon its initial release, the film is filled with nightmarish images that are certainly profane and explicit, but also humorous and downright silly.

Yes, sex goes hand-in-hand with Satan, and Christensen's flamboyant portrayal of the aforementioned character, complete with flicking, wanton tongue, drives home the point (well, that and a peppering of nudity). Unique to say the least, ‘Haxan' is a rather weird curio of a film with some incredibly atmospheric, somewhat graphic images, esp. for that era.

The Criterion dvd includes the silent original and the 1968 re-release with an electric jazz-fusion score by Jean Luc Ponty and narration by William S. Burroughs. Burroughs' voice is a treat in itself, and the jazz-fusion score is absolutely frenetic. --- david ross smith