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THE WITCH
�1922 AB Svensk Filmindustri
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A presentation from a cultural
and historical point of view
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in 7 chapters of moving pictures.
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BENJAMIN CHRISTENSEN wrote the
script and produced this film
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between the years
of 1919 and 1921.
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For the photography I am grateful
to Mr. Johan Ankerstjerne
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00:00:41,370 --> 00:00:47,070
and to Mr. Richard Louw
for the art direction.
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My main sources are mentioned
in the theatre's playbill.
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Let us look into the history
of mysticism and try to explain
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the mysterious chapter
known as the Witch.
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The belief in sorcery
and witchcraft
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is probably as old as mankind.
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When primitive man is confronted
with something incomprehensible,
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the explanation is always
sorcery and evil spirits.
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In Persia, the imaginary creatures
depicted in the following picture
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were thus believed
to be the cause of diseases.
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The English scientist Rawlinson
and French scientist Maspero
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show us pictures of evil spirits,
believed to have resided
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amongst the first civilizations.
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The belief in evil spirits,
sorcery and witchcraft
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is the result of na�ve notions
about the mystery of the universe.
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Here we see how the Egyptians
perceived the shape of the world
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(according to Maspero).
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The ancient Egyptians believed
that high mountains
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surrounded land
and water on all sides.
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The sky was made of steel
and supported by strong pillars
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that stood on the high mountains.
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The stars, like lamps,
hung from the sky on ropes.
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According to the beliefs
of other ancient civilizations,
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the sky was vaulted and the earth
shaped into terraces.
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The evil spirits of ancient times
changed in the medieval folklore
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to devils, sneaking around
and tempting children.
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The devils lived in the earth's core.
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In the latter part of the Middle
Ages the earth was considered
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to be a stationary sphere
in the middle of the universe.
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Above the earth and its waters -
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- the medieval man first imagined
a layer of air -
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- then a layer of fire -
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- and outside the fire were the
planets, moving celestial bodies.
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Each planet was attached to its
transparent, movable sphere.
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And outside the planetary spheres
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were the fixed stars arranged
in a sky of their own.
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Above it all, in the tenth
crystal sphere,
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sits the Almighty surrounded
by nine choirs of angels...
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...and He is the One keeping
the spheres revolving.
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Deep down in the earth's
core lies Hell,
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where those tempted by the
Devil shall suffer forever.
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In the upper part
of the following picture
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(from the French historian Lacroix)
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the devils are stuffing
the damned into large pots.
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A sinner is thrown straight
into the fire
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burning under one of the cauldrons.
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A devil pours the nasty
sulfur oozing
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from a horn down a man's throat.
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Two monsters torment some of the
damned with their sharp teeth.
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I have found a strange old
mechanical presentation of Hell,
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which offers a good understanding
of the beliefs in the Middle Ages.
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Observe the eagerness
with which the devils
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tend to the fire under
the cauldrons!
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During the Middle Ages,
devils and Hell
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were considered real
and constantly feared.
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Witches were thought to have
signed an unlawful pact
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with the Devil, and therefore
they were burned at the stake.
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The floating figure is a devil
coming to get the witch
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by lifting her up into the air.
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This picture of a pyre
as well as the following one
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are from "German Life
in the Past in Pictures."
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In this image a witch
is milking an ax handle.
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In the following image a witch
has bewitched a man's shoe.
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Witches usually meet in councils.
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And after the gathering
they might, for instance,
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sneak into a barn
and bewitch a cow.
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The small angular symbol,
noticeable under the drawing,
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was usually carved into the barn
door as protection against witches.
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In this old na�ve drawing,
a sorcerer and a witch
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are casting spells,
setting a village on fire.
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Witches were believed to curse
people with diseases
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with the help of sorcerer's powder
and magic potions.
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00:10:07,403 --> 00:10:10,429
Notice how the sick person
is laying naked in bed.
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That was habitual in the past.
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It was a general belief that the
witch was naked when, at night,
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during the so-called Witch Sabbath,
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she danced with the devils.
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Women who wanted to participate
in the "Sabbath"
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sneaked away to the sorcerer...
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...where they could have their backs
smeared with "witch ointment".
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The witchcraft of the ointment
would allow them
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to fly through the air.
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The French doctors Bourneville
and Teinturier
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gave me the following pictures
of the Witch Sabbath...
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...a secret satanic rite to which
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thousands of women asserted
their participation.
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At the Sabbath witches
and sorcerers
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first desecrate
the Church's holy cross.
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Satan gives all the participants
devils' names.
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And a ceremonial banquet is held.
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The Sabbath food was
often prepared
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from corpses from the gallows.
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All witches had to show the Devil
their respect by kissing his behind.
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After a merry dance
with the devils,
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the witches fly home
at the first crow of the cock.
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00:12:39,354 --> 00:12:42,755
These scenes are often found on
famous Witch Sabbath pictures
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from the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance.
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To be continued.
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THE WITCH
Chapter 2.
