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Haxan Streaming.
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I have fair finished watching the modern Criterion dvd of Haxan and I couldn’t be more contented! I have never seen this film, but concept 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 peaceful film about dark magic, witches, satanism, and the persecution of said subjects during the middle-ages, which attempts to develop a connection between the conventional phenomena and the original gape of hysteria (new in 1922), has been wonderfully presented by The Criterion Collection in their modern dvd. This current Criterion dvd has the recent 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 unusual version, I found it tubby of tremendous imagery and attractive still 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 demonstrate lots of safe props and considerable deviltry with rather convincing special effects and make-up. The movie is structured in seven chapters, the first giving a historical narrative 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 raze, Christensen attempts to effect a correlation between the acts, mannerisms, and various disfigurements anciently attributed to witches and their craft, and the fresh affects of hysteria. This is apparently the most criticized fraction of the film, as mentioned in the commentary, and while it certainly is not as strong as the period dramas, I assume it does a agreeable job of raising salubrious questions, and does work with the film quite well.
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As for the quality of the transfer… with the exception of element specs throughout, and unprejudiced a few scenes marred by scrapes, the print is very shipshape and distinct. I understanding it looked spacious. Proper, the print could have been cleaned up a bit more as far as the specs go, but not every film Criterion does will rep the star treatment given Akira Kuroswa’s “Seven Samurai”. So long as difference is qualified, and edges are well defined, I’m usually a blissful camper, and this transfer delivers.
The fresh gain 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 acquire does an fabulous job of accompanying the film, sounds fantastic, and is is presented in 5.0 Dolby Digital.
There is a knock-out commentary here. Narrated by Danish calm film scholar Caspar Tybjerg, the commentary centers on the director Benjamin Christensen’s life in film, the Danish quiet film industry, origin of the documentary film genre, technical aspects of Haxan, the cast of Haxan, historical aspects of the peep 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 extraordinary amount of information presented here, with bibliographic references even, Tybjerg does an friendly job of tying it all together and presenting the relevance of the material to the film. This was a very bewitching survey at Christensen, his film, and the sociological atmosphere both during the middle-ages, and during the time of Haxan’s production.
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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 honest 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 gain was unbiased tiresome ridiculous, in the presentation of Haxan anyway. The producer unruffled a jazz gather for the film, which by itself, is some very hip music indeed, but it was objective terribly out of spot in the film. I’m obvious the production was aiming to enhance drug trips rather than show the film itself. With Burroughs involvement, I don’t assume I’m too far of atrocious in this. I’ll have to give it another go when I’ve had some sleep, so I can see the whole thing, but I doubt I’ll be changing my mind. The jazz fetch is objective too out of set, and as Christensen has often said, dialogue would raze Haxan, as well as several restful films. After witnessing this 1967 version, I must agree with the director.
For avid students of special effects, I would develop 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 Fright Cinema” dvd residence. Considerable mysticism, magic and enchantment abound in these films, and state-of-the-art at-the-time special effects to boot.
I am extremely delighted with this dvd, and highly recommend it to anyone who is into the peep of classic film or anyone who is eager in the occult, whether solely for entertainment or as a scrutinize of sociological phenomena.
One of the most famed cult/horror films from the peaceful era, Benjamin Christensen’s “Häxan” is at its devilish best on this Expedient DVD release by the stout folks at the Criterion Collection. Say good-bye to those dim, washed out video prints we’ve all had to build up with, and say hello to a nearly flawless print of the film wonderfully transfered to the disc. The images are so crisp and distinct, many of the scenes watch as if they could have been filmed yesterday. The clarity also allows for you to glimpse worthy more of the detail in each frame. Also lending to the glorious images is suitable tinting and honest “projection” run. Also included is a terrific musical fetch which has been reconstructed from the right music that accompanied the new 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 secure anywhere, and belongs in the collection of any restful film buff.
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