Season of the Witch (2011)

14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

Director:

Dominic Sena

Writer:

Bragi F. Schut

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Behmen von Bleibruck
Ron Perlman	...	Felson
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Debelzaq
Stephen Graham	...	Hagamar
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Johann Eckhart
Claire Foy	...	The Girl
Robert Sheehan	...	Kay von Wollenbarth
Christopher Lee	...	Cardinal D'Ambroise
Rebekah Kennedy	...	Peasant Turk Girl
Andrew Hefler	...	Jail Bailiff
Fernanda Dorogi	...	Old Woman (Givaudon)
Kevin Rees	...	Dying Monk
Matt Devere	...	Sergeant in Arms
Róbert Bánlaki	...	Livery Boy
Barna Illyés	...	Cardinal's Priest

Storyline

A 14th century Crusader returns to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, a disgraced itinerant and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by mythically hostile wilderness and fierce contention over the fate of the girl. When the embattled party arrives at the abbey, a horrific discovery jeopardises the knight's pledge to ensure the girl fair treatment, and pits them against an inexplicably powerful and destructive force.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | plague | witch | 14th century | monk | 

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Taglines:

Not all souls can be saved.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence and disturbing content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cacería de brujas

Filming Locations:

Burg Kreuzenstein, Leobendorf, Lower Austria, Austria

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£559,769 (UK) (7 January 2011)

Gross:

$24,823,283 (USA) (18 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlas Entertainment, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Test screenings reportedly not impressed Lionsgate executives and the studio decided to push back the originally planned March 2010 release date. The movie underwent reshoots in September 2010 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

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Goofs

When Behmen and Felson are putting on their helmets before the battle in the beginning of the movie, their chain mail coifs are down around their neck, not under their helmet as they should to protect the neck. Then the command is given and they start running towards the enemy. Once the two lines clash, and the fighting begins, Felson suddenly has his coif on while Behmen still has his down on his back.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peasant Girl: No! No... please! I beg you. I beg you. I'm not a witch.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.1 (2011)

User Reviews

Not so good

I was excited to see the Season of the Witch. I loved The Scorceror's Apprentice, and I actually thought this would be better than that. Looking forward to an epic fantasy, I was highly disappointed. I found myself annoyed at the unnatural behavior of Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman. It was like watching Starsky and Hutch with their witty bantering during battles and in the face of peril. Very cheesy. The movie lacked a good flow. It was mildly entertaining in parts, but never reached any peak, not even at the end, because it was just too absurd. The acting was not good, but I think it was just a poorly written script more than anything else. It seems like it had the makings of a very good movie, but fell very very short.