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We go now to the underground
home of a sorceress
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in the year of the Lord 1488.
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00:14:11,013 --> 00:14:13,948
"Tonight the stars shine
favorably over the gallows' hill."
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00:15:07,269 --> 00:15:08,463
"Ugh, what a stench!
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The thief's body has been hanging
too long on the gallows."
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00:15:39,868 --> 00:15:42,962
"When such a thief's finger
is too dried out,
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it can no longer lend
the brew any healing power."
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00:17:03,251 --> 00:17:07,347
"Hurry and open up, Karna, so that
the passers-by won't see me."
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00:17:31,146 --> 00:17:33,944
"Karna, can you perchance
get me a love potion
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that has power over
a pious man of the church?"
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"Here, young maiden,
take a potion of cat feces
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and dove hearts,
boiled in the moonlight."
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"A drop of this in a man's drink
will soften his heart at once."
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"Karna, can I have
an even stronger potion?"
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"If the maiden wishes to drive
the man out of his wits for love..."
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"...I have a potion boiled in May
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from a young and playful
male sparrow."
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00:20:57,085 --> 00:21:02,387
"Hold your coin, maiden!
First smell my ointment!"
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"This salve is good,
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00:21:13,935 --> 00:21:17,234
should you wish to travel
to Brocken, one night."
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00:21:20,675 --> 00:21:23,508
"Secretly smear this salve on
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and the pious monk might
directly come to your chamber."
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"You will fly together
high up in the night
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and he will bestow upon you
many hungry kisses."
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00:23:28,670 --> 00:23:31,104
"Listen Brother, I wonder...
shouldn't we pray
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00:23:31,239 --> 00:23:33,867
before we embark in such
a bold enterprise?"
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00:23:38,813 --> 00:23:40,678
"Oh Holy Mother, forgive us
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for cutting open a person's
dead body with a knife!"
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00:23:46,721 --> 00:23:52,216
"It is not from untimely
curiosity that we so badly sin..."
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"...but so that the cause
of many terrible diseases
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might be revealed to us."
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"Help! Hurry!
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00:24:40,808 --> 00:24:44,801
The peace of the cemetery has
been desecrated by two witches."
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00:24:47,515 --> 00:24:50,382
Such were the Middle Ages, when
witchcraft and the Devil's work
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were sought everywhere.
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00:24:52,587 --> 00:24:56,318
And that is why unusual things
were believed to be true.
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"Damned woman!
You shall not lie here
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and bewitch the legs
of honest people."
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"You watch out!
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Now your filthy mouth
shall remain open for eternity."
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So it happens with witchcraft
as with the Devil;
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people's belief in him was so
strong that he became real.
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00:26:22,877 --> 00:26:25,846
The Devil is everywhere
and takes all shapes.
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00:26:25,980 --> 00:26:28,949
He shows himself as a
nightmare, a raging demon,
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a seducer, a lover, and a knight.
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The devils' companion
can be young and beautiful,
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but she is more often
old, poor and miserable.
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Is it from the eternal fright of
the pyre that you get drunk
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every night, you poor old woman
of the Middle Ages?
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When the evening bell tolls
in the night
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and all fires in town are
covered with ashes,
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the Devil fetches Apelone
for his adventures.
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High up in the air
is Apelone's dream castle,
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and there the Devil will
fulfill all her secret wishes.
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To be continued
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THE WITCH
Chapter 3.
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In "Rites and Rights in the
German Past" by Franz Heinemann,
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we can observe pictures
of inquisition judges at work.
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A woman suspected of witchcraft
is thrown into the water
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to find out whether
she is guilty or not.
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In "History of Customs",
Edward Fuchs shows us
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how the accused is tied up.
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Two executioners use oars
to move the accused
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in the water where
she has no support.
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00:35:14,008 --> 00:35:16,738
If she floats, she will be
pulled up and burned.
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If she sinks, the judges
thank God for her innocence.
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I will now illustrate a trial for
witchcraft from beginning to end
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taking place at the time
when the Pope sent
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traveling inquisition priests
out to Germany.
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"Oh, my husband could not have
been struck by dizziness
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so suddenly, unless a sorceress
had bewitched him!"
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00:36:00,054 --> 00:36:02,579
"Be comforted Anna,
wife of the Printer,
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the power of lead
will soon reveal it."
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00:36:49,136 --> 00:36:51,798
"Oh, you powerful Saturn,
allow this lead
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00:36:51,939 --> 00:36:54,533
to show if Jesper
the Printer is bewitched."
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00:37:33,547 --> 00:37:36,539
"It is written here
in the shape of lead
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that his dizziness is
atrocious witchcraft."
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00:38:30,537 --> 00:38:33,938
"Oh Peter, look, where
is the evil sorceress?"
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00:38:37,044 --> 00:38:41,310
"You might see that witch,
before you wish to..."
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00:38:49,056 --> 00:38:51,183
"...before I wish to."
