Mark of the Devil (1970) Movie Script
1
There are 500 crowns in it for us.
I want the priest
and the youngest of the nuns alive.
With the others
you can do as you please. Go!
Come on! Hey!
Faster! Giddy up! Giddy up!
Faster! Go on!
Giddy up! Giddy up!
Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
No!
No!
In the name of our merciful Prince,
I proclaim to you
that an attack is planned
by the dark power of Hell.
It would be sinful
not to fight it with violence.
The Devil is among you.
Wherever the hand
of the prosecutor points,
you must not hesitate to follow.
In the name of the law
and justice
it has been announced
that Prisoner No.1 has profaned
the celibacy of the clergy,
the holy sacraments of the Church.
This apostate
has blasphemed against God
and committed buggery
under the eyes of our crucified Lord.
No! No! Leave me alone.
Out of this shameful union
was issued the Accused No.2,
whose body and soul have
been dedicated to the Devil since birth.
The Accused No.3 has had
illicit intercourse with the Devil
and danced with him
on Fox Mountain,
so that impotence befalls our city
and men and women are not able
to fulfil their marital duties.
The Accused No.1,
who committed buggery four times
under the eyes of our Lord,
shall have the four fingers
of his right hand chopped off.
Then he shall be tarred and feathered
and chased through the streets
in disgrace
until he drops dead like an animal.
In the name of the Lord,
have mercy!
There! That way
the women will enjoy it too.
Now you're going
to be baptised with tar.
Drink, buddy!
- Use plenty of it.
- Drink!
Now another bucketful for his hair
since he won't be needing it anymore.
Nice!
May the Lord forgive you.
You know not what you do.
Stop praying!
And now the Holy Ghost
will descend upon you
in the shape of many white doves!
Run until you're dead,
you ugly bird!
Let me be.
Now for Prisoners No.2 and 3.
Mother of God, pray for us,
pray for us now in the hour of our death.
Where is he now, your Lord God?
Bible basher!
- Shut up!
- Pity us.
Oh please, mercy!
I suppose you think
you'll be made a saint
or worshipped as a martyr?
...do not lead us into temptation...
Mother Mary, full of grace...
Blessed art thou among women, blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
(Praying continues)
In the name of the Devil,
I am doomed!
Rebecca! May you get a taste
of the torture and the fire!
Pity us!
Rebecca has had intercourse
with the Devil on Fox Mountain.
Satan turned into a billy-goat
and then she rode home on his back!
Rebecca's a witch!
I suppose the show is nearly over.
There'll be plenty more
to see in this town.
Come on! Come along!
We're going to miss it. It's already late.
Come on!
See? Nothing but a heap of ashes.
Albino will be here any minute.
He lives here at my modest little inn.
He's attending an official function.
- Vanessa?
- Yes?
Bring the wine over here
to the noble Lord.
Albino is very zealous.
Clean the table for the noble Lords.
They plan to burn
another two witches today.
They burnt six last week.
The dungeons are full of them.
Here he is.
So that's what he looks like.
I'm Albino.
What do you want from me?
Christian von Merou,
at your service.
Please.
An official communication for you
from His Highness.
Read it.
I can't read.
It's a proclamation about the arrival
of my master, Lord Cumberland.
He has been summoned
by your master, the Prince,
and entrusted with the difficult task
of tracking down and convicting witches.
I am the witch hunter here.
You are to report to my master
upon his arrival without delay.
I am the witch hunter around here
and no one else!
Do you understand?
Witchcraft spreads like vermin.
You can't contain it by yourself.
We are residing at the castle,
Lord Cumberland, his executioner and I.
We expect a full report
on all prior verdicts.
I don't write the reports
personally, my Lord.
I leave that to my advocate.
She's looks pretty, doesn't she?
Much too pretty for the stake,
don't you think?
Who are they?
The attendant and executioner
of Lord Cumberland.
I suppose it will soon
be Judgement Day.
Albino, just imagine
burning like a witch yourself.
When the fire starts
to warm your arse...
...you won't be top dog anymore.
- You are to come home, Father.
- Tell them I'll be there soon.
These women do nag so!
How are things, my Lord?
Lord Cumberland's arriving,
justice incarnate. Brace yourself!
Like one vulture devouring another.
May God protect me.
And you too.
Are you going into town?
Cumberland is coming,
and justice with him!
All right,
we'll brace ourselves!
You will produce documents
on the hearings and confessions,
no matter where you get them from.
We don't have any confessions.
I can't just invent them.
They'll want to see written reports,
a transcript of every hearing.
There weren't any hearings.
We beat them,
tortured them, burnt them.
There were no confessions.
I only ever read out the verdicts.
I plucked them out of thin air.
Cumberland will pass judgement.
Rebecca said she was chosen
for something special.
Cumberland's executioner made
the sign of a cross above the door.
They say a whole market town
was wiped out by Cumberland!
More than 40 souls!
He can't be any worse than Albino.
I can't wait for the day
when he burns on the pyre.
I've heard how he conducts his trials.
His executioner doesn't have
the best reputation.
I wouldn't like
to have been in her shoes.
Have you heard? He's bringing
his own executioner with him.
Big changes are afoot!
They say he isn't a master of his craft.
They say he's a real bungler.
When he beheads someone,
he can't even find the throat.
What good are the verdicts?
- I need about 30 confessions!
