''Witchhammer'' ( cs, Kladivo na čarodějnice) is a 1970 Czechoslovak drama film directed by
Otakar Vávra
Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic.
Biography and career
Vávra attended universities i ...
and starring
Elo Romančík
Emanuel "Elo" Romančík (17 December 1922 in Ružomberok – 9 October 2012 in Bratislava) was a Slovak actor. He starred in the 1970 film '' Witchhammer'' under director Otakar Vávra
Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 201 ...
. Based on the novel ''
Kladivo na čarodějnice
''Kladivo na čarodějnice'' (The Witches' Hammer) is a Czech history novel by Václav Kaplický. It was first published in 1963.
The story is set in 17th century, in a region surrounding Velké Losiny and Šumperk. It is based on a historical ev ...
'' by
Václav Kaplický
Václav Kaplický (28 August 1895, Sezimovo Ústí – 4 October 1982, Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and epic poet. He is most known as an author of historical fiction.
__NOTOC__
Kaplický studied at Gymnasium in Tábor, finishing in 19 ...
, ''Witchhammer'' relates the story of the
Northern Moravia witch trials
Northern Moravia witch trials, also known as '' Boblig witch trials'' was a series of witch trials which occurred in the Jeseník and Šumperk area in the present-day Czech Republic, between 1622 and 1696. They are among the largest and most well k ...
of the 1670s, focusing on the priest Kryštof Lautner, played by Romančík, who falls victim to the witchhunt after opposing the trials. The film contains possible
allegory
As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
about Communist show trials in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
The film had a limited release in Czechoslovakia. Despite this, it won awards at the
Mar del Plata International Film Festival
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fest ...
in 1970 and is considered one of Vávra's finest films.
Plot
In the 1670s in
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
, an altar boy observes an old woman hiding the bread given out during communion. He alerts the priest, who confronts the old woman. She admits that she took the bread with the intent to give it to a cow to re-enable its milk production. The priest reports the incident to the owner of the local estate who, in turn, calls in an
inquisitor
An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literal ...
, a judge specializing in
witchcraft trials
A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...
.
Boblig von Edelstadt, the inquisitor, commences an ever-escalating series of trials, with Boblig revering the book ''
Malleus Maleficarum
The ''Malleus Maleficarum'', usually translated as the ''Hammer of Witches'', is the best known treatise on witchcraft. It was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name ''Henricus Institor'') and first ...
'' as his guide. The tribunal uses
thumbscrews in its interrogations, relying on its conventional use to justify it against torture accusations. However, a priest, Kryštof Lautner, criticizes Boblig for inhumane methods, and another clergy member senses many of the accused women
burnt at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment ...
are in fact innocent, and openly prays for the trials to stop.
Boblig comes to fear Lautner, and one of the accused testifies against Lautner and his cook, Zuzana. Lautner is questioned about having a cook and playing the violin, both unconventional for a clergyman. Lautner replies his late mother took Zuzana in, and he kept her because the girl had nowhere else to go. Lautner's friends, the Sattlers, who possess property to be confiscated by the tribunal, are forced to confess that they accompanied Lautner and Zuzana to Peter's Rock, engaged in fornication and worshiped
Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...
. Under torture, Zuzana is also driven insane and confesses. Lautner denies his friends are telling the truth, while admitting he took Zuzana's virginity. Ultimately, the tribunal rules that the 36 confessions outweigh his professions of innocence. Eventually, Lautner is forced to confess. Boblig finally concludes that he has risen above all ordinary men.
Cast
Historical basis
![Sobotin St Lawrence church monument](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Sobotin_St_Lawrence_church_monument.JPG)
The story of the film is based on
Václav Kaplický
Václav Kaplický (28 August 1895, Sezimovo Ústí – 4 October 1982, Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and epic poet. He is most known as an author of historical fiction.
__NOTOC__
Kaplický studied at Gymnasium in Tábor, finishing in 19 ...
's book ''
Kladivo na čarodějnice
''Kladivo na čarodějnice'' (The Witches' Hammer) is a Czech history novel by Václav Kaplický. It was first published in 1963.
The story is set in 17th century, in a region surrounding Velké Losiny and Šumperk. It is based on a historical ev ...
'' (1963),
a novel about
witch trials in Northern Moravia during the 1670s. Kryštof Alois Lautner is a historical figure who is portrayed accurately in the novel.
The film is also an allegory substituting the
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...
for
show trial
A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the public so th ...
s in Communist regimes.