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00:39:10,644 --> 00:39:11,941
"Jesus' Holy Cross and Wounds!
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00:39:12,079 --> 00:39:14,912
I did not hear you come,
Maria the Weaver!"
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00:39:18,252 --> 00:39:20,584
"Oh, maiden, please
have mercy on me,
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00:39:20,721 --> 00:39:23,690
a poor woman who has to go
begging from door to door!"
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00:39:27,161 --> 00:39:29,652
"Are you hungry, Maria?
If so, sit down."
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00:39:51,318 --> 00:39:54,344
"Here, eat now, if you can,
in the name of Jesus."
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00:40:23,617 --> 00:40:27,576
"Watch out, little sister, watch
out. That woman has evil eyes."
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00:41:53,206 --> 00:41:55,197
"The youngest servant
of the inquisition
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00:41:55,342 --> 00:41:57,742
may not exchange words
with a strange maiden."
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00:43:00,941 --> 00:43:01,965
"How wonderful!
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00:43:02,109 --> 00:43:05,840
It felt like fire when the
young maiden took my arm."
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00:43:17,391 --> 00:43:18,517
"Young maiden,
you know quite well
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00:43:18,659 --> 00:43:22,254
that what you're accusing this
woman of, endangers her life?"
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00:43:25,565 --> 00:43:30,502
"Swear by the cross that
you are not deadly enemies!"
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00:43:57,197 --> 00:43:59,995
"Let's go, young men,
before her feet are lifted
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00:44:00,133 --> 00:44:03,591
so that the evil witch
won't turn us all into mice."
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00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,360
"Now you can have a scalding
death, just what you deserve,
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00:44:29,496 --> 00:44:31,555
you damned mistress
of the Devil!"
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00:44:44,878 --> 00:44:46,709
To be continued
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00:44:46,847 --> 00:44:49,042
THE WITCH
Chapter 4.
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00:44:49,182 --> 00:44:52,083
Two "honest" matrons
will change the accused in jail,
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00:44:52,219 --> 00:44:55,154
so that she will not wear
hidden witch powder.
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00:45:04,097 --> 00:45:07,726
"Maria the Weaver was just taken
here accused of witchcraft."
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00:45:12,539 --> 00:45:13,767
"Master, look carefully,
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00:45:13,907 --> 00:45:17,843
there might be witch powder
hidden in the sorceress' hair."
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00:45:38,131 --> 00:45:42,158
The suspect's nights are now
dictated by the inquisition judges.
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00:45:46,039 --> 00:45:49,566
Two honorable men try amiably
to persuade her to confess.
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00:46:36,756 --> 00:46:39,589
If she stubbornly denies
her charges,
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00:46:39,726 --> 00:46:42,593
they will use a kind
of mental torture.
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00:47:01,681 --> 00:47:05,173
"Woman, see here the seven
holy words of Jesus crucified,
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00:47:05,318 --> 00:47:07,752
written on consecrated parchment."
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00:47:15,762 --> 00:47:18,026
"I will hang them around her neck,
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00:47:18,164 --> 00:47:21,895
so that the Devil will no
longer help her to be silent."
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00:47:26,940 --> 00:47:31,968
"Does she see this length of
consecrated wax as Corpus Christi?"
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00:47:38,985 --> 00:47:42,182
The accused is taken backwards
into the torture chamber,
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00:47:42,322 --> 00:47:45,348
so as not to bewitch the judge
when entering.
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00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:16,281
"For the last time I ask:
does she want to confess
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00:48:16,423 --> 00:48:18,550
her witchcraft and her misdeeds?"
224
00:48:33,873 --> 00:48:35,773
"Let her suffering begin
so that we might put
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00:48:35,909 --> 00:48:37,740
an end to the harshness
of her heart."
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00:49:06,306 --> 00:49:07,705
"Oh, you learned men!
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00:49:07,841 --> 00:49:11,504
How do you expect me to confess
to that which is not true?"
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00:49:34,100 --> 00:49:38,969
"Well, Rasmus the Executioner!
Let now the evil witch's body sting."
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00:50:02,595 --> 00:50:06,588
"Let her catch her breath, Rasmus
the Executioner, and loosen
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00:50:06,733 --> 00:50:10,260
the screw a little at a time,
as she confesses her sins."
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00:50:23,716 --> 00:50:25,445
"Oh, learned men! I confess that
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00:50:25,585 --> 00:50:29,351
I've given birth to many
children fathered by the Devil."
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00:50:43,069 --> 00:50:47,597
"And when I gave birth, Karna
and all her coven helped me."
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00:50:53,279 --> 00:50:55,474
"If I am spared the pain,
I will confess
235
00:50:55,615 --> 00:50:58,106
that Trina has smeared me
with witch ointment."
236
00:52:08,521 --> 00:52:11,854
"Oh yes, learned men, miserable
me has flown through the night air
237
00:52:11,991 --> 00:52:14,789
to Brocken on Trina's broom."