- But where will I...
Even if you have to write
until your fingers bleed, I will have them!
And make sure
Cumberland's dolled-up lackey
doesn't find out
that our reports are...
made up.
Oh, this...
... bastard.
If only I hadn't learned to write!
- It's a new dawn.
- I don't trust this Cumberland.
Here you are.
I wouldn't like to fall into his hands.
Once he gets here,
the executioner will be busy.
- Don't forget the Devil is among us.
- Nonsense!
The Devil doesn't exist.
At least you can see the witch hunters.
Get me some bread and bacon.
I'm hungry.
I won't be a minute.
Well, Vanessa?
Fancy your master, do you?
That pansy who stinks of perfume!
Get out! What is it to you?
Make yourself scarce!
Answer me
or I'll make you a witch.
It's the only way
for you to get a woman!
You will pay for that!
Stop that witch!
And when you plead for your life
on bended knee
in the name of justice,
in the name of Heaven,
I shall accuse you
of having trampled on the Holy Cross
and of having thrown it
into a pigs' trough
so that when the rain fell...
You saw the Devil piss!
This guy abuses women
before burning
and torturing them.
If you had a heart, men...
There he is, the Devil incarnate!
Why don't you seize him?
Why don't you hang,
draw and quarter him?
Why don't you bury his body
under the gallows?
Then you'll finally be rid
of this goddamn beast!
He wants to make me a witch
and you just stand by and watch!
He wants to make me a witch!
Just look. Look!
The sign of the Devil
is on her mouth.
This woman has kissed the Devil.
She has kissed his anus, his genitals.
She is a witch!
Look at her, men!
She doesn't feel pain.
- Go on, guys, turn her around.
- Satan!
She's a witch!
What are you accusing her of?
She danced on the Sabbath.
She made love to Lucifer.
He bewitched her.
She mixed frogs, herbs
and her own blood
and turned it into a broth.
She wants to poison your master.
Where's the indictment?
The advocate has it.
Liar!
Who are you trying to fool?
Your man's been raking over the past!
He has dug up cases
from the Thirty Years' War
and just copied the indictments.
A peculiar example of "justice"!
You are using torture
without proper indictments,
in a barn full of drunkards.
If I hadn't seized her,
she would have escaped.
Just so you know
what it means to be seized...
Jeff Wilkens,
lash him in front of everyone.
Yes!
What's your name?
No, sir, let go of me!
And some more...
That's a nice painting.
From the Spanish school, probably.
"In the lap of the mother
sits the wisdom of the father."
Do you believe I'm a witch?
It is my master's task to find out.
Do you believe I am?
No.
You are a man of high standing
who protected me from Albino.
- You should take what's owed to you.
- I won't bow to my senses.
I forbid you to talk like that.
This castle is like a dream.
And you're going to live here
with Lord Cumberland,
the man people say
such terrible things about.
He is a great man of God.
- Do you believe that?
- I owe him so much.
He has been my teacher
for more than three years.
He has shown me the way
with great wisdom.
I can't imagine you being cruel.
I live on Earth... to serve God,
to free the world from evil.
That's an aim
a man can aspire to.
What if they suspected your mother
of being a witch?
If you had to watch them torture
your mother and burn her as a witch,
would you still believe
that you were on the right path?
Are you going to take me back?
Or must I stay here?
It must be nice...
to wake up
in such a beautiful castle.
- I'll show you to your room.
- Thank you.
Lord Cumberland would be delighted
to greet a beautiful young guest
but he still has a long journey.
I don't expect him
until the day after tomorrow.
Here.
I hope you like the room.
- And where's yours?
- It lies exactly under this one.
Please tell me...
what's your name?
Christian.
- Sleep well, Christian.
- Thank you.
Good night.
Oh!
Christian...
Halt! Right turn!
Reporting for duty.
I'm Lord Cumberland's representative.
Who are you and what do you want?
Captain Ignatius.
I have a message
from my master, the Prince.
I am at your disposal.
Advance! Go on!
You're in charge of guarding the castle
when Lord Cumberland arrives.
Let's get the noble Lords
out of their houses!
Go on! Sorcerer!
Just you wait!
I'll show you!
You miserable dog!
Stop it.
Come on, you miserable bastard.
I hope you wrote them in a such way
that this son of a bitch won't notice
that they have been forged.
Here are the charges, the hearings
and the sentences, my Lord.
I'll examine them later.
Thank you
for protecting me from Albino.
I'm going home now.
May I see you again soon?
Go to the inn, prepare some breakfast
and bring it back to me here.
I'll be back soon.
Write, Advocate,
I'm accusing Vanessa Benedict
of being in cahoots with the Devil
so that women can no longer conceive
and men have become impotent.
She is going to be tortured
until she confesses.
"Tortured until she confesses."
Now he's got it in writing.
She's a witch!
Telling untruths with bad intentions
means making up all kinds of lies.
Here are the indictments
and statements.
And the verdicts.
For His Lordship,
Gadshill Cumberland,
the mightiest challenger
of the Devil and of witches,
for his approval.
- Come on!
- Oh!
Come, give me your hand.
May I bring you
your breakfast again tomorrow?
I may not be
in the mood for it tomorrow.
Stop it! Don't!
Don't you think
it's magnificent here?
See, this is my truth,
what I can touch and feel.
How nice it is!
Don't you feel it?
Wait, won't you?
