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 (as Bragi Schut)

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Behmen
Ron Perlman	...	Felson
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Debelzaq
Stephen Graham	...	Hagamar
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Eckhart
Claire Foy	...	The Girl
Robert Sheehan	...	Kay
Christopher Lee	...	Cardinal D'Ambroise
Kevin Rees	...	Dying Monk
Andrew Hefler	...	Jail Bailiff
Fernanda Dorogi	...	Old Woman (Givaudon)
Rebekah Kennedy	...	Peasant Turk Girl
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:

middle ages | knight | monk | witch | 14th century | 

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Taglines:

This January Raise Some Hell.

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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 [Netherlands]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

7 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cacería de brujas

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,612,375, 9 January 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$24,827,228

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,627,228

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

Nicolas Cage was attracted to the project because he saw it as a tribute to the films of Roger Corman from the 1960s, which invariably starred the likes of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price. It was a real bonus for him to discover that Lee was to appear in the film too.

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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 The Graham Norton Show: Ben Affleck/Sir David Attenborough/Matt Smith/Claire Foy/Sting (2016)

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.