238
00:53:04,510 --> 00:53:08,344
"And the Devil's grandmother was
there with all her witchcraft."
239
00:53:45,385 --> 00:53:49,185
"And many a woman, who had not
accomplished enough evil deeds,
240
00:53:49,322 --> 00:53:52,257
was treated miserably by the Devil."
241
00:54:32,832 --> 00:54:36,928
"And masses spat
upon all that is holy."
242
00:54:47,847 --> 00:54:50,008
"And a meal of toads
and unchristened children
243
00:54:50,149 --> 00:54:51,741
was cooked by Karna."
244
00:55:38,264 --> 00:55:40,926
"Listen, Maria the Weaver,
did you also see
245
00:55:41,067 --> 00:55:43,968
how the Devil put his mark
on the witches' foreheads?"
246
00:55:47,607 --> 00:55:49,632
"Oh, learned men,
I saw the witches
247
00:55:49,776 --> 00:55:51,801
kiss the evil one on his behind."
248
00:56:27,180 --> 00:56:29,478
"And Anna's mother,
the wife of the Printer,
249
00:56:29,615 --> 00:56:31,549
who wished me a scalding death -"
250
00:56:38,224 --> 00:56:40,317
"- that damned woman, I saw her
kissing the evil one
251
00:56:40,460 --> 00:56:44,055
so tenderly... and Sissel, her servant,
that old fool, was also there."
252
00:56:55,775 --> 00:56:58,039
"And Elsa, who kicked me
some time ago,
253
00:56:58,177 --> 00:57:00,509
she shall also burn at the stake."
254
00:57:05,918 --> 00:57:08,113
"She passed Martin
the Writer's door
255
00:57:08,254 --> 00:57:10,552
one moonlit night with her sister."
256
00:57:34,113 --> 00:57:36,581
"And they cast a spell on
Martin the Writer
257
00:57:36,716 --> 00:57:39,241
with the water they threw
against his door."
258
00:57:51,163 --> 00:57:55,600
"And it was the very same night
that death took Martin the Writer."
259
00:58:08,581 --> 00:58:11,175
"And now I will tell you
everything about the witches,
260
00:58:11,317 --> 00:58:14,184
who yell after me
in the street where I live."
261
00:58:25,231 --> 00:58:27,256
To be continued
262
00:58:28,100 --> 00:58:29,931
THE WITCH
Chapter 5.
263
00:58:30,069 --> 00:58:32,162
In this way begins the endless
turn of the wheels
264
00:58:32,305 --> 00:58:35,001
during the witchcraft era.
Each witch gives ten others away.
265
00:58:35,107 --> 00:58:36,597
The town wardens busy themselves.
266
01:00:27,119 --> 01:00:30,850
If you oppose the capture of a
witch, you must be a witch yourself.
267
01:00:30,990 --> 01:00:34,357
The destiny of young Anna,
wife of the Printer, is sealed.
268
01:00:47,206 --> 01:00:52,405
So now only two people are left in
Jesper the Printer's haunted house.
269
01:00:58,150 --> 01:01:01,677
During the witchcraft era it was
dangerous to be old and ugly,
270
01:01:01,821 --> 01:01:05,313
but it was not safe to be young
and pretty either.
271
01:01:27,847 --> 01:01:30,611
"Brother, help me.
My thoughts are sinful."
272
01:01:51,203 --> 01:01:53,364
"Bare your body, Brother!"
273
01:02:21,667 --> 01:02:26,127
"I'll whip your sinful body and your
poor soul, into faith healing."
274
01:02:53,966 --> 01:02:56,958
"Oh Brother, why did you stop
the beating of the scourge?
275
01:02:57,102 --> 01:02:59,696
Now my soul will surely
be damned."
276
01:03:14,420 --> 01:03:17,856
"Father Henrik,
Brother John is spellbound."
277
01:03:23,128 --> 01:03:27,189
"A witch appears in his cell
to tempt him."
278
01:03:57,696 --> 01:04:01,655
"And she has grabbed him
by the wrist."
279
01:04:26,659 --> 01:04:29,253
"Stand up, Brother,
Father Henrik is coming."
280
01:04:38,737 --> 01:04:40,762
"Brother, you have not given
the maiden away
281
01:04:40,906 --> 01:04:42,567
for a witch, have you?"
282
01:05:02,061 --> 01:05:04,086
"You know the punishment
for those
283
01:05:04,229 --> 01:05:06,356
who refuse to witness
against a witch?"
284
01:05:21,714 --> 01:05:24,740
And so they fetch you too,
young maiden,
285
01:05:24,883 --> 01:05:27,147
giving you their unfailing test.
286
01:05:36,595 --> 01:05:39,723
"In the name of the Holy Trinity,
if you are not a witch,
287
01:05:39,865 --> 01:05:41,856
you will now shed tears!"
288
01:05:46,071 --> 01:05:48,198
"See for yourself
- you cannot shed tears,
289
01:05:48,340 --> 01:05:50,399
as you are allied
with the evil one."
