Rating: 
Summary: Freudian mythology....
Review: I bought HAXAN (Witchcraft through the ages) because I am interested in religion, have been reading the Ankarloo and Clark historical series on 'WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE' and I admire Criterion films. I knew nothing about HAXAN before I saw the Criterion DVD. HAXAN appears to have been well restored. All the details including the orginal breaks for the seven reels of film have been retained in the 1920s version. Two versions, the original released in the early 20s and a jazzed up version released in the early 40s are included. The DVD also offers subtitles in many languages. The sound track for the 1920s version is wonderful and with a full listing of the music included -- Schubert, Tschaikovsky, and others. I was amazed with the cinematography--lighting, fadeouts, etc. This film will appeal to those interested in film making. HAXAN seems to be a somewhat serious attempt to explain "witchcraft" via the Freudian psychoanalysis -- popular in the early part of the 20th Century. The director shows women engaging in witchlike behaviours in the "olden days" and then behaving in antisocial ways (shoplifting, for example) in modern times. He suggests their behaviour could be explained by mental problems. The film lacks historical accuracy but this is largely owing to the sources the filmmakers used (shown in a references section). These sources perpetuated the myth that the Roman Catholic church acted alone in the persecution of people for witchcraft. Although current historical research contradicts this notion many cling to it as "truth." WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE (Ankarloo and Clark), a six volume series based on historical research undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s reveals the persecution of witches continued long after Protestants controlled Northern Europe. Most of those burned at the stake in Europe in the 17th Century were burned in the Protestant North, especially Germany and Denmark (HAXAN is a Danish film). In fact, research based on secular court records and other administrative data (not just the notes kept by Inquisitors) suggests a number of RC priests were burned as sorcerers. Seems the RCs were very involved in "magic" but not always in the way earlier accounts suggested. Also, there is a great deal of evidence the Inquisitors may have fudged their records a bit!! When the same person turns up for prosecution nine times, something is fishy. HAXAN is melodramatic and if I didn't take witchcraft seriously I might laugh, but to me the persecution of anyone because of their religious beliefs is heinious, and laughing at the suffering of those accused of witchcraft and punished for their supposed involvement is akin to laughing at Holocaust victims.
Rating: 
Summary: Region 1 absurdities
Review: I find it ridiculous that a cinematic genre that is Scandanavian in content is available only for the US and Canada (Region 1 encoding). Please release for Scandanavian/European DVDs. It requires only simple decoding.
Rating:
Summary: Criterion bewitches with their new Haxan dvd
Review: I have just finished watching the new Criterion dvd of Haxan and I couldn't be more pleased! I have never seen this film, but thought I would try it out, as I have always had a fascination with the grotesque, mysticism, and the occult. Haxan delivers in spades. This 1922 Danish silent film about black magic, witches, satanism, and the persecution of said subjects during the middle-ages, which attempts to make a connection between the ancient phenomena and the modern study of hysteria (modern in 1922), has been wonderfully presented by The Criterion Collection in their new dvd. This new Criterion dvd has the original 104 min. version with a newly recorded 5.0 soundtrack orchestrated from archival documentation, and the 76 min. version released in 1967, which has narration by legendary counter-culture icon William S. Burroughs. Watching the original version, I found it full of great imagery and fine silent acting. Emotions and actions are superbly conveyed by the actors, and the sets, costumes, lighting, and effects are all wonderfully done. I especially like the interrogation chamber and the Sabbath scenes, which display lots of good props and much deviltry with rather convincing special effects and make-up. The movie is structured in seven chapters, the first giving a historical account of witchcraft's origins in literature and illustrations. We then are presented with drama plays, having to do with the practice of witches, and the persecution, trying, and torturing of said witches. We are also presented with several instances of the devil manifesting and making demands on his minions. In the end, Christensen attempts to make a correlation between the acts, mannerisms, and various disfigurements anciently attributed to witches and their craft, and the modern affects of hysteria. This is apparently the most criticized part of the film, as mentioned in the commentary, and while it certainly is not as strong as the period dramas, I think it does a good job of raising valid questions, and does work with the film quite well. As for the quality of the transfer... with the exception of element specs throughout, and just a few scenes marred by scrapes, the print is very clean and clear. I thought it looked great. True, the print could have been cleaned up a bit more as far as the specs go, but not every film Criterion does will get the star treatment given Akira Kuroswa's "Seven Samurai". So long as contrast is good, and edges are well defined, I'm usually a happy camper, and this transfer delivers. The new score was arranged by film music specialist Gillian Anderson who attempted to recreate the music presented at the film's Danish premiere as best as possible by referencing the list of musical cues printed in the theater's weekly program notes. It includes works from Franz Schubert, Richard Wagner, Max Bruch, W.A. Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Christoph Gluck, and Ludwig Van Beethovan, as well as others. Anderson conducted the Czech Film Orchestra in June 2001. The score does an incredible job of accompanying the film, sounds wonderful, and is is presented in 5.0 Dolby Digital. There is a knock-out commentary here. Narrated by Danish silent film scholar Caspar Tybjerg, the commentary centers on the director Benjamin Christensen's life in film, the Danish silent film industry, origin of the documentary film genre, technical aspects of Haxan, the cast of Haxan, historical aspects of the study of hysteria in psychology circles, the origins of the devil as a character in media, and of course, the phenomena of witchcraft and witch hunting. References are made to Nosferatu, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the German Expressionist movement, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Seventh Seal, Sigmund Freud... the list goes on and on. While there is an incredible amount of information presented here, with bibliographic references even, Tybjerg does an excellent job of tying it all together and presenting the relevance of the material to the film. This was a very engaging look at Christensen, his film, and the sociological atmosphere both during the middle-ages, and during the time of Haxan's production. As for the 1967 version narrated by William S. Burroughs, "Witchcraft Through The Ages"... I must say that I have not sat through the whole thing. In fact, I just watched the first two segments before finally succumbing to sleep (I have, gladly, spent a LOT of time with this dvd, but have to sleep sometime). My first impression is, while Burroughs is always so interestingly droning yet intense in the same breath, the jazz score was just plain ridiculous, in the presentation of Haxan anyway. The producer composed a jazz score for the film, which by itself, is some very hip music indeed, but it was just terribly out of place in the film. I'm sure the production was aiming to enhance drug trips rather than present the film itself. With Burroughs involvement, I don't think I'm too far of base in this. I'll have to give it another go when I've had some sleep, so I can watch the whole thing, but I doubt I'll be changing my mind. The jazz score is just too out of place, and as Christensen has often said, dialogue would ruin Haxan, as well as several silent films. After witnessing this 1967 version, I must agree with the director. For avid students of special effects, I would make an evening of it with Haxan, as well as Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast", and "Der Golum", found on Elite's "Masterworks of the German Horror Cinema" dvd set. Much mysticism, magic and enchantment abound in these films, and state-of-the-art at-the-time special effects to boot. I am extremely happy with this dvd, and highly recommend it to anyone who is into the study of classic film or anyone who is interested in the occult, whether solely for entertainment or as a study of sociological phenomena.
Rating:
Summary: CHILLING, INFORMATIVE, and a CLASSIC!
Review: I'm sorry that Criterion offered both the original film (104 min.), and the later '67 re-issue (approx. 80 min.)...simply because I can't decide which is better to represent what Christiansen was trying to accomplish. Inform? He does that quite well. Chill? NOT in the original presentation...although the original print is BEAUTIFULLY tinted, and is better-framed than the 1967 reissue, it's the MUSIC that tends to lull me to sleep...the only difference between the 2 versions (note the running times) is the absence of "narrative titles" in the 1967 reissue. The music of the '67 version has been criticized as being "too jazz, too eclectic," but to me, it only adds to the madness of what the director was trying to illustrate! The scene where two men steal a corpse into their village hut (for experiments) gives me chills in the '67 version...in the "Swedish Film Institute" version...it's only a few film segments edited together.
This DVD has a ton of Extras--Benjamin Christiansen's own introduction to the 1941 re-issue of the film, outtakes, stills, etc...this DVD is W-E-L-L worth the money. Problem is, to decide WHICH version to love.
Rating: 
Summary: ummm... yeah slightly amusing
Review: If you didn't know it...Haxan is a silent movie. It is a really good silent movie too (that is if you like movies that don't have Vin Deisel rocking out your subwoofers with huge explosions). The film starts out seeminly like a documentary about Withcraft through history. The film follows that path, but is just so strange and fascinating that you will most likely forget all about the documentary part. Instead of like basic documentaries shown today on the History Channel, Haxan's historical scenes are actually acted out in true film fashion. The catch is that Satan actually is in the film (played by the director himself). Once things start flying, horned demons go out dancing, and the peasants start kissing the director's a$$ (wow...now that is a true statement about Hollywood...MADE ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO), it is no longer a documentary, it is some freaky comedy played out with an humourously lighthearted soundtrack. Criterion even went as far as to include the original shading to the film (nothing beats a red washed scene quickly switching to blue, then back to red before going into a true black and white scene). To be honest, the colour shadings get kind of annoying (even if they are true to how the film originally was). Yet, they can be easily corrected by adjusting your television set. If you want a shorter film about Satan set to a jazzy soundtrack, there is another version of the film included on the DVD for your viewing pleasure. It is also narrated by a very famous person with a voice that just makes you smile every time Satan gets a mortal soul eternally damned to hell. Nothing beats laughing at eternal damnation while listening to an excellenct jazz soundtrack. Basically, Haxan is a very good film if you like silent films. It isn't the best silent film out there, but it is still extremely interesting. Of course, it isn't for everyone, mainly just for the collectors and those who enjoy the fine intracacies of the silent film era. There is good news though! Even if aren't a film buff, a fan of silent films, or interested in this film in anyway, there are a couple of ways that this film can appeal to you (both of which have been experienced first-hand with highly positive results...honestly). 1. Play this film at a party, when everyone gets drunk, nothing is more hilarious than watching peasants kissing Satan's [behind]. In fact, watching that scene over and over again while drunk can be the life of any dead party. 2. If you are in a death metal band (particularly one that seems obsessed with the 80's hair metal scene) then grab yourself a digital projector and project this film behind you while you play. You are guaranteed to have roadies before the stockades make an appearance. If you have an extremely long set, either hit play again or switch out Haxan with Freaks halfway through.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie to get drunk to and watch in the dark.
