Häxan
By October 15, 2001
Born in Denmark in 1879, Benjamin Christensen had a varied career before he entered the Danish film industry as an actor and writer in 1912. The first two films he directed, The Mysterious Read more »
- Denmark
- 1922
- 87 minutes
- Black and White
- 1.33:1
- Danish
SYNOPSIS: Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious—instead it’s a witches’ brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. The Criterion Collection is proud to present two versions of this genre-defying “documentary,” for the first time ever on DVD.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| The devil | Benjamin Christensen |
| The scribe's wife, Anna | Astrid Holm |
| Anna's sister | Karen Winther |
| Maria the weaver, a witch | Maren Pedersen |
| Apelone, a poor old woman | Wilhelmine Henriksen |
| Old maid | Kate Fabian |
| Friar | Oscar Stribolt |
| Sister Cecilia, a nun | Clara Pontoppidan |
| Nun | Alice O'Fredericks |
| Father Henrik, witch judge | Johannes Andersen |
| Johannes, witch judge | Elith Pio |
| Witch judge | Aage Hertel |
| Witch judge | Ib Schönberg |
Credits
| Director | Benjamin Christensen |
| Screenplay | Benjamin Christensen |
| Cinematography | Johan Ankerstjerne |
| Editing | Edla Hansen |
| Set decoration | Richard Louw |
Disc Features
- Häxan (1922), a new digital, speed-corrected transfer of the Swedish Film Institute’s tinted restoration
- Music from the original Danish premiere, arranged by film music specialist Gillian Anderson and performed by the Czech Film Orchestra, presented in Dolby Digital 5.0
- Commentary by Danish silent film scholar Casper Tybjerg
- Benjamin Christensen’s introduction to the 1941 rerelease
- A short selection of outtakes
- Bibliothèque Diabolique: a photographic exploration of Christensen’s historical sources
- Stills gallery
- New English translation of intertitles
- Witchcraft Through the Ages (1968), the 76-minute version of Häxan, narrated by William S. Burroughs, with a soundtrack featuring Jean-Luc Ponty
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
From the CurrentView the Current »
Film Essays
Häxan: About the Music
By October 15, 2001
Häxan had its world premiere in Stockholm, on September 18, 1922. The score that accompanied the film was compiled from preexisting compositions, the names of which have Read more »