290
01:05:54,913 --> 01:05:58,041
We assume now that
the young woman resists;
291
01:05:58,183 --> 01:06:01,243
that no threat and no pain
can persuade her to confess.
292
01:06:10,229 --> 01:06:12,857
I have tried to find out how
the excellent inquisition judges
293
01:06:12,998 --> 01:06:14,898
behaved in such circumstances.
294
01:06:48,100 --> 01:06:51,228
And I see in front of me some
scenes, which I do not find
295
01:06:51,370 --> 01:06:54,100
pictured too darkly here,
on the white screen.
296
01:07:18,931 --> 01:07:22,230
"Wake up, young maiden!
I bring you great happiness."
297
01:09:00,365 --> 01:09:02,492
"See, young maiden,
I give you your freedom -
298
01:09:02,634 --> 01:09:05,296
- if you would just show me
a small favor in return."
299
01:09:08,106 --> 01:09:09,835
"Why do you taunt me, monk?
300
01:09:09,975 --> 01:09:13,570
What favor can a poor creature
like me show you?"
301
01:09:22,354 --> 01:09:26,620
"Teach me the beautiful art of
making thunder with this water!"
302
01:10:09,768 --> 01:10:12,931
"If you do not want to take
my word, young maiden,
303
01:10:13,071 --> 01:10:16,063
stand up and look out
at the jail court."
304
01:10:40,666 --> 01:10:42,930
"Did the guards leave?"
305
01:10:45,537 --> 01:10:48,904
"Yes, they went far away, maiden.
The keys are now in my hand
306
01:10:49,041 --> 01:10:52,408
and I can secretly take you out
through the town gates tonight."
307
01:11:04,389 --> 01:11:07,517
"And I swear eternal silence
to you, maiden,
308
01:11:07,659 --> 01:11:11,595
about all you will reveal
about witchcraft with thunder."
309
01:11:27,379 --> 01:11:30,348
"Do you remember, maiden,
that Jesper, the Printer's child,
310
01:11:30,482 --> 01:11:33,144
is all alone in the world,
without relatives besides you?"
311
01:12:07,419 --> 01:12:10,388
"Oh, Father Henrik, see the tears
of the young maiden.
312
01:12:10,522 --> 01:12:13,491
Look, she cries, hence
she cannot be a sorceress."
313
01:12:18,830 --> 01:12:22,095
"Silly boy! Don't you know that
witches secretly smear themselves
314
01:12:22,234 --> 01:12:25,465
with spittle, so that we might
believe it to be tears?"
315
01:12:45,490 --> 01:12:48,982
"Here, maiden, see the child
who will miserably perish
316
01:12:49,127 --> 01:12:53,359
as a dishonorable, rejected
witch's offspring without you."
317
01:13:11,349 --> 01:13:14,147
"Stand here and listen to all
the maiden's words,
318
01:13:14,286 --> 01:13:17,153
so that later you may
bear witness against her."
319
01:13:25,263 --> 01:13:27,857
"And will you secretly open
the jail gates
320
01:13:27,999 --> 01:13:30,524
for the child and me, if I speak?"
321
01:13:35,807 --> 01:13:42,713
"Then I will tell you that once a
traveling stone cutter told me..."
322
01:13:46,184 --> 01:13:48,846
"...that when witches call
for thunder,
323
01:13:48,987 --> 01:13:51,581
they put their hands in the water..."
324
01:13:59,364 --> 01:14:01,594
"You hardened witch!
Before the sun is down tomorrow,
325
01:14:01,733 --> 01:14:03,860
you will burn alive at the stake."
326
01:14:28,360 --> 01:14:30,590
"And then they will burn you too,
maiden,
327
01:14:30,729 --> 01:14:33,721
"as edification for man,
as sweet scent for God."
328
01:14:33,899 --> 01:14:36,834
And one pyre after another
burns in the town square,
329
01:14:36,968 --> 01:14:39,937
until the judges will one day
move on to the next town.
330
01:14:47,345 --> 01:14:50,644
The witch madness,
like a spiritual plague,
331
01:14:50,782 --> 01:14:54,115
ravages wherever these judges go.
332
01:15:07,866 --> 01:15:10,801
In the arc of a few centuries,
over 8 million women,
333
01:15:10,936 --> 01:15:13,905
men and children
were burned as witches.
334
01:15:22,213 --> 01:15:23,737
To be continued
335
01:15:23,882 --> 01:15:25,281
THE WITCH
Chapter 6.
336
01:15:25,417 --> 01:15:29,183
There are witch confessions
that are totally insane.
337
01:15:29,321 --> 01:15:32,017
Many women, for instance, confess
that - transformed into cats -
338
01:15:32,157 --> 01:15:35,126
they soiled the altar during
the night, while two devils
339
01:15:35,260 --> 01:15:38,491
in the shape of animals
stood guard at the church door.