Don't run away from me!
There is so much I don't understand.
You know exactly
what kind of doubts torment me.
Why? Just believe in what you see!
I only believe in what I see.
And I would only believe
in the Devil if...
...if I saw him.
Please don't say things like that.
Witches don't exist either. Come!
- Be happy with me.
- Stop talking to me like that.
Why?
It would be so wonderful.
Vanessa!
Do you know
that you are a danger to me?
No.
Christian. Shh...
My Lord.
Let's see how you dance
with that dolled-up, noble pansy!
I couldn't find the Devil's mark.
Perhaps you didn't look closely enough.
Nothing gets past me, my Lord.
She shall go in peace,
free of the accusation of witchcraft
and free of any suspicion,
unmolested by the common people
who accused her of being a witch.
Thank you, my Lord.
You are a great man. You are truly just.
- You're free.
- Thank you.
Next.
Your Grace.
You're late.
Your Grace.
This is novice Deidre von Bergenstein.
She is accused
of killing her embryo
and mixing it with snakes and toads
into a witch's brew
which she then stirred and buried
under the porch of the convent
from which she had been expelled
so that Lucifer's wooden leg
could step over the threshold
and the nuns who went past
got stiff necks
and the abbot of the convent
developed a goitre,
the sign of the Devil.
In the eyes of God
she has committed terrible sins
and she has already been tortured twice.
It says three times here.
Oh, I'm sorry, my Lord, but I...
I mistook the "3" for a '2".
Continue.
As she's only allowed to testify
before an ecclesiastical court...
In the name of God,
let me speak, my Lord!
I was expelled by the priory
because the Lord Bishop
had forced himself upon me.
I went on to bear a child.
The Lord Bishop forced himself
upon you? Fancy that!
For this blasphemy you shall
be stretched on the rack today
until you confess
that this child is the Devil's.
Then you shall have your tongue
torn out by the roots. Next!
I swear by God and the saints
that I am innocent.
The only judge
who can judge me is God.
He and the Virgin Mary
are my witnesses.
I'm innocent.
- I'm innocent.
- Let me go!
I'm innocent.
Let me go!
Take your filthy hands off me.
The indictment!
I can find no indictment.
That's a lie, sir!
The indictment is there.
Restrain yourself!
What's her name?
Vanessa Benedict, your Grace.
Speak up.
Vanessa Benedict, my Lord.
And the charge?
What is it?
My Lord, the indictment was:
"Being in cahoots
with the Devil incarnate
"so that women can no longer conceive
"and men become impotent."
The charge is justified.
Take her back to her cell until
the indictment is found and examined.
It is cold in here.
Christian von Merou, follow me.
When autumn comes, Christian,
I begin to get tired.
I get tired of the travelling,
the noise, the people...
I'm constantly exposed
to screaming and protests.
I'm getting a little deaf.
A woman bit my hand
out of gratefulness.
One of the downsides
of our responsibilities.
Do you think
I'll be just like you one day?
You're a good pupil,
and you are brave.
I am well pleased with your eagerness,
cautiousness and sense of duty.
Your calmness and intelligence
will take you far in life.
One day you'll be able
to form your own opinion.
Take that girl,
that Vanessa, for example.
She's falsely accused.
I'm sure of it.
Just one hour before Lucifer's fall
God thought he was an angel.
This woman is a witch.
She will confess.
My Lord...
Young Baron Daumer.
We shall see him in court.
You may leave.
I once met Daumer's father
while out hunting. He has died.
It seems the boy has been possessed
by the Devil ever since.
He won't be spared
the embarrassing questioning in court.
May God help him
turn his back on Hell.
As the representative
of the high court which sits here
I am in charge of you,
Baron Daumer.
I am in the charge of a witch hunter?
Don't you dare
accuse me of witchcraft!
Do you think I can't see through
the Bishops' schemes?
They are trying to kill me and forfeit
my possessions to the Church.
Be quiet!
How dare you accuse God's servants
of trying to kill someone?
There is no Bishop who would
besmirch his holy office like that.
There is no doubt about it.
His soul has been possessed
by the Devil.
He shall be tortured and interrogated
until we succeed
in exorcising his notions of Hell.
I can't confess!
I have nothing to confess.
We'll see about that.
I'm innocent.
This is no place to rest, pal!
- Well, noble son, has the Devil...
- Enough!
That's not an interrogation,
it's hatred of the aristocracy.
One day we'll be wiped out
and the riff-raff will be in charge.
And justice will die.
Get him up.
The riff-raff will relish
seeing one of us weak.
Get inside!
I want to help you.
Or rather, you will help yourself.
If you can free yourself
of this dark power,
that Devil within you,
I will save your life.
But if you continue to rebel,
if you refuse a helping hand,
then there's nothing
I can do for you.
Look...
Just like me,
you are descended
from aristocracy,
not from the riff-raff.
Your late father left his estates
in the safekeeping of the Church...
Only until I finish my studies!
They're mine.
They're my inheritance from my father.
- Yes, but...
- They're mine!
You're right, but avarice
mustn't get the better of you.
It's a deadly sin.
Sign everything over to the Church
and I will vouch for your life.
If you don't value your life...
I must accuse you of witchcraft,
and you will be convicted.
Fight! All I ask of you
is that you fight the Devil within you...
It makes no difference.
