Häxan - Witchcraft Through the Ages [1922] [DVD]

Part horror movie (years before that term came into use), part documentary, this has to be one of the strangest films ever made. Benjamin Christensen was a Danish actor and director who had previously made two thrillers, Det Hemmelighedsfulde X and Haevnens Nat, which both showcased his remarkable sense for lighting, framing and editing - and his adventurousness in moving beyond the established basics.
Yet, nobody could have been prepared for Haxan (Danish title: Heksen). Many of the scenes were profoundly disturbing for contemporary audiences - and may still be so today. But what strikes the modern viewer is how cinematically exciting it is all done.
The camera has yet to move (Murnau's "floating camera" is still a couple of years away), but Christensen's expert framing and editing lends every sequence an exceptional dynamic quality. When choosing a subject for the camera, angle, and size, he is invariably right, giving an incredible flow to the film as a whole. There is not a dull moment - partly because the subject is so unflinchingly handled, partly because every scene is thoroughly composed.
There is some magnificent "special effects" work using double exposure and very believable models - including a broomstick ride to Bloksbjerg and the witches' sabbath (compare the flying sequence in Murnau's Faust!)
The acting is very fine with very little of the mannerisms we associate with silent films. Some of the actors were to have long and distinguished careers in Danish film and on the stage - among them Poul Reumert, Ib Schoenberg, Elith Pio, Clara Pontoppidan.
The print used in this edition is exceptionally well-preserved, and although I usually prefer plain b/w to the tints common at the time, the warm red (at times almost sepia) and deep blue used here, look magnificent.
Regarding the soundtrack, we are spoiled for choice: there's a newly recorded arrangement of the music played at the Danish premiere (using material from well-known compositions); then there's a very effective ambient soundtrack by electronic group Bronnt Industries Kapital; finally a score composed by Geoff Smith, performed by him on the hammered dulcimer. On future viewings, I'll be listening to either Bronnt or Smith - the dulcimer score perhaps being the most interesting in the long run.
This DVD is highly recommended to anyone interested in either silent films or the horror genre or both.

A film which would have been to audiences in 1922 (fresh from the collective hysteria of World War I) what Kubrick's "2001" was to the 60s generation-- if there had been the same desire by audiences of the time to be enlightened by the still new cinematic art after confronting the world's woes. Instead, the film was maligned, banned, protested against by thousands of nuns in the streets, championed by André Breton, and finally rediscovered by William Burroughs and his circle in the 60s. Light years ahead of its time in terms of technique (Goddard did not invent the jump cut) and sincerity. The jazz music accompanying the Burroughs version fits beautifully.

"Häxan" is one of the strangest films I have ever seen. Produced in 1922 by the Danish film director Benjamin Christensen, this film is a dramatized documentary about the history of witch craft up to the present day. Without any background knowledge, I watched the film and for a long time I was puzzled as to why this film was made. Now I understand that Christensen wanted "to create a whole new film rather than an adaptation of literary fiction", making it so out of the ordinary.

Although the acting is natural, a number of scenes seem to be a straight from a fairytale (the broomstick ride), while other scenes seem almost random at first glance (the somnambulist). Yet, in hindsight the film was worthwhile watching, even if it was only for the fantastic devil character played by Christensen himself. It seems odd for viewers today, but the film was banned for many years in a number of countries, because of its explicit and blasphemous nature.

From a technical point of view, I was impressed with the sharpness of the film and the usage of (what looks to me) colour filters in a number of scenes. Even after 90 years, I think "Häxan" would stand the test of HD TV without a problem. This sharpness combined with the usage of colour filter gave me the feeling I was actually watching a colour film. This was the case especially with the scenes of the kleptomaniac. Amazing!

In my opinion, this is not a film for a casual viewer, but only for people genuinely interested in silent films or film historians. Whatever your reasons for watching "Häxan", prepare yourself for one of the strangest films ever made.