Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
(Häxan)
Benjamin Christensen
- 1922
- Denmark, Sweden
- Horror
- 1h45mn
- Original version with French subtitles
- Black and white
Brand new master
A study in four chapters of witchcraft and demonic beliefs, that explored the manner in which superstitions and fear of the unknown have shaped civilizations, namely real or supposed witches, free or persecuted women.
Through its indictment of religious intolerance and patriarchy, its striking fantastical visions, extreme violence, incandescent eroticism, and revolutionary special effects, it still seems unthinkable that Benjamin Christensen created such a masterpiece back in 1922. Admired by the Surrealists, Häxan continues to influence contemporary cinema - Robert Eggers first and foremost - and the shock is renewed with each viewing. A century ahead of its time, Christensen already showed how societies invent witches to better suppress women's freedom. Part hallucinatory trip, part political manifesto, the work's modernity borders on the supernatural.
Screenings
04/09 • 18h45 • Screen 300
Presented by Nils Bouaziz & Miliani Benzerfa
Credits
- With : Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan, Elith Pio, Oscar Stribolt, Tora Teje...
- Screenplay : Benjamin Christensen
- Photography : Johan Ankerstjerne
- Editing : Edla Hansen
- Music by : Matti Bye
- Production : Svensk Filmindustri