If you are executed as a sorcerer
your estates will be confiscated
by the Church anyway.
That's enough.
Stretch her!
More!
Are you possessed by the demon
of untruthfulness, Sister Deidre?
You are called upon to tell the truth.
Name just one accomplice
and the executioner will stop the torture.
If you lie,
the torture will be increased.
Who taught you
the evil science of sorcery?
No one!
I want to confess.
It was the quack
who digs up the corpses at night.
She makes oil of the bones
and lights a fire with it.
She dances on the Sabbath.
Confess! Go on!
She boils owls and other dead birds.
Owls...
She puts them on the fire
and makes her witch's brew out of them.
Have you drunk from it?
- Yes.
- How many times?
Often, very often, yes.
When and where did you meet the Devil
for the first time?
Yes, yes, yes...
No, no, yes...
No! The Devil, yes, the Devil.
- Speak, my child. Rid yourself of him.
- I want to confess.
I want to confess everything,
anything you want.
I met him for the first time
in the monastery
when the Bishop
threw me naked into the cellar.
- Speak up!
- The Bishop...
Liar!
Stretch her more!
What do you know about it?
The whole responsibility's
on my shoulders.
If I weren't around...
There'd be someone else
to do the dirty work.
Look up there!
- We'll show her!
- Here I come!
She's in for a surprise!
Open up!
Well?
Get lost!
Let go of me!
Isn't that nice?
And all for nothing.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Come on, you witch!
Enough!
You pigs!
In the sight of the Almighty,
you, Deidre von Bergenstein,
will be burnt at the stake.
Confess and save your soul.
I have nothing to confess.
Then you must die.
In anticipation of my death...
I thank you
for your kindness and mercy,
for having delivered me
from torture and pain.
May God protect you...
...and have mercy on your soul.
I don't want her to die yet.
I need confessions, not martyrs.
She must confess
that this child of hers is the Devil's,
not the Lord Bishop's.
Get me a confession.
Where is Christian von Merou?
You won't let him see me, will you?
He won't turn against God for you,
a mere maid.
That doesn't make me a witch!
- I know a witch when I see one.
- And I know what you are.
The advocate has come
to tell you something about Albino.
I felt it my duty, my Lord.
I felt it my duty as a Christian
to report the matter.
Albino burst into a house, drunk,
and raped a girl.
One of his companions
stabbed a man to death.
I saw it with my own eyes.
It was Albino who made the accusations
against Vanessa Benedict.
Tell him that I'm expecting him
this evening.
The perpetrators must be punished.
Draw up a report.
Yes, my Lord.
- Are you tired as well?
- My arms are hurting.
Stretch her a little more.
Well, Witch?
The sooner you confess,
the sooner your pain will stop.
No confession yet.
She's still telling that fairy-tale
about the Bishop.
The tongue.
- Your Excellency, how are you?
- I'm well, thank you, my Lord.
We must never weaken
in performing God's work.
Yes, my lord.
For those
who turn against our Savior
no punishment is sufficient.
Christian!
You know I've been incarcerated
even though I'm not guilty.
Why don't you help me?
Why don't you protect me?
You know I'm not a witch.
Tell him!
If you are truly innocent
then God will show his mercy
by proving it.
Truly innocent?
I'm not a witch.
Christian, please tell him!
My Lord's decision stands.
If you're not a witch,
then he will know.
Can you really only see
through his eyes?
How can you be so blind?
I was surprised, Christian,
that she knows your first name.
The girl was falsely accused.
At least I thought she was
falsely accused at first.
- That's why I felt sorry for her.
- What did you say?
I said I felt sorry for her.
- Sorry for a witch?
- Sometimes I find it hard to tell...
It's so hard.
Carrying out the will of our Savior
is often hard work, my son.
We shall talk about it.
Some wine?
You're very quiet.
I've been thinking
about how I would feel
if my mother were accused
of witchcraft.
God's will is unfathomable.
More wine?
No, thank you.
I don't think I'm up to the task.
I'm often confused.
I hate to admit this to myself.
And now I'm even admitting it to you.
We understand each other, don't we?
As long as you confide in me,
I will give you strength.
Come in.
My Lord, you wish to see me?
Permit me to retire.
Good night.
We shall discuss these matters further.
You were drunk.
You forced yourself upon a woman.
A man was stabbed.
Too much turpitude
through ignorance or greed.
For more than two years, my Lord,
I've been hunting witches in this town.
Just me, no one else.
- And now you have come.
- Yes, I have come.
And as of today,
your reign has come to an end.
The days of arbitrary witch hunts
are over.
I hope you understand.
Get out.
- I am a man, just like you.
- I told you to go.
I may not be as educated as you
but I'm not stupid.
I know why this Baron Daumer is here.
Do you? Well?
We could work together,
divide the money, yes?
I've burnt many people
in God's name, too.
You don't have to pretend to me,
not where witches are concerned.
You too get a thrill out of seeing them
on the rack, don't you?
You're a man, like me.
You misuse God's name
for your own ends.
If we worked together,
we could divide the women between us.
The money
from young Baron Daumer too.
I can get you many beautiful women.
- Guard!
- I know the game you're playing!
- You can't fool me.
- I can hang you.
I spit on your cursed God.
- I am the witch hunter here! Me, Albino.
- Guard!
If you have me arrested,
I'll tell them the truth.
And if you have them
tear out my tongue, I'll talk!
