Kladivo na carodejnice

I have just seen the movie and I liked it more than any other movie about catholic persecution of witches. The last one I saw (and I think last one made) was The Crucible - that one wasn't bad, but I could not feel as much despair, corruption and that fear to speak up your mind as in this one. Kladivo na Carodejnice - with all the brutality, torture and all that injustice is real and very hard to forget. It is very well played and made. "Kladivo na Carodejnice" is a movie, that definitely catches your attention even when it's nearly 40 years old (not as if it was a bad thing)...that pathetic way in which some movies were made in 60's (I think it is about the lightning in these black&white movies) makes it look so threatening, so dark and sad....and so beautiful.

This Czech take on witch trials is a really well-made drama, though it feels a bit older than it's 1969/70 date. While the topic is reasonably well trodden, even by this time, this version effectively highlights the perversions of the accusers, laying out clearly the financial and sexual motivations of them. Witch trials is a topic that is always a hard watch where, as a viewer, you can feel how trapped all parties seem to be, and the inevitability of an end. It doesn't feel like it's a clearly trying to build modern parallels as Arthur Miller's play, but not knowing a lot about Czech life at the time, it's possible I'm missing it.

There are generally good performances all round, although perhaps a couple of the women could been given a more time. I felt I got enough of Boblig and it would have been better to round a couple of the other characters. In the end, it is a relatively straight forward drama, the 'torture' scenes are pretty mild and the opening scenes with plenty of nudity do not reflect the rest of the film. In retrospect, they feel like a bit of an 'add-on'. Well worth a watch.

Whether we are talking about the real "witch trials" of the past, or alluding to more recent government (or other) uses of torture to advance or "prove" their causes, we quickly drift into very murky territory, IMHO. Even when used by a "good guy" such as Jack Bauer (in "24") to expedite things there's an inherent concern that, if people will say anything to escape the pain, then what's the point, and what is "proved"?

As this film well illustrates - whether it's about Communism or Witches - the wider issues of power, greed and societal control can provide ample cause for those willing to go down that path. Personally, I found it a tough (and somewhat depressing) watch, even though there is sparing use of graphic violence - but enough to get the point and add to the escalating mood of oppression.

Not for children, but otherwise recommended.

WITCHHAMMER is a Czech horror film, based on the actual inquisition notes from the 17th Century, a time when superstition was rampant, The Church was ultra-powerful, and Christianity was seen as the only true religion.

When an old woman absconds with a single communion wafer, she is used as proof that The Devil is on the loose, creating his coven of witches. When the Inquisitor is brought in to investigate the situation, he soon finds just what he needs to get his convictions.

As others have pointed out, this movie is an excellent allegory for what was taking place in Czechoslovakia during the 1950s, under the boot of communism. Such "interrogations" were used, as in most cases, not to get to "the truth", but to break the will and destroy the mind.

One thing is made crystal clear in this film: If you hurt someone, anyone, enough, they will say whatever you want them to say, regardless of how absurd or untrue it may be. This has been common knowledge for thousands of years, and persists all over the world, even in this "enlightened" age.

WITCHHAMMER gets the point across like no other example of its subgenre: These women are in a no-win situation, and the men standing in judgement over them are sadists, interested only in confessions, no matter what agony must be inflicted to extract them. Anyone who seeks to help the condemned, no matter what position they hold, will face the same, grim fate.

A disturbing, brutal movie for its time, you won't soon forget it...

The persecution of witches is a rather popular cinematic topic; the best film on the topic undoubtedly being 1968's Witchfinder General. This Czech effort follows a similar plot line to the earlier film, though the result is much artier and less graphic and while I preferred the older film - this one has its merits and will be of interest to people who find this topic interesting or who enjoy arty foreign films. The style of the movie rather reminded me of Ingmar Bergman's work (though less 'deep') and fans of his (a group of people that doesn't include me) will probably like this film too. The film begins with a sequence that sees an old woman take something from a church in order to help a cow give birth. Naturally, the powers that be aren't amused and after being caught, she is put before them to explain her actions. The council agree that she is involved in witchcraft, but other people are also implicated during the trial; and after she is put to death, the 'town cleanser' goes on a crusade to rid the town of all "witchcraft".

The film features very stark black and white cinematography and this helps the film in terms of atmosphere as it feels very dark and unpleasant, which bodes well with the plot. The film is not very graphic - especially not compared to other films on this topic and not in its own right either; only a scene that sees three people burned alive could really be considered graphic. Most of the plot line is made up of debate between the lead characters and while it's fairly interesting, the film did start to grate on me after a while and I would have preferred it to be a bit more visceral. Witches' Hammer is very well acted and the ensemble cast all fit into their roles well. This is the first (and probably last) film I've seen from director Otakar Vávra but clearly he's a director that pays attention to detail as every frame of the film feels carefully crafted. Overall, I won't say that this is a favourite of mine and if you're looking for a film about the witch trials, I would recommend Witchfinder General first; but Witches' Hammer is an interesting film and may be of interest to some people.