340
01:16:07,359 --> 01:16:09,327
But there are also confessions,
341
01:16:09,461 --> 01:16:12,453
which might very well be
close to the truth,
342
01:16:12,597 --> 01:16:15,794
namely during the times
when superstition ruled.
343
01:16:27,979 --> 01:16:31,380
Many women were burned
because they confessed that
344
01:16:31,516 --> 01:16:34,883
they bewitched a marriage bed
by "tying knots!"
345
01:17:00,745 --> 01:17:03,942
For each knot
a pregnancy is destroyed.
346
01:17:07,018 --> 01:17:10,044
And the happiness of a whole
house could be ruined
347
01:17:10,188 --> 01:17:12,850
with witch hair and metal crosses.
348
01:17:22,701 --> 01:17:26,694
Many women have probably really
used such magic tricks
349
01:17:26,838 --> 01:17:30,239
and believed in their
destructive effects.
350
01:17:30,375 --> 01:17:32,900
But, if we should judge
from the confessions,
351
01:17:33,044 --> 01:17:36,946
we must take a closer look at
the props in the torture chamber.
352
01:18:00,839 --> 01:18:04,366
You and I would also be driven
to confess mysterious talents
353
01:18:04,509 --> 01:18:07,444
with the help of such tools.
Isn't that so?
354
01:19:28,993 --> 01:19:31,484
The French doctor Paul Regnard
355
01:19:31,629 --> 01:19:34,325
describes the way
this collar was used.
356
01:19:41,472 --> 01:19:45,169
The collar was tightened with
the help of four taut ropes.
357
01:19:53,184 --> 01:19:55,812
The wrists and ankles
of the accused
358
01:19:55,954 --> 01:19:58,684
were tied to two iron rods
screwed to the floor.
359
01:20:03,695 --> 01:20:08,029
When a fire bowl was put under
the poor victim -
360
01:20:11,436 --> 01:20:12,835
- his movements were so violent
361
01:20:12,971 --> 01:20:15,599
that the spikes of the collar
entered his neck.
362
01:20:18,910 --> 01:20:21,777
Doctor Regnard shows another
picture, which speaks for itself.
363
01:20:21,913 --> 01:20:24,438
It is simply called
"After the interrogation."
364
01:20:36,127 --> 01:20:38,652
The "painful interrogation"
preferably began
365
01:20:38,796 --> 01:20:42,095
with a "lighter" torture:
the thumbscrew, for example.
366
01:20:52,810 --> 01:20:55,574
One of my actresses insisted
on trying the thumbscrew
367
01:20:55,713 --> 01:20:57,704
when we shot these pictures.
368
01:21:04,355 --> 01:21:07,256
I will not reveal the terrible
confessions I forced
369
01:21:07,392 --> 01:21:10,293
from the young lady
in less than a minute.
370
01:21:15,033 --> 01:21:17,763
In the convents during the Middle
Ages, fear of the Devil
371
01:21:17,902 --> 01:21:20,598
escalated into an almost
hopeless despair.
372
01:21:34,052 --> 01:21:38,853
The pious gave themselves up to
many a regrettable self-punishment.
373
01:21:58,576 --> 01:22:00,942
Often a single nun was seized,
and suddenly
374
01:22:01,079 --> 01:22:03,741
thereafter the whole convent
was overtaken by insanity -
375
01:22:08,953 --> 01:22:11,581
- a mysterious, contagious insanity.
376
01:22:16,361 --> 01:22:18,522
In writings that have survived
to this day,
377
01:22:18,663 --> 01:22:21,257
these unhappy women wrote
down with touching simplicity
378
01:22:21,399 --> 01:22:23,924
how the Devil penetrated
the convent.
379
01:22:58,936 --> 01:23:01,461
"Get thee behind me, Satan!"
380
01:24:54,452 --> 01:24:56,215
"May all good saints stand by me!
381
01:24:56,354 --> 01:24:59,152
Sister Cecilia is conniving
with the evil one."
382
01:26:24,842 --> 01:26:27,709
How these religious women
must have suffered,
383
01:26:27,845 --> 01:26:31,838
before their nerves abandoned
them and insanity broke out?
384
01:26:32,250 --> 01:26:35,219
In their biographies, this
desperate cry is always found:
385
01:26:35,353 --> 01:26:37,651
The devil forced us into it!
386
01:26:49,533 --> 01:26:53,629
"Oh, Holy Mother, the evil
has a terrible power!"
387
01:26:56,707 --> 01:27:01,235
"Look, now he forces me into
doing what I want the least."
388
01:27:37,581 --> 01:27:39,606
"Burn me at the stake,
pious fathers!
389
01:27:39,750 --> 01:27:42,981
Can't you see what the Devil
forces me to do?"
390
01:27:51,662 --> 01:27:53,653
"Take me! Don't you see him?
391
01:27:53,798 --> 01:27:55,766
The evil one stands over there
and threatens me."
392
01:27:58,869 --> 01:28:00,461
To be continued
393
01:28:00,738 --> 01:28:02,501
THE WITCH
Chapter 7.