You'll be the laughing stock
of the entire country.
You, the mighty Cumberland,
who gets pleasure
out of torturing women,
for you are impotent!
A witch hunter, are you?
You're nothing but dirt!
Get out of my sight...
Bury him.
In the sight of the Almighty,
novice Deidre von Bergenstein
has confessed
to making a pact with the Devil.
Death by burning at the stake!
Take her away.
All we need is your signature
on the decree, my Lord.
In the name of the Almighty
this person stands condemned
of committing blasphemy
before the holy sacrament
and for making a pact with the Devil
and having intercourse with him.
Confess!
Confess and save your souls!
Witches, sorcerers, confess!
Confess, confess, confess!
Obdurate, stubborn scum!
No water!
Forfeit your worldly goods
to the Church.
Save yourself from Hell!
You say my soul is possessed
by the Devil.
Not mine, but yours!
You're a murderer!
Go on! Torture him harder.
You're a devil!
Why do you lock me up?
There is no indictment against me.
There will be one.
I'll decide when.
I know you're a witch.
Go to Hell with your threats.
One, two, three,
someone went past
Four, five, six,
she turned into a witch
Seven, eight, nine,
the straw is in the barn
Ten, eleven, twelve,
the wolves are coming
Hey! Look here,
I've caught a mouse.
Say, are you catching mice
or are you catching rats?
- Look, I'm a sorcerer.
- How come you can do magic tricks?
Little mouse, little mouse,
catch me if you can
Come! Come!
These sweet little brats...
Catch me if you can...
I'm all out of breath
because of these little ones.
How are you doing?
Can you go on?
You haven't had to run like this
for a long time.
- Where have you been?
- Just a minute!
They want to catch my mouse
but they're not going to get it.
- What's all this, gentlemen?
- What a nice house.
I am a great wizard,
I can do what I want.
If I had feathers, I could fly.
Only angels and witches can fly.
- Then I'll be an angel.
- You're not good enough.
At the most you could ride
on a broomstick like an old witch.
Like an old witch?
I'll be an angel.
- No, no, you're not good enough.
- All right, then I'll be a witch.
No way!
You're not bad enough for that.
Who's making
all that terrible noise?
Who taught you to speak?
The Devil's grandmother
who sits by the oven
spinning witches' socks
on the spinning wheel.
Stranger, do you have a question
for me to answer too?
Recite one of the Ten Commandments.
Thou shalt respect
thy father and mother
so that ye may live
long and happily on Earth,
you thick head!
Those puppets can talk
and give correct answers
to questions they're asked.
They disappear one minute
and reappear the next.
They move about
as if they were alive.
They do the strangest things.
Greetings, stranger!
How do you like us?
Walter...
Isn't it time you asked these gentlemen
what they desire?
Yes, darling, I think...
I am glad you like our puppets.
These puppets
have a magic effect on everyone.
They captivate young and old,
these cute little devils.
Thanks to the quality of the carving
they almost seem to be alive.
Jeff Wilkens, in the name
of your master, Lord Cumberland,
I command you to arrest this man
and charge him with practicing magic
through the intermediary
of puppets with human voices.
Let go of me!
We'll find the Devil's mark!
It's usually on the belly.
You evil man!
Mummy, come!
Go away! Go away!
- Let go of him!
- You evil, evil man!
- We've got to help him.
- No way!
Mummy!
Jeff Wilkens.
Help me!
Help me!
Well?
What do you see out there?
My Lord...
Yes?
For more than three years
I've believed in nothing else
but you and your teachings.
I never once doubted that you were
an infallible defender of God.
I've always taught according
to the best of my knowledge.
I'm only a small, weak human being.
But what I'm doing here is just.
God is just.
Towards you?
Or towards the murdered Albino?
When you came to me three years ago
and asked to become my pupil,
I warned you not to see an idol in me.
I said, "On the difficult path
we are going to tread together,
"many innocent people
are going to die."
I remember the day.
God knows, many have died.
- And there will be many more.
- Yes, I know.
But is that just?
There's never any safety.
Where is there any safety in the world?
Nowhere!
Neither for me...
...nor for you, Christian.
Yes?
My Lord, the advocate and I
have discovered two witches.
They have magic dolls
which speak like humans.
Magic dolls which speak like humans?
They're real puppets, my Lord.
We entertain the children with them.
There's no witchcraft.
Open the door.
What's the charge?
Witchcraft and consorting with the Devil
to trap human souls in these dolls.
No, they're made of wood.
My husband carves them.
I paint them and dress them up.
- We put on plays.
- What did you say?
I said, we put on plays.
- What kind of plays?
- About the Devil... and witches who fly.
Plays for children.
Sometimes stories
from the scriptures, moral plays.
It has nothing to do with the Devil.
The puppets spoke about flying.
- About witches on broomsticks.
- Oh, no!
It was educational,
the story of a man who wants
to be able to fly in the air like a bird.
He wants to be something
no man can ever be.
And when at the end of the play
he wears a suit of feathers
and tries but fails to fly,
he realizes
that even though he's got feathers
and looks like a bird
he cannot rise above other people.
Prepare the indictment immediately.
No! No, I want to go to my husband.
Where is he?
Oh, God!
Imbecile!
They are puppets made of carved wood,
not instruments of the Devil.
And you have no authority
to make public arrests.
Only I have that authority.
