RE:VIEW ~ “Häxan” (1922)
This is an odd one to categorize. Its narrative is as a documentary, or perhaps a lecture in the format of a motion picture, about witches throughout history (“häxan” being Swedish for witch). Much of the latter two-thirds of it are dramatic historical re-enactments which may or may not be accurate beyond generalities. Also, the director was Swedish, as was the funding and studio backing and distributing of it, but almost all of the interior filming was done in Denmark. The historical records and scenes therefrom are most probably German in origin, which are quite horrific.
So we have a semi-documentary horror drama by a Swedish director in Denmark telling a German tale about witches.
Thankfully, it’s a silent film (albeit with an orchestral score provided), so we can just put it in the category “Super Old Movie” because it was made 104 years ago.
Despite that confusion, it’s incredibly good, with some fantastic close-ups of faces that are beautifully lit and as timeless as imaginable.
There’s some confusing jumps from one situation to another a few times, because one explanation of norms through dramatic presentation will suddenly jump to a completely different one with no announcement of it. I could have done with something to fix that.
As well, there’s some nudity (did I mention it was Swedish?) which could have been more overt, as there is modesty shown when either the horror of something happening when you have no defences occurs, or the simple purity of life when nude is not allowed to be fully realized. Besides, if we are to believe that there are moments of degradation and unrestrained depravity, we should at least have this suggested more effectively than they are here.
The Swedish Censors at the time wouldn’t have agreed with me, because even some of the shots of ’side boob’ and buttocks which we see were removed prior to public screening.
Probably the longest story in the picture concerns an older woman who is accused of being a witch by a mother and her two daughters. The husband of one of the daughters is very ill with . . . an illness . . . and he seems to become worse (or dies? it’s unclear) after the woman has been in the room with him. She is hauled away and tortured by some representatives of the Vatican who are roaming the country doing some sort of Inquiry Into Evil-Doings. As they interrogate the woman, she not only confesses her guilt, but accuses the two daughters and their mother of also being witches, and so all four women are put to death.
This comes after an explanation about how people of any gender were determined to be guilty of Evil-Doings: they had their wrists tied to their ankles and thrown into a body of water. If they floated, they were witches and then burned. If they sank and never emerged, then praise the Lord, they were innocent and will enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
I suppose this beats having one’s weight compared to a duck.
Also, what a surprise that the Papal Inquisitors found evil wherever they went, as torture revealed all sorts of confessions regarding it!
This also saw a duplication of the so-called logic — more like confirmation bias — found within the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the 1980s where people’s denial of Satanist Worship only proved their guilt. For some discussion of that, see the earlier review of Charles Stross’ book, A Conventional Boy.
Despite the seemingly gruesome subject and content, this is a really good motion picture, and I can see why it has stood the test of time for over a century as something people recommend to others to watch.
Excellent and highly recommended.
★★★★☆