Be Witchy

Witches and cinema two compatible universes?

Cinema has always had an impact on people's minds. The way a film is made, its story, messages and beliefs will directly affect the viewer's perception. perception of the viewer. Feature films have always had the power to change certain views that are ingrained in all of us. And this was the case with the theme of witches.

The world has moved from one construction of the witch to another and today, when we talk about the theme of witches, we are talking about the of witches, horrors of the past but to elements of popular culture. culture. Successful films such as Harry Potter, series such as My beloved witch or Sabrina the apprentice and many other works featuring 'nice' witches. We often forget the real subject of the witch and We often forget the real subject of the witch and very often we find this theme in horror films where she plays the role of an evil being. But as we know, the history of witches goes far beyond what the cinema and its films show us. movies show us. A recent film, The Reckoning (Sorcières, in French), released in August 2020* by director Neil Marshall, takes the witch theme more seriously and realistically. It is this kind of film that shows us the horror and stupidity of the men of the time. The film is obviously inspired by real events and takes place in England in 1665. The country is ravaged by the Great Plague. Meanwhile, the witch-hunt is in full swing. A young farmer, Joe, contracts the disease and rather than contaminate his wife Grace and his newborn daughter, he decides to kill himself. daughter, he decides to hang himself. Abandoned, without a husband, Grace must face the owner of their farm, the notable Pendleton County Pendleton County, who demands the rent.

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From then on, the problems begin for this widow. Unfortunately, she cannot pay the rent because she has no income and no job. So she decides to she decides to give her wedding rings as rent, but only delaying the eviction deadline, the notable Pendleton proposes to Grace to offer herself to him. Grace refuses his advances and Pendleton immediately and publicly accuses her of Pendleton immediately and publicly accuses her of witchcraft. Locked up and at the mercy of the nobleman and a notorious witch-hunter, Judge Moodcroft, Grace is subjected to the worst torture physical and psychological torture. The film is a good representation of the reality of the time. In the scene where the notable makes advances to Grace, he is violent and does not hesitate to use all his strength. This scene could have ended in rape but Grace defends herself and manages to get out of this troubling but recurrent situation for her. situation, which was troubling but recurrent at the time. From then on, Pendleton, not having got what he wanted and angry about the situation, returns to town and the local bar and theorises with the regulars that with the regulars that Grace is a witch because her husband died of the Plague but she and her daughter daughter are not infected. Crazy theories emerge and Grace finds herself locked up for witchcraft. This scene is disturbing. It shows that women could be accused of witchcraft without any real evidence, just no real evidence, just assumptions by anyone and It shows that women could be accused of witchcraft without any real proof, just with assumptions by anyone and especially by a man. A woman's attitude misinterpreted by a man could be could be an excuse to call her a witch. And especially due to the events related to the plague. There was a need for leadership and what better better than women to take on this role?

Torture at that time was the best way to break down women suspected of witchcraft. of witchcraft. The aim was to break and although the woman was innocent, confessing her crimes was the only option for her to stop her unspeakable to stop her unspeakable pain but confessing meant dying by burning alive. In both cases, being accused of being a witch meant, ineluctably death. The film captures these torture scenes well. Hanging on wooden beams, and sometimes muzzled, the judge indulges in various tortures almost unbearable to watch. The mark of the devil, a sign of fornication with the devil, is introduced in the film. One of his tortures, called the Pear of Anguish, consisted of pushing in a kind of small ball which, with the help of springs or a screw, was then pulled out. with the help of springs or screws, would to open and widen so that the hole into which it was inserted would widen and give way. This "pear" was most often used in the mouth, but in the case of witches, it was introduced into the vagina. The film shows the cruel aspects of this period towards women due to beliefs that were too deeply rooted in the minds of the people and, above all, to the beliefs and especially due to the events due to the events linked to the plague. There was a need for leaders and what better than women to take on this role? women to take on this role? Whether one likes the film or not, one cannot be insensitive to this subject which is a turning point in the world of world of feminism.