Haxan – the Book and DVD

Last May (2007) Opus Diaboli reviewed a live screening in Cambridge, England of the 1922 silent movie Haxan, featuring a hammer dulcima score by Geoff Smith.

Those unable to attend Smith’s performances are now able to see what they were missing with the release by Tartan of what must be the definitive edition of Haxan on DVD.

Haxan since its release in 1922, has had a chequered life, creating an initial furore, before passing almost into obscurity until it re-surfaced in the 1960s as part of interest in all things ‘occult’.

The film itself, a surprisingly enlightened (although sometimes confused) look at the world of witchcraft retains the power to provoke thought and strong feeling and this DVD is highly recommended.

Unlike many DVD releases where the ‘extras’ mostly include a few clips rescued from the cutting room floor (where mostly they belong), the Tartan DVD has a wealth of features.  As well as the restored visuals, there are not less that four different soundtracks, each well worth a listen.

In addition to the original soundtrack accompanying the Danish premiere, there is also the Geoff Smith soundtrack and yet a third dark, industrial soundtrack from Bronnt Industries Kapital.

The fourth soundtrack features on the version (nearly half an hour shorter than Benjamin Christensen’s original) which was distributed in the 1960s, with a laconic voiceover by William S. Burroughs.

Although not a companion volume to the DVD in any marketing gimmick sense, a recent publications by FAB press, Witchcraft Through the Ages: The Story of the World’s Strangest Film and the Man Who Made it , makes for an excellent accompanyment to owning the film.  Although it is a slim 127 pages, it tells the complete history of this remarkable film.  Jack Stevensen, outlines the long path that Christensen took to making his film, including a two-year period of research that nearly bankrupt him: “I remember…the sight of my two sons standing in the doorway with tears in their eyes as the furniture was being carried away” and the extraordinary

lengths that he went to while filming. Karen Winther (who played an accused witch) remembers; “one day in particular, I spent eight hours in a torture chair – and to be honest, I wasn’t worth much when I got out.”

The history of the film from its release to its period in the hinterland before being ‘rediscovered’ in the 1960s and the serendipity which led to its restoration are relate with both scholarly detail and warmth for the human aspects of the story.

As well as much unique research, Witchcraft Through The Ages  features Christensen’s filmography, a full cast list, copious footnotes, and an index.

Both DVD and book come with the recommendation of Opus Diaboli, but the strongest recommendation is to have both, as one will definitely enhance the enjoyment of the other.

Haxan www.tartanvideo.com

Witchcraft Through the Ages: The Story of the World’s Strangest Film and the Man Who Made it  By Jack Stevensen – www.fabpress.com