Go away.
- Fools.
- Lord Cumberland...
- Why order an indictment?
- Because they must burn as witches.
But they're innocent.
You must acquit them.
You know they're innocent.
Vanessa is innocent too.
There are no charges against her
and yet you keep her in prison,
even though she's as innocent
as those poor people with their puppets.
- You know that.
- I know nothing.
They have been
publicly accused of witchcraft.
There is nothing I can do.
Is that an example
of your much lauded justice?
How dare you talk to me like that?
Who do you think you are?
They have been indicted.
To release them would show weakness.
We must display our strength!
They'll be executed.
That's murder.
They have nothing to do with the Devil.
- Then they shall die as martyrs.
- What if they are Christian martyrs?
What does their death make you?
Confess! Confess
that you are possessed by the Devil.
Put him on the rack.
Take her out.
No water.
Please...
No water.
Wine...
Go on, open the door.
Everything's in order.
- Vanessa!
- Christian!
Christian!
- We can't stay here. Come on.
- Yes.
- Now I must go back.
- No, Christian.
I don't want you to go there.
Why do you want to leave me?
- I don't want you to go there.
- Vanessa, I have to free Baron Daumer.
Do it. It has to be done.
But I'm worried about you.
Where is my husband?
I beg you, take me to him.
You're wanted elsewhere.
No, Mummy, Mummy!
Don't leave, Mummy.
Open up! Open up!
- Where's Mummy?
- Can't you see? Mummy's gone.
Open up!
These soldiers
have taken our Mummy away.
These evil, evil men!
What are they doing to our Mummy?
Maybe she went to get Father
and he'll free us.
Are you hungry?
Some wine?
Are you afraid to die?
To have your pretty head cut off?
Show me your neck.
It would be a pity to...
You're not going to die.
I'll set you free,
and your husband and children.
My Lord... my kind Lord.
You are truly a just man.
Thank you.
How can I thank you?
How can I ever repay you?
You know
my husband and I are innocent.
You knew it straight away.
I saw it in your eyes.
Oh, Lord...
Look again.
What do you see now?
No!
Stop it! Remove the chains.
Gather all your strength
and try to come with me.
We don't need to go far
and you'll be free.
Don't stand around.
Get back to work!
Stop gawking.
Hold on for a few minutes.
I'll carry you out of here.
Halt! Go back to your cell!
Arrest them!
And the witch? Where is she?
She could only escape with your help.
You let her go.
She's innocent.
A goddamn witch,
that's what she is.
They are all witches.
A short while ago
I would have believed you,
but not anymore.
I can't follow you on your path,
because you lied to me.
Baron Daumer, he is innocent.
It's not true
that he is possessed by the Devil.
You talk a lot about God
but you really mean the Devil.
You've been kind to me,
good to me.
And I trusted you.
But how can I trust you
when you murder poor innocent people?
You asked me once whether
there was any safety for any of us.
Do you remember
what I answered you?
Take him to the dungeon.
Cowards!
Stand up to Cumberland.
Wake up!
Don't just sit there and gawk!
Give him a taste
of his own medicine!
Yes, she's right!
He Kills innocent people
and tortures them.
Together we're stronger than him!
He can't defend himself
against all of us.
He must be put on the rack!
Stop his evil doings!
The Prince and the Church
will reward us if we burn this Devil!
Torture him! Kill him!
Slaughter him!
To Hell with him!
Kill him! Burn him!
He's the Devil.
Put him on the stake!
It won't be much longer.
- My Lord.
- What is it?
Don't disturb me.
You can see that I'm praying.
There's an uprising, your Grace.
Half the town...
The people are on their way here.
They want to storm the castle.
We must prepare for a fight.
We must prepare my coach, you fool!
Wait...
You'll ride into town
with all your men.
Kill every man, woman and child
who dares to stand against me.
My Lord, I have very few men.
You'll have even fewer
by the end of the day. Now, go!
Trust in the Lord.
May the Lord
protect us against all evil.
Pray, my son,
and God will have mercy on your soul.
Halt! Halt!
Bloody riff-raff!
Take him down! Down!
Kiss the cross.
In the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prisoner No.1 is accused
of being possessed by the Devil
and of having spoken to the dead.
He has been sentenced to death
by the sword. It is his just comeuppance.
It has been decided that his estates
will be signed over to the Church,
according to the law of the land.
Prisoner No.2 has also been
sentenced to death by the sword.
- Come on!
- You're free! Come on!
- Come on, let's go.
- Come on!
Get down!
My children! My husband!
Walter! The children!
Oh, God!
- Mummy!
- Angelina!
- Christoph!
- Mummy!
Bastard!
Him!
It's him!
String him up!
Let me through!
No! No!
You...
You...
There are 500 crowns in it for us.
I want the priest
and the youngest of the nuns alive.
With the others
you can do as you please. Go!
Come on! Hey!
Faster! Giddy up! Giddy up!
Faster! Go on!
Giddy up! Giddy up!
Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
No!
No!
In the name of our merciful Prince,
I proclaim to you
that an attack is planned
by the dark power of Hell.
It would be sinful
not to fight it with violence.
The Devil is among you.
Wherever the hand
of the prosecutor points,
you must not hesitate to follow.
In the name of the law
and justice
it has been announced
that Prisoner No.1 has profaned
the celibacy of the clergy,
the holy sacraments of the Church.
