7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Otakar Vávra's Witchhammer, co-written by Ester Krumbachová (Daisies, Fruit of Paradise) from Václav Kaplický’s 1963 novel, chronicles the series of notorious 17th Century Czech witch trials, undertaken using the infamous ‘Malleus Maleficarum’ (the ‘Witchhammer’ of the title), the Catholic treatise on witchcraft which endorses the extermination of witches and developed a detailed legal and theological theory for this purpose. Using genuine court transcripts from the forced confessions of those accused of sorcery and collusion with the Devil, it is a powerful and often shocking allegory of life under totalitarian rule.
Starring: Vladimír Smeral, Elo Romancik, Josef Kemr, Sona Valentová, Blanka WaleskáForeign | 100% |
Drama | 38% |
History | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Czech: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as a part of All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
All the Haunts Be Ours advertises itself as "the most comprehensive collection of its kind", which may initially beg the question as to "kind of
what?". But the release also comes with a front cover sobriquet
proclaiming it "a compendium of folk horror", which may then beg the next obvious question as to what exactly "folk horror" is. In that
regard, this set
begins with a fascinating and diverse documentary which has its own subtitle referencing folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days
Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, which provides a veritable glut of clips from international films which director (and this entire set's guiding
light) Kier-La Janisse has assembled to help define the genre, but perhaps the best answer is to simply echo a certain Supreme Court Justice named
Potter Stewart who was trying to decide a case involving supposed pornography, and who famously opined, "I shall not today attempt further to define
the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I
know it when I see it. . ."
Witchhammer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Severin's insert booklet states this is an "HD restored master supplied by the Narodni filmovy archiv. There's some recurrent damage on display here, but nothing that I personally would term over concerning in a transfer that preserves a nicely organic appearance while offering some generally very good to excellent detail levels. Contrast is consistent, supporting some really evocative cinematography from Josef Illík, who uses the scope frame in some very interesting ways. There are some brief flashes at the top of the frame at certain edit points, and an occasional hair is unfortunately stuck in the gate smack dab in the middle at the top of the frame on at least one occasion, as well as noticeable flecks and speckling.
Witchhammer features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Czech. This track shows occasional wear and tear, with some pretty loud pops at what I'm assuming were edit points, but also some passing, less startling, pops and cracks. A really evocative score featuring choral music sounds nicely full bodied, though this is another track that tends to have a pretty thin high end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
What is so interesting about Witchhammer is how it hews to an almost quasi-documentary approach while offering really florid presentational flourishes like the hooded character offering screeds directly to the camera. This is a really interesting contribution to All the Haunts Be Ours, and may afford more opportunity to debate what exactly "folk horror" may mean. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Il demonio
1963
Лептирица | The She-Butterfly | Limited Edition
1973
1970
She-wolf
1983
Standard Edition
1991
1970
2021
1974
1993
1988
1987
1988
1983
Temnye vody
1993
Вий / Spirit of Evil
1967
De dřdes tjern
1958
1981
1989
2013
Tore Tanzt / Tipota kako de tha symvei / Rising
2013