Benjamin Christensen, Astrid Holm, Karen Winther, Maren Pedersen, Wilhelmine Henriksen, Kate Fabian, Oscar Stribolt, Clara Pontoppidan, Alice O'Fredericks, Johannes Andersen, Poul Reumert. Title from opening screens. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1922 by Svensk filmindustri. Digitally restored in 2016 by Svensk filminstitutet. Wide screen (1.33:1) Special features: New digital, speed-corrected transfer-tinted restored ; music from the original 1922 Danish premiere ; commentary by Danish silent film scholar Casper Tybjerg recorded in 2001 ; Benjamin Christensen's introduction to the 1941 re-release ; a short selection of outtakes ; "Bibliothèque Diabolique": a photographic exploration of Christensen's historical sources ; stills gallery ; Witchcraft through the ages : 76 minute version of Häxan, narrated by William S. Burroughs, with a soundtrack featuring Jean-Luc Ponty.
Contents:
Häxan (104 min.) -- Witchcraft through the ages (76 min.).
Summary:
Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary silent film anticipates gothic horror, documentary re-creation, and the essay film, making for an experience unlike anything else in cinema. It uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that witches of the Middle Ages and turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients suffer from the same type of hysteria.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.