Witchhammer (1970)

Witchhammer (Czech: Kladivo na čarodějnice) is a 1970 Czechoslovak drama film directed by Otakar Vávra. It is considered Vávra's magnum opus. The title Malleus Maleficarum is also translated as Witches' Hammer or Witchhammer.

The story of the film is based on Václav Kaplický's book Kladivo na čarodějnice (1963), a novel about witch trials in Northern Moravia during the 1670s. The black-and-white allegorical film, full of symbols, follows the events from the beginning until the trial and execution of the priest Kryštof Lautner. Unwillingness to stop the evil in the beginning only encourages the inquisitor to graduate his accusations and use torture. The vicious circle scares everyone from resistance.

These trials started when an altar boy observed an old woman hiding the bread given out during communion. He alerted the priest who confronted the old woman. She admitted that she took the bread with the intent to give it to a cow to reenable its milk production. The priest reported the incident to the owner of the local estate who, in turn, called in an inquisitor, a judge specializing in witchcraft trials. Boblig von Edelstadt, the inquisitor, commenced an ever-escalating series of trials, eventually involving hundreds of people. In the end, 112 people were burned at the stake.

The screenplay was written by Vávra and Ester Krumbachová, who also wrote the title song, an apocalyptic version of the German march "In Flandern reitet der Tod".

Synopsis

Dans les années 1670 en Moravie, un enfant de chœur remarque qu'une femme âgée dissimule le pain donné pendant la communion et en informe le prêtre, qui questionne la vieille femme. Elle admet qu'elle a pris le pain pour le donner à une vache afin de réactiver sa production de lait. Le prêtre rapporte l'incident au seigneur local qui, à son tour, en appelle à un inquisiteur spécialisé dans les procès de sorcellerie, Boblig von Edelstadt .

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