Realizing The Witch: Science, Cinema, And The Mastery Of The Invisible Project Muse Upcc Books

Realizing the Witch follows the unfolding of Benjamin Christensen's visual narrative in his 1922 film, H xan (The Witch). Through a close reading of H xan, Baxstrom and Meyers examine the study of witchcraft from historical and anthropological perspectives, as well as the intersection of popular culture, artistic expression and scientific ideas. Benjamin Christensen's Häxan (the Witch, 1922) Stands As A Singular Film Within The History Of Cinema. Deftly Weaving Contemporary Scientific Analysis And Powerfully Staged Historical Scenes Of Satanic Initiation, Confession Under Torture, Possession, And Persecution, Häxan Creatively Blends Spectacle And Argument To Provoke A Humanist Re-evaluation Of Witchcraft In European History As Well As The Contemporary Treatment Of Hysterics And The Mentally Ill. In Realizing The Witch, Baxstrom And Meyers Show How Häxan Opens A Window Onto Wider Debates In The 1920s Regarding The Relationship Of Film To Scientific Evidence, The Evolving Study Of Religion From Historical And Anthropological Perspectives, And The Complex Relations Between Popular Culture, Artistic Expression, And Concepts In Medicine And Psychology. Häxan Is A Film That Travels Along The Winding Path Of Art And Science Rather Than Between The Narrow Division Of Documentary And Fiction. Baxstrom And Meyers Reveal How Christensen's Attempt To Tame The Irrationality Of The Witch Risked Validating The Very Nonsense That Such An Effort Sought To Master And Dispel. Häxan Is A Notorious, Genre-bending, Excessive Cinematic Account Of The Witch In Early Modern Europe--realizing The Witch Not Only Illustrates The Underrated Importance Of The Film Within The Canons Of Classic Cinema, It Lays Bare The Relation Of The Invisible To That Which We Cannot Prove But Nevertheless Know To Be There-- Introduction: What Is Häxan? -- Part I: The Realization Of The Witch. The Witch In The Human Sciences And The Mastery Of Nonsense ; Evidence, First Movement: Words And Things ; Evidence, Second Movement: Tableaux And Faces ; The Viral Character Of The Witch ; Demonology -- Part Ii: A Mobile Force In The Modern Age. 1922 ; Sex, Touch, And Materiality ; Possession And Ecstasy ; Hysterias ; Postscript: It Is Very Hard To Believe. Richard Baxstrom And Todd Meyers. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 257- 273 And Index. Includes Filmography. Benjamin Christensen's Hxan ( The Witch , 1922) stands as a singular film within the history of cinema. Deftly weaving contemporary scientific analysis and powerfully staged historical scenes of satanic initiation, confession under torture, possession, and persecution, Hxan creatively blends spectacle and argument to provoke a humanist re-evaluation of witchcraft in European history as well as the contemporary treatment of female "hysterics" and the mentally ill. In Realizing the Witch , Baxstrom and Meyers show how Hxan opens a window onto wider debates in the 1920s regarding the relationship of film to scientific evidence, the evolving study of religion from historical and anthropological perspectives, and the complex relations between popular culture, artistic expression, and concepts in medicine and psychology. Haxan is a film that travels along the winding path of art and science rather than between the narrow division of "documentary" and "fiction." Baxstrom and Meyers reveal how Christensen's attempt to tame the irrationality of "the witch" risked validating the very "nonsense" that such an effort sought to master and dispel. Hxan is a notorious, genre-bending, excessive cinematic account of the witch in early modern Europe. Realizing the Witch not only illustrates the underrated importance of the film within the canons of classic cinema, it lays bare the relation of the invisible to that which we cannot prove but nevertheless "know" to be there." Benjamin Christensen’s Häxan (The Witch, 1922) stands as a singular film within the history of cinema. Deftly weaving contemporary scientific analysis and powerfully staged historical scenes of satanic initiation, confession under torture, possession, and persecution, Häxan creatively blends spectacle and argument to provoke a humanist re-evaluation of witchcraft in European history as well as the contemporary treatment of female “hysterics” and the mentally ill. In Realizing the Witch, Baxstrom and Meyers show how Häxan opens a window onto wider debates in the 1920s regarding the relationship of film to scientific evidence, the evolving study of religion from historical and anthropological perspectives, and the complex relations between popular culture, artistic expression, and concepts in medicine and psychology. Häxan is a film that travels along the winding path of art and science rather than between the narrow division of “documentary” and “fiction.” Baxstrom and Meyers reveal how Christensen’s attempt to tame the irrationality of “the witch” risked validating the very "nonsense" that such an effort sought to master and dispel. Häxan is a notorious, genre-bending, excessive cinematic account of the witch in early modern Europe. Realizing the Witch not only illustrates the underrated importance of the film within the canons of classic cinema, it lays bare the relation of the invisible to that which we cannot prove but nevertheless “know” to be there. Realizing the Witch follows the unfolding of Benjamin Christensen's visual narrative in his 1922 film, H#65533;xan (The Witch). Through a close reading of H#65533;xan, Baxstrom and Meyers examine the study of witchcraft from historical and anthropological perspectives, as well as the intersection of popular culture, artistic expression and scientific ideas Offers an analysis of the 1922 film "Haxan," discussing the importance of the film in classic horror genre, how it blends documentary and dramatic storytelling, and its treatment of religion, superstition, and anthropology