Häxan + live soundtrack

×

Expand

Rebecca Ciprus

Chad McCullough

A mix of documentary and fiction, Häxan examines the lore of witchcraft from the Middle Ages through the early 20th century. The film attracted a lot of attention from censors around the world for depictions of sacrilege, nudity and other no-nos when released in Sweden in 1922; it's more commonly known in the U.S. via a 1960s revision narrated by William Burroughs titled Witchcraft Through the Ages. In honor of the film's 100th anniversary, Joe Clark and Chad McCullough have composed new music to accompany the film, making its debut at this screening. Clark conducts and McCullough plays trumpet, joined by Alvin Cobb Jr. (drums), Jon Irabagon (sax), and Dave Miller (guitar).

media release: Joe Clark & Chad McCullough present a live soundtrack to accompany the Benjamin Christansen's 1922 classic HÄXAN, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the film's release, with a new score composed by Clark and McCullough featuring:

Joe Clark - conductor

Chad McCullough - trumpet

Jon Irabagon - sax

Dave Miller - guitar

Alvin Cobb Jr, - drums

Häxan (Swedish: [ˈhɛksan], "The Witch"; Danish: Heksen; English: The Witches; released in the US in 1968 as Witchcraft Through the Ages) is a 1922 silent horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Consisting partly of documentary-style storytelling as well as dramatized narrative sequences, the film charts the historical roots and superstitions surrounding witchcraft, beginning in the Middle Ages through the 20th century. Based partly on Christensen's own study of the Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th-century German guide for inquisitors, Häxan proposes that such witch hunts may have stemmed from misunderstandings of mental or neurological disorders, triggering mass hysteria.

Häxan is a Swedish film produced by AB Svensk Filmindustri, but shot in Denmark in 1920–1921. With Christensen's meticulous recreation of medieval scenes and its lengthy production period, the film was the most expensive Scandinaviansilent film ever made, costing nearly two million Swedish kronor. Although it received some positive reception in Denmark and Sweden, censors in countries such as Germany, France, and the United States objected to what were considered at that time graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion, as well as anti-clericalism.

Joe Clark and Chad McCullough Present

Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 classic HÄXAN silent movie and a live soundtrack.

The silent movie Haxan will be projected to a big screen while the band plays along with the live soundtrack!

Come to see this great event!

$20.