Review: If you didn't know it...Haxan is a silent movie. It is a really good silent movie too (that is if you like movies that don't have Vin Deisel rocking out your subwoofers with huge explosions). The film starts out seeminly like a documentary about Withcraft through history. The film follows that path, but is just so strange and fascinating that you will most likely forget all about the documentary part. Instead of like basic documentaries shown today on the History Channel, Haxan's historical scenes are actually acted out in true film fashion. The catch is that Satan actually is in the film (played by the director himself). Once things start flying, horned demons go out dancing, and the peasants start kissing the director's a$$ (wow...now that is a true statement about Hollywood...MADE ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO), it is no longer a documentary, it is some freaky comedy played out with an humourously lighthearted soundtrack. Criterion even went as far as to include the original shading to the film (nothing beats a red washed scene quickly switching to blue, then back to red before going into a true black and white scene). To be honest, the colour shadings get kind of annoying (even if they are true to how the film originally was). Yet, they can be easily corrected by adjusting your television set. If you want a shorter film about Satan set to a jazzy soundtrack, there is another version of the film included on the DVD for your viewing pleasure. It is also narrated by a very famous person with a voice that just makes you smile every time Satan gets a mortal soul eternally damned to hell. Nothing beats laughing at eternal damnation while listening to an excellenct jazz soundtrack. Basically, Haxan is a very good film if you like silent films. It isn't the best silent film out there, but it is still extremely interesting. Of course, it isn't for everyone, mainly just for the collectors and those who enjoy the fine intracacies of the silent film era. There is good news though! Even if aren't a film buff, a fan of silent films, or interested in this film in anyway, there are a couple of ways that this film can appeal to you (both of which have been experienced first-hand with highly positive results...honestly). 1. Play this film at a party, when everyone gets drunk, nothing is more hilarious than watching peasants kissing Satan's [behind]. In fact, watching that scene over and over again while drunk can be the life of any dead party. 2. If you are in a death metal band (particularly one that seems obsessed with the 80's hair metal scene) then grab yourself a digital projector and project this film behind you while you play. You are guaranteed to have roadies before the stockades make an appearance. If you have an extremely long set, either hit play again or switch out Haxan with Freaks halfway through.
Rating:
Summary: The best "Documentary" EVER!
Review: It just doesn't get any better than this. If you have any interest in the history of witchcraft, whether you are a follower, or just an innocent bystander; this movie will please. The acting is excellent, and it would have to be especially with it being a silent film. It is disturbing to see how people accused of witchcraft were treated. This movie depicts what happened very well. There is no better movie on the subject of witchcraft than Haxan.
Rating:
Summary: The best "Documentary" EVER!
Review: It just doesn't get any better than this. If you have any interest in the history of witchcraft, whether you are a follower, or just an innocent bystander; this movie will please. The acting is excellent, and it would have to be especially with it being a silent film. It is disturbing to see how people accused of witchcraft were treated. This movie depicts what happened very well. There is no better movie on the subject of witchcraft than Haxan.
Rating:
Summary: Narrated by William Burroughs
Review: Naked Lunch author William Burroughs is the perfect gravel-voiced narrator for this insane, ancient-looking German documentary on the roots of witchcraft, devil worship and sexual perversion.
Rating:
Summary: More "bewitching" than ever!
Review: One of the most famous cult/horror films from the silent era, Benjamin Christensen's "Häxan" is at its devilish best on this EXCELLENT DVD release by the great folks at the Criterion Collection. Say good-bye to those murky, washed out video prints we've all had to put up with, and say hello to a nearly flawless print of the film wonderfully transfered to the disc. The images are so crisp and clear, many of the scenes look as if they could have been filmed yesterday. The clarity also allows for you to see much more of the detail in each frame. Also lending to the beautiful images is accurate tinting and correct "projection" speed. Also included is a terrific musical score which has been reconstructed from the actual music that accompanied the original 1922 release in Denmark. Extras include movie outtakes, production stills, audio commentary, and the 1960's version of the film with William S. Burroughs narrating. The bottom line: this is far and away the best version of "Häxan" you will find anywhere, and belongs in the collection of any silent film buff.
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