Kladivo na carodejnice

While the setting and the historical source of the movie is that of the late 17th century, don't be fooled, this is a movie about communism. More accurately, about the wretched logic the communist justice system has used to imprison and kill hundreds of people in the Czechoslovakian 50s. The forced confessions, self-accusal, torture and naming of innocent accomplices were all part of communist processes in which such as Milada Horáková perished.

There are plenty of analogies in the movie which I don't intend to spoil. The atmosphere is crafted masterfully, giving the film a bleak and dark look and amplifying the effects of its story. The performances are very good, however I don't know how well does the original czech translate into the subtitles. What keeps this from being a 10 out of 10 is the pacing. In a certain point of the movie, the end becomes obvious and the rest is just a hammer that drives the nail of absolute despair into your brain.

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.

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.

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.

In the Seventeenth Century, in Moravia, the altar boy report to the priest that an old beggar woman has hidden her host in a piece of cloth during the communion. The priest brings the woman to question why she did it, and she tells him that another woman has promised food to her since her cow is not producing milk and she wanted to give the host to the animal. The priest brings the case to the Powers that Be in the town and priest Krystof Lautner (Elo Romancik), who is an intellectual man, tells him that it is a superstition from ignorant people and to give a penance to her. However, the priest brings the unscrupulous witchfinder Boblig von Edelstadt (Vladimír Smeral) that comes with his associate to Moravia and using torture, sentences three women to be burnt alive at stake. Then, he targets to the wealthy men in Moravia to get their fortunes, and to Lautner, who is a threat to him.

Serious movies about the Inquisition in the Dark Ages are usually unpleasant and disturbing. "Kladivo na carodejnice" (1970), a.k.a. "Witchhammer" is no exception to this rule and shows the corruption produced by the absolute power. In the present days, we have dictatorships, fanatic regimes, McCarthyism and supreme courts with excessive power in certain countries to show that this dark side of the mankind still prevails. The torture associated to the absolute power like it was in the Seventeenth Century completes the idea why this period of history is called Dark Ages. The direction and performances in this film are awesome associated to the black-and-white cinematography that gives the sensation of a documentary. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Martelo das Bruxas" ("The Hammer of the Witches")