Given that the director, Dreyer, was an obsessive-compulsive, it's not very surprising that the movie was filmed magnificently. It is one of the more visually striking and amazing black and white films I have seen--somewhat reminiscent of German Expressionism as well as the Bergman film THE SEVENTH SEAL. It was simply beautiful to watch. And, to heighten the visual impact, the characters (especially the supporting ones) look much like they were lifted from 17th century paintings by Rembrandt and Holbein.

As for the film itself, it was very well-crafted. At times it was very hard to watch (such as the torture scene and the scene where the old woman was burned alive),and at other times it did seem a tiny bit tedious (but not so much that it spoiled the film) and other times the film was quite odd--especially since the direction the film went really surprised me. In the end, you find that Dreyer's film wasn't necessarily an indictment on the stupidity of the witch trials and it left many questions unanswered. I really liked this vagueness--as too often films try to spoon feed and convince the viewer--this one didn't seem to care and just wanted to, at times, confuse and surprise the audience.

If you like this film, a couple other Danish films I also loved and strongly recommend (though they bear no similarity to this film) are BABETTE'S FEAST and THE CELEBRATION. Movies like these really encourage me to seek out more Danish films.

So as in our contemporary world, we put ourselves above everything and use religion to smite those with whom we do not agree. In ths Dreyer classic, anyone who does things in an unconventional way, like the old lady with her herbal medicines, must be acting counter to God. And it takes but one accusation from someone who has no real moral sense other than anger, suspicion, and jealousy to bring these charges. We know from the start the result. We get to know mama and son and and what will eventually take place.

I Fancy there'd be a good reason to feel a bit irked during most of the days of the 17th century, especially if you were a bonny lass with a celibate husband twice your age, a hag of a mother-in-law and you fancied your stepson something rotten. A bewitching film leaves us grateful we are alive today and thankful for our libertarian ways, with the director catching the essence of life's frustrations, misunderstandings and heinous cruelties during those times to perfection.