Megan Jaffee

Benjamin Christensen’s semi-documentary film, Haxan, explains witchcraft through the

ages. This film was one of the most expensive and advanced films of the 1920s. Haxan uses

effective lighting and framing to tell a story, frame controversial scenes, and display

Christensen’s technical advances.

The framing and lighting in Haxan contributes to the way Benjamin Christensen tells the

story of witchcraft. As the scene of witchcraft begins, it shows a wide shot of a scene with Commented [HM1]: Not sure what this means now. What
scene of witchcraft?
several elements. The scene includes a pot of potion, several witches, smoke over boiling pots,

books of spells, and a person coming to witches for assistance. The scene was all fit into one shot Commented [HM2]: Two sentences that start with THE.

and then it cut to each element of the scene to further describe the chaotic visual of witchcraft.

The scenes of rituals and myths were often dramatized through close-ups. An example is the use Commented [HM3]: Again.

of close ups during witch confessions. The light was placed to emphasize their reactions. There

was a scene of an old woman that was close-up on her lit-up face. It is easy to see her

expressions as her wrinkles create shadows on her own face. Another example of the effective

use of lighting and framing is the framing of nude women. White flesh beamed bright against the

dark backgrounds. The lighting ensured her to be the subject of the frame. Commented [HM4]: Combine these.

In addition to the lighting and framings emphasis on storytelling, it also helped

emphasize the ideas of witchcraft, hysteria, demons, and torture. Danish film censors required

several cuts to authorize the release of Haxan in Denmark at the time. The once censored scenes

have since been restored to the film today. These scenes include close-ups of instruments of

torture, close-up of the finger being removed from the hanged man, the trampling of the cross in

the witch Sabbath, the infant being held over the cooking pot, the woman’s face on the torture

rack, and the demon embracing a nude woman. Another example of the use of framing to
emphasize Christensen’s ideas was when the young women were kissing the devil, who was

Benjamin Christensen dressed up, on his butt. The static camera emphasized the absurd and

humiliating nature of the women entering and exiting the frame to kiss the devil.

Although the film included controversial content, Christensen uses Haxan to display

technological advancements on lighting and framing throughout the film. Benjamin Christensen

created Haxan for a contemporary audience and had no limits when it came to his creative

technique. An example of this is a scene of flying witches over the country side at the beginning

of the film that was originally filmed from a moving train. Benjamin Christensen was dissatisfied

with the look of the frame so his technicians constructed a model town on a carousel. It was

approximately six feet high and maneuvered by twenty men. Over seventy-five witches were

filmed individually with airplane winds and a moving camera. Another scene that demonstrates

Christensen’s use of framing is by the movement of his camera. There is a scene in a torture Commented [HM5]: What is this paragraph about?
Technical advancements in framing and lighting? You only
mention his use of FRAMING here.
chamber where the body lies still. The camera pans from the chained feet to the head of the body,

lengthening the appearance of the frame. Haxan also portrays subjects through lightness and Commented [HM6]: Combine.

darkness. The demons, devils and witches are darker than the other innocent people being Commented [HM7]: Better way to transition these ideas.

effected by them. The entire film is dimly lit, giving off a mysterious impression. This sort of

creativity had not been applied to film until Haxan, making Benjamin Christensen the first

filmmaker to come up with such technique. Commented [HM8]: Hold back on this strong of a
statement.
Benjamin Christensen created a revolutionary standard in the film industry through

Haxan. The film uses its lighting and framing to emphasize the dramatic narrative, highlight

controversial scenes, and to show technical advances. Haxan successfully told an unusual story

of witchcraft through Christensen’s own legendary techniques and creativity.

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GRADE: 89 Formatted: Font: Bold

Structure: 18

Grammar: 17

Clarity: 17

Voice: 18

Completion/Directions: 19