What a wonderful surprise. Little seen and even less commented upon I went into this with hope but little expectation. I knew it was about a supposed witch transported from her burning some 350 years before right into the present day and understood there was likely to be some nudity along the way. This is an amazingly proficient film that manages to switch back and forth those 350 without any device at all. Fantastic looking and with some truly wonderful scenes. The most impressive of all is a depiction of a witches sabbath, fire circle and all. Quite bewitching, in fact and plays more like a modern dance routine. Ah but here's the rub. This is no nobody director, Marco Bellocchio is still working, unheard of to me, but seemingly much admired and making award nominated films. I discover I have already seen one, Devil in the Flesh and have had to order two more. Beatrice Dalle is stunning in the lead but hardly surprising as this is the star of Betty Blue, Inside and dozens more. Back to the fire circle and that sabbath routine - the male lead is Daniele Ezralow and although he hasn't done so much more acting, he was mainly known as a choreographer and no wonder that sequence was like some modern ballet, he choreographed it (uncredited). Funny what you stumble across at film fairs, yet another director's oeuvre to explore.
Review of The Witches' Sabbath
