marilyn ramberg

I love this play, and this was an interesting production which I'm glad to have seen. The visuals were fascinating. Kathryn Hunter was riveting as the witch. But Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington's interpretations seemed strangely muted, lacking in energy. Same goes for Brendan Gleeson as Duncan. These are fine actors and I was hoping for better. Tastes vary, of course, but I'm baffled that when historic productions are discussed, mention is rarely made of the filmed version directed by Gregory Doran with Antony Sher and Harriet Walter in the principal roles. Maybe this is because it is difficult to find, but it can be seen on Vimeo or found in some public libraries. In my opinion, it is unsurpassed in just about every way. Polanski's version is quite different, but also very, very good.

I expect that Zygmunt Marycha is right. There are probably nuances that I could not detect, even equipped with some knowledge of history and folklore. There is another film called "1945" along similar lines, set in Hungary - it doesn't have quite the otherworldly atmosphere of "Demon," but it involves the theft of Jewish property in Hungary during WWII and the return of two of the surviving members of one of the affected families to confront the guilty villagers (and to cause them to face the consequences of what they have done.) Both films are set in the context of weddings. And neither paints a very flattering picture of village life in either location. "1945" is the more understated of the two, but has similar impact, in my opinion. But in any case, even if you don't pick up on every detail, I think these are both excellent and well worth seeing. If you are looking for standard horror fare, neither is likely to be what you would be looking for.