Vávra had political trials in the 1950s in mind when co-writing the film. With the
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...
in 1968 following the
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
, scholar Peter Hames wrote that it was "difficult to see" ''Witchhammer'' "as anything other than a response to the political realities of the post-invasion period". Richard Chatten of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote the film was "possibly Vavra's indirect disclaimer to a paper to which he was obliged to lend his name in 1968 endorsing the Soviet invasion".
Production
![Otakar Vávra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Otakar_V%C3%A1vra.jpg)
Director
Otakar Vávra
Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic.
Biography and career
Vávra attended universities i ...
made the film in 1969. In crafting the screenplay with
Ester Krumbachová
Ester Krumbachová (12 November 1923 – 13 January 1996) was a Czech screenwriter, costume designer, stage designer, author and director. She is known for her contributions to Czech New Wave cinema in the 1960s, including collaborations with di ...
, Vávra drew from Kaplický's novel and also records from the historical trials in
Šumperk
Šumperk (; german: Mährisch Schönberg) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 26,000 inhabitants. It is the centre of the north of Moravia and, due to its location, is known as "The Gate to the Jeseníky mountains. ...
. Vávra was reminded of trials he had seen in the 1950s, stating that "In historical records I came upon sensible, hard-working people who fell quite unexpectedly into the clutches of the revived medieval witch trial machine". Changes made from the novel include beginning the film with women bathing, to the scorn of a monk, as opposed to the novel, which begins with knitting. Vávra and Krumbachová thus set up a theme of
sexual repression
Sexual repression is a state in which a person is prevented from expressing their own sexuality. Sexual repression is often linked with feelings of guilt or shame being associated with sexual impulses. Defining characteristics and practices asso ...
as political repression, which Krumbachová would continue in her next screenplays.
The film was produced by
Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe.
Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including ''Mission Impossible'', '' ...
.
Cinematographer
Josef Illík
Josef Illík (10 September 1919 – 21 January 2006) was a Czech cinematographer and photographer.
Life
Josef Illík studied photography in high school. His teachers were Ladislav Sutnar, Jaromír Funke and Josef Ehm. After the World War ...
shot the film in
CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
. Krumbachová is also credited with writing the "soldiers' song" used in the film.
Release
The film debuted in Czechoslovakia in January 1970.
It was viewed by 1.5 million moviegoers before being
pulled out of theatres. It was not shown again until 1989.
This was part of a general trend after the
Warsaw Pact invasion, with more Czechoslovak films banned in 1970 than in the past 20 years.
Later, the film had a successful
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
release.
Reception
Critical reception
In the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, ''Witchhammer'' has been called Vávra's ''
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
''.
Radio Prague
Radio Prague International ( cs, Český rozhlas 7 – Radio Praha) is the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic. Broadcasting first began on August 31, 1936 near the spa town of Poděbrady. Radio Prague broadcasts in ...
's Jan Richter wrote it is "perhaps the strongest film Otakar Vávra ever made" and "an impressive analogy with what was happening after the Soviet occupation".
Scholar Peter Hames also called it "one of his best films".
Critic Paul Simpson wrote the film is "engrossing," and "a Czech ''
The Crucible
''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as a ...
'', but with more female nudity".
Andrew Leavold of ''
Senses of Cinema
''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...
'' observed comparable allegory to
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
's play ''The Crucible'', and called it unsubtle but with "deliberately measured pace and a mounting sense of doom". In 2011, Will Tizard of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called ''Witchhammer'' a "sly parable on paranoia and political persecution," and said it and other films Vávra made in the 1960s are his "most prized artistic legacy to critics".
Accolades
See also
*
List of banned films
For nearly the entire history of film production, certain films have been banned by film censorship or review organizations for political or moral reasons or for controversial content, such as homosexuality. Censorship standards vary widely by co ...
*
List of Czechoslovak films
A list of films produced in the historical country of Czechoslovakia. As yet only work has been completed on 1898–1935. For films of the Czech Republic from 1991 onwards please see List of Czech Republic films.
1898–1918
(as part of Austria ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Otakar Vávra
1970 films
1970s historical drama films
Czech historical drama films
1970s Czech-language films
Czechoslovak black-and-white films
Films about witchcraft
Films based on Czech novels
Films directed by Otakar Vávra
Golden Kingfisher winners
Witch hunting in fiction
Czechoslovak drama films
1970 drama films
Film censorship in the Czech Republic
Film controversies in the Czech Republic
Obscenity controversies in film