394
01:28:02,573 --> 01:28:05,565
We pass over the Devil's
actual possessions
395
01:28:05,643 --> 01:28:08,077
(speaking in tongues
and convulsions)
396
01:28:08,212 --> 01:28:11,204
and come to present times.
397
01:28:11,382 --> 01:28:14,545
The majority of witches
in the old days were poor women;
398
01:28:14,685 --> 01:28:17,882
those who are taken in
by pious organizations
399
01:28:18,022 --> 01:28:19,990
and nursing homes nowadays.
400
01:28:35,673 --> 01:28:39,404
One or more traits that might
make an old woman noticeable
401
01:28:39,543 --> 01:28:43,172
was enough to bring her to court
during the witchcraft era.
402
01:29:03,100 --> 01:29:07,730
Let us not believe that the Devil
belongs solely to the past.
403
01:29:08,072 --> 01:29:11,098
The lovely old woman, who plays
the role of Maria the Weaver
404
01:29:11,242 --> 01:29:13,904
in my film, once raised
her tired face to me
405
01:29:14,044 --> 01:29:15,978
during a pause in the shoot -
406
01:29:19,683 --> 01:29:21,947
- and said: "The Devil is real.
407
01:29:22,086 --> 01:29:25,214
I have seen him sitting
at my bedside."
408
01:29:30,528 --> 01:29:33,361
With the old woman's permission,
I show here the prayer book
409
01:29:33,497 --> 01:29:35,556
in which a woman (from 1921!)
410
01:29:35,699 --> 01:29:38,532
thinks she can tell the Devil
by sight.
411
01:30:21,378 --> 01:30:25,007
The witch's insanity can be
explained as a nervous exhaustion
412
01:30:25,149 --> 01:30:27,879
that I will try to exemplify here.
413
01:30:28,018 --> 01:30:30,213
I ask my viewer to understand that
414
01:30:30,354 --> 01:30:32,618
in the following I let
the same actress -
415
01:30:32,756 --> 01:30:37,989
- portray many different patients
of related nervous disorders.
416
01:30:47,304 --> 01:30:49,636
I have personally known
a very nervous young woman
417
01:30:49,773 --> 01:30:51,707
who often walked in her sleep.
418
01:31:10,427 --> 01:31:12,361
Why did she always enact
the very same thing
419
01:31:12,496 --> 01:31:14,157
she was most afraid she would do?
420
01:31:14,298 --> 01:31:16,027
Like a witch forced by the devil,
this woman -
421
01:31:16,166 --> 01:31:17,599
- both when sleeping and awake -
422
01:31:17,735 --> 01:31:19,760
gives way to a mysterious
craving to strike matches.
423
01:31:24,508 --> 01:31:29,468
Had this possession anything to
do with her morbid fear of fire
424
01:31:29,613 --> 01:31:32,605
after one broke out in her home?
425
01:31:50,167 --> 01:31:52,965
She stated that she felt
as if she were fighting
426
01:31:53,103 --> 01:31:55,936
against an unknown force
stronger than her own.
427
01:32:07,985 --> 01:32:10,886
Isn't there something "witch-like"
with this sleepwalker,
428
01:32:11,021 --> 01:32:14,821
who moves through the slumbering
household with her matches?
429
01:32:43,187 --> 01:32:46,520
Doesn't she remind us of the nun,
who walks through the chapel
430
01:32:46,657 --> 01:32:49,490
with her knife, forced by the Devil?
431
01:33:00,437 --> 01:33:03,770
This poor woman, also
in a bewildered condition,
432
01:33:03,907 --> 01:33:07,775
does during her sleep
just what she fears the most.
433
01:33:15,853 --> 01:33:20,313
These possessions - these
somnambulistic, dazed conditions -
434
01:33:20,457 --> 01:33:26,225
are consistent with the nervous
diseases we call hysteria.
435
01:33:26,363 --> 01:33:28,422
And there are still more
connections between
436
01:33:28,565 --> 01:33:32,126
the medieval witch and
the modern hysterical person.
437
01:33:32,269 --> 01:33:33,861
We remember for instance that
438
01:33:34,004 --> 01:33:36,734
the witch received nightly
visitations by the Devil.
439
01:33:52,022 --> 01:33:55,253
Today it is not the Devil,
but rather a famous actor,
440
01:33:55,392 --> 01:33:58,850
a popular clergyman
or a well-known doctor,
441
01:33:58,996 --> 01:34:02,591
who disturbs the calm of the night.
442
01:34:10,441 --> 01:34:13,569
The hysterical person will
undoubtedly say that
443
01:34:13,711 --> 01:34:17,340
these celebrities come to her
through the wall or window.
444
01:35:09,967 --> 01:35:13,164
Notice how consciously this
unconscious woman holds
445
01:35:13,303 --> 01:35:16,795
onto her bed. A person afflicted
by hysteria always displays
446
01:35:16,940 --> 01:35:18,737
some artificial mannerisms.
