Possible Spoilers Within. I might be presuming too much about the intentions of the film makers, but given the time period of the films release, following the Prague Spring and the short-lived relaxation of the censors, this film is a clear condemnation of the Stalinist state, or at least of an autocratic regime. There are so many positive qualities to this film it is hard to comment fully on it. However, the film does depict the main inquisitioner as a man driven by avarice, greed and power. Connivingly, he used his power to usurp judicial and law-enforcing power from the town and tortured "witnesses" and "criminals" into submission, thereby being able to take their property from them as "payment" for the trials. Unfortunately, the film maker could have illustrated the pain of torture more, but he possibly might have had problems with the censors, even given the relaxation, or he might not have wanted to offend the viewer. Further, the total inaction by the Austrian government tends to make the viewer of a Kafka- esquire government, in which the people's rights and pleas go unheard. This film, if anything, astutely illustrates the power of the state and its propensity toward abuse, if gone unchecked. Also, I was constantly reminded of the US's current problem with torture in the Middle East. Who is to declare the "Truth" in such murky circumstances. One of the Guards, who supplied a running monologue throughout the film, added another layer of If you don't know Czech, you might lose a little meaning in the subtitles, but the film is still worth watching, regardless.
Review of Witchhammer
