![]() The audience response to the film was muted and it had difficulty recovering its costs. Over time, however, the film has become a cult classic and is today a highly regarded silent film. The Catholic church considered it a piece of anti-Catholic propaganda, and it was banned in the USA until 1929. The newspaper Folkets Dagblad Politiken wrote that certain scenes in the film “are absolutely repulsive and can almost be seen as an eruption of scatological obscenity and sexual perversion.” The film generated much controversy abroad as well. They pointed out that the film was not for audiences who simply wanted to see a quiet drama, but instead it was a depiction of cultural-historical significance. When it was released on 18 September 1922, it had already undergone substantial censorship but remained controversial. The film’s scenes of graphic nudity and torture were shocking for its time. The cast included both amateur actors and established stars such as Danish actor Poul Reumert and the Swedish star of film and stage Tora Teje. In the film’s four chapters tries to show that what today is perceived as mental illness was previously considered witchcraft. Christensen compares the old witch-hunts or purges with modern-day mental illnesses. Witchcraft Through the Ages is almost documentary-like in its narrative. Christensen was given total artistic freedom for the film which was shot in a studio in Hellerup, Denmark, that SF Studios had acquired in 1920. One of these was the 1922 film Witchcraft Through the Ages, a lavish project written and directed by Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen and financed by SF Studios. The golden age of Swedish film led companies to invest in larger and more ambitious projects. ![]()
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