This apostate
has blasphemed against God
and committed buggery
under the eyes of our crucified Lord.
No! No! Leave me alone.
Out of this shameful union
was issued the Accused No.2,
whose body and soul have
been dedicated to the Devil since birth.
The Accused No.3 has had
illicit intercourse with the Devil
and danced with him
on Fox Mountain,
so that impotence befalls our city
and men and women are not able
to fulfil their marital duties.
The Accused No.1,
who committed buggery four times
under the eyes of our Lord,
shall have the four fingers
of his right hand chopped off.
Then he shall be tarred and feathered
and chased through the streets
in disgrace
until he drops dead like an animal.
In the name of the Lord,
have mercy!
There! That way
the women will enjoy it too.
Now you're going
to be baptised with tar.
Drink, buddy!
- Use plenty of it.
- Drink!
Now another bucketful for his hair
since he won't be needing it anymore.
Nice!
May the Lord forgive you.
You know not what you do.
Stop praying!
And now the Holy Ghost
will descend upon you
in the shape of many white doves!
Run until you're dead,
you ugly bird!
Let me be.
Now for Prisoners No.2 and 3.
Mother of God, pray for us,
pray for us now in the hour of our death.
Where is he now, your Lord God?
Bible basher!
- Shut up!
- Pity us.
Oh please, mercy!
I suppose you think
you'll be made a saint
or worshipped as a martyr?
...do not lead us into temptation...
Mother Mary, full of grace...
Blessed art thou among women, blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
(Praying continues)
In the name of the Devil,
I am doomed!
Rebecca! May you get a taste
of the torture and the fire!
Pity us!
Rebecca has had intercourse
with the Devil on Fox Mountain.
Satan turned into a billy-goat
and then she rode home on his back!
Rebecca's a witch!
I suppose the show is nearly over.
There'll be plenty more
to see in this town.
Come on! Come along!
We're going to miss it. It's already late.
Come on!
See? Nothing but a heap of ashes.
Albino will be here any minute.
He lives here at my modest little inn.
He's attending an official function.
- Vanessa?
- Yes?
Bring the wine over here
to the noble Lord.
Albino is very zealous.
Clean the table for the noble Lords.
They plan to burn
another two witches today.
They burnt six last week.
The dungeons are full of them.
Here he is.
So that's what he looks like.
I'm Albino.
What do you want from me?
Christian von Merou,
at your service.
Please.
An official communication for you
from His Highness.
Read it.
I can't read.
It's a proclamation about the arrival
of my master, Lord Cumberland.
He has been summoned
by your master, the Prince,
and entrusted with the difficult task
of tracking down and convicting witches.
I am the witch hunter here.
You are to report to my master
upon his arrival without delay.
I am the witch hunter around here
and no one else!
Do you understand?
Witchcraft spreads like vermin.
You can't contain it by yourself.
We are residing at the castle,
Lord Cumberland, his executioner and I.
We expect a full report
on all prior verdicts.
I don't write the reports
personally, my Lord.
I leave that to my advocate.
She's looks pretty, doesn't she?
Much too pretty for the stake,
don't you think?
Who are they?
The attendant and executioner
of Lord Cumberland.
I suppose it will soon
be Judgement Day.
Albino, just imagine
burning like a witch yourself.
When the fire starts
to warm your arse...
...you won't be top dog anymore.
- You are to come home, Father.
- Tell them I'll be there soon.
These women do nag so!
How are things, my Lord?
Lord Cumberland's arriving,
justice incarnate. Brace yourself!
Like one vulture devouring another.
May God protect me.
And you too.
Are you going into town?
Cumberland is coming,
and justice with him!
All right,
we'll brace ourselves!
You will produce documents
on the hearings and confessions,
no matter where you get them from.
We don't have any confessions.
I can't just invent them.
They'll want to see written reports,
a transcript of every hearing.
There weren't any hearings.
We beat them,
tortured them, burnt them.
There were no confessions.
I only ever read out the verdicts.
I plucked them out of thin air.
Cumberland will pass judgement.
Rebecca said she was chosen
for something special.
Cumberland's executioner made
the sign of a cross above the door.
They say a whole market town
was wiped out by Cumberland!
More than 40 souls!
He can't be any worse than Albino.
I can't wait for the day
when he burns on the pyre.
I've heard how he conducts his trials.
His executioner doesn't have
the best reputation.
I wouldn't like
to have been in her shoes.
Have you heard? He's bringing
his own executioner with him.
Big changes are afoot!
They say he isn't a master of his craft.
They say he's a real bungler.
When he beheads someone,
he can't even find the throat.
What good are the verdicts?
- I need about 30 confessions!
- But where will I...
Even if you have to write
until your fingers bleed, I will have them!
And make sure
Cumberland's dolled-up lackey
doesn't find out
that our reports are...
made up.
Oh, this...
... bastard.
If only I hadn't learned to write!
- It's a new dawn.
- I don't trust this Cumberland.
Here you are.
I wouldn't like to fall into his hands.
Once he gets here,
the executioner will be busy.
- Don't forget the Devil is among us.
- Nonsense!
The Devil doesn't exist.
At least you can see the witch hunters.
Get me some bread and bacon.
I'm hungry.
I won't be a minute.
Well, Vanessa?
Fancy your master, do you?
That pansy who stinks of perfume!
Get out! What is it to you?
