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Unconditional Satisfaction GuaranteeNo Shipping Fees Above 302 Months to Decide. Returns Simplified.Otakar Vvras Witchhammer (1969) transforms the horrific tale of a notorious 17th Century witch trial into a powerful allegory of life under totalitarian rule. In a small Czech village, an investigation into a simple superstition quickly becomes a full-blown Inquisition, unleashing a tide of hysteria and cruelty.
The script, co-written by Ester Krumbachov (Daisies, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders), draws on original court transcripts and forced confessions, revealing the malevolence of the Inquisitors who exorcise their own greed and lust through gruesome torture and execution.
The beautiful, stark cinematography echoes Bergman, Dreyer and Frantiek Vlcil, and finds literary antecedents in Arthur Millers The Crucible and Aldous Huxleys The Devils of Loudon. Like Ken Russell’s controversial, expressionistic adaptation of Huxleys text, The Devils (1971) and other films of the period such as Michael Reeves’ Witchfinder General (1968), Witchhammer transcends horror to create a chilling political fable, revealing power to be the ultimate weapon of evil.
Special features:
Presented from a new HD re-master and transfer from original materials held by the Czech National Film Archive.
‘The Womb of Woman is the Gateway to Hell’ – a new and exclusive filmed appreciation by essayist and critic Kat Ellinger and film historian Michael Brooke.
The Light Penetrates the Dark (Svetlo pronik tmou, 1931) – Otakar Vvras experimental short film.
16-page booklet featuring a new essay on the film by editor and journalist Samm Deighan.
New and improved English subtitle translation.
World premiere release on Blu-ray.
Technical details:
Region Free (A/B/C)
Language: Czech
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
BD50 / 1080p / 24fps
Audio: 2.0 Dual Mono LPCM/24-bit