447
01:35:43,700 --> 01:35:46,066
In the Middle Ages it was
believed that during the Sabbath
448
01:35:46,203 --> 01:35:48,763
the Devil put some invisible
marks on the witch's body,
449
01:35:48,906 --> 01:35:50,771
where all sensitivity vanished.
450
01:36:06,957 --> 01:36:10,085
The executioner often
found insensitive areas
451
01:36:10,227 --> 01:36:12,286
on the back of the accused.
452
01:36:31,248 --> 01:36:33,512
"I see clearly that you are a witch.
453
01:36:33,650 --> 01:36:37,416
You do not even feel the master's
instrument on your back."
454
01:36:43,827 --> 01:36:49,766
Today, this strange insensitivity is
considered a symptom of hysteria.
455
01:37:12,422 --> 01:37:16,825
"No sir, I do not feel you touching
my back at all."
456
01:37:33,377 --> 01:37:36,471
"Yes, it is as I thought; your
daughter is suffering from hysteria."
457
01:38:06,209 --> 01:38:09,770
"From what you told me,
I must strongly recommend
458
01:38:09,913 --> 01:38:13,906
that we detain your daughter
for the time being in my clinic."
459
01:38:23,026 --> 01:38:25,187
"It would be a pity if
your daughter
460
01:38:25,329 --> 01:38:28,492
were to have an unpleasant
exchange with the police."
461
01:38:38,642 --> 01:38:40,803
Poor little hysterical witch!
462
01:38:40,944 --> 01:38:44,846
In the Middle Ages you were
in conflict with the church.
463
01:38:44,982 --> 01:38:46,973
Now it is with the law.
464
01:39:58,922 --> 01:40:01,584
"I ask you to step into my office."
465
01:40:04,161 --> 01:40:07,688
"Or do you prefer that
I call the police?"
466
01:40:33,457 --> 01:40:35,652
"Your name? Do you have a card?"
467
01:40:43,467 --> 01:40:45,867
"Your address? Do you have
a telephone in your home?"
468
01:41:02,652 --> 01:41:06,019
"Thank you, that's fine. You can
leave. I will contact you later."
469
01:41:14,798 --> 01:41:18,757
"If my family learns about this,
I will be forcefully detained."
470
01:41:22,472 --> 01:41:25,168
"I beg you to understand that
I am an unhappy, sick person.
471
01:41:25,308 --> 01:41:27,276
I do not know what I am doing."
472
01:41:29,946 --> 01:41:33,074
"I have not been able to live
with this persistent fear
473
01:41:33,216 --> 01:41:35,241
during the war.
I am a broken person."
474
01:41:38,622 --> 01:41:40,715
"It is as if an unknown power
475
01:41:40,857 --> 01:41:43,951
compels me to commit
this terrible theft."
476
01:41:50,267 --> 01:41:55,466
"Look here! I just stole this little,
expensively bound Russian book."
477
01:41:58,475 --> 01:42:01,569
"What shall I do with it?
I do not know a word of Russian."
478
01:42:04,514 --> 01:42:08,006
"My husband died in the war, and
I have not been the same since..."
479
01:42:16,226 --> 01:42:18,558
"I promise not to pursue this matter,
480
01:42:18,695 --> 01:42:22,392
but I have to ask you never
to visit my store again."
481
01:42:33,043 --> 01:42:36,308
Centuries have passed and
the Almighty of medieval times
482
01:42:36,446 --> 01:42:39,176
no longer sits in his tenth sphere.
483
01:42:57,734 --> 01:43:00,464
We no longer sit in church
staring terrified
484
01:43:00,604 --> 01:43:02,572
at the frescoes of the devils.
485
01:43:17,087 --> 01:43:21,421
The witch no longer flies away
on her broom over the rooftops.
486
01:43:30,066 --> 01:43:33,866
But isn't superstition
still rampant among us?
487
01:43:45,282 --> 01:43:47,045
Is there an obvious difference
488
01:43:47,183 --> 01:43:49,981
between the sorceress
and her customer then and now?
489
01:43:58,395 --> 01:44:00,522
We no longer burn
our old and poor.
490
01:44:00,664 --> 01:44:03,861
But do they not often suffer bitterly?
491
01:44:08,638 --> 01:44:11,573
And the little woman,
whom we call hysterical,
492
01:44:11,708 --> 01:44:14,677
alone and unhappy,
isn't she still a riddle for us?
493
01:44:19,449 --> 01:44:22,509
Nowadays we detain the unhappy
in a mental institution or -
494
01:44:22,652 --> 01:44:25,553
- if she is wealthy -
in a modern clinic.
495
01:44:35,665 --> 01:44:37,724
And then we will console
ourselves with the notion
496
01:44:37,867 --> 01:44:40,267
that the mildly temperate shower
of the clinic has replaced
497
01:44:40,403 --> 01:44:41,893
the barbaric methods
of medieval times.
498
01:45:10,600 --> 01:45:14,229
THE END
43002
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