Make yourself scarce!
Answer me
or I'll make you a witch.
It's the only way
for you to get a woman!
You will pay for that!
Stop that witch!
And when you plead for your life
on bended knee
in the name of justice,
in the name of Heaven,
I shall accuse you
of having trampled on the Holy Cross
and of having thrown it
into a pigs' trough
so that when the rain fell...
You saw the Devil piss!
This guy abuses women
before burning
and torturing them.
If you had a heart, men...
There he is, the Devil incarnate!
Why don't you seize him?
Why don't you hang,
draw and quarter him?
Why don't you bury his body
under the gallows?
Then you'll finally be rid
of this goddamn beast!
He wants to make me a witch
and you just stand by and watch!
He wants to make me a witch!
Just look. Look!
The sign of the Devil
is on her mouth.
This woman has kissed the Devil.
She has kissed his anus, his genitals.
She is a witch!
Look at her, men!
She doesn't feel pain.
- Go on, guys, turn her around.
- Satan!
She's a witch!
What are you accusing her of?
She danced on the Sabbath.
She made love to Lucifer.
He bewitched her.
She mixed frogs, herbs
and her own blood
and turned it into a broth.
She wants to poison your master.
Where's the indictment?
The advocate has it.
Liar!
Who are you trying to fool?
Your man's been raking over the past!
He has dug up cases
from the Thirty Years' War
and just copied the indictments.
A peculiar example of "justice"!
You are using torture
without proper indictments,
in a barn full of drunkards.
If I hadn't seized her,
she would have escaped.
Just so you know
what it means to be seized...
Jeff Wilkens,
lash him in front of everyone.
Yes!
What's your name?
No, sir, let go of me!
And some more...
That's a nice painting.
From the Spanish school, probably.
"In the lap of the mother
sits the wisdom of the father."
Do you believe I'm a witch?
It is my master's task to find out.
Do you believe I am?
No.
You are a man of high standing
who protected me from Albino.
- You should take what's owed to you.
- I won't bow to my senses.
I forbid you to talk like that.
This castle is like a dream.
And you're going to live here
with Lord Cumberland,
the man people say
such terrible things about.
He is a great man of God.
- Do you believe that?
- I owe him so much.
He has been my teacher
for more than three years.
He has shown me the way
with great wisdom.
I can't imagine you being cruel.
I live on Earth... to serve God,
to free the world from evil.
That's an aim
a man can aspire to.
What if they suspected your mother
of being a witch?
If you had to watch them torture
your mother and burn her as a witch,
would you still believe
that you were on the right path?
Are you going to take me back?
Or must I stay here?
It must be nice...
to wake up
in such a beautiful castle.
- I'll show you to your room.
- Thank you.
Lord Cumberland would be delighted
to greet a beautiful young guest
but he still has a long journey.
I don't expect him
until the day after tomorrow.
Here.
I hope you like the room.
- And where's yours?
- It lies exactly under this one.
Please tell me...
what's your name?
Christian.
- Sleep well, Christian.
- Thank you.
Good night.
Oh!
Christian...
Halt! Right turn!
Reporting for duty.
I'm Lord Cumberland's representative.
Who are you and what do you want?
Captain Ignatius.
I have a message
from my master, the Prince.
I am at your disposal.
Advance! Go on!
You're in charge of guarding the castle
when Lord Cumberland arrives.
Let's get the noble Lords
out of their houses!
Go on! Sorcerer!
Just you wait!
I'll show you!
You miserable dog!
Stop it.
Come on, you miserable bastard.
I hope you wrote them in a such way
that this son of a bitch won't notice
that they have been forged.
Here are the charges, the hearings
and the sentences, my Lord.
I'll examine them later.
Thank you
for protecting me from Albino.
I'm going home now.
May I see you again soon?
Go to the inn, prepare some breakfast
and bring it back to me here.
I'll be back soon.
Write, Advocate,
I'm accusing Vanessa Benedict
of being in cahoots with the Devil
so that women can no longer conceive
and men have become impotent.
She is going to be tortured
until she confesses.
"Tortured until she confesses."
Now he's got it in writing.
She's a witch!
Telling untruths with bad intentions
means making up all kinds of lies.
Here are the indictments
and statements.
And the verdicts.
For His Lordship,
Gadshill Cumberland,
the mightiest challenger
of the Devil and of witches,
for his approval.
- Come on!
- Oh!
Come, give me your hand.
May I bring you
your breakfast again tomorrow?
I may not be
in the mood for it tomorrow.
Stop it! Don't!
Don't you think
it's magnificent here?
See, this is my truth,
what I can touch and feel.
How nice it is!
Don't you feel it?
Wait, won't you?
Don't run away from me!
There is so much I don't understand.
You know exactly
what kind of doubts torment me.
Why? Just believe in what you see!
I only believe in what I see.
And I would only believe
in the Devil if...
...if I saw him.
Please don't say things like that.
Witches don't exist either. Come!
- Be happy with me.
- Stop talking to me like that.
Why?
It would be so wonderful.
Vanessa!
Do you know
that you are a danger to me?
No.
Christian. Shh...
My Lord.
Let's see how you dance
with that dolled-up, noble pansy!
I couldn't find the Devil's mark.
Perhaps you didn't look closely enough.
Nothing gets past me, my Lord.
She shall go in peace,
free of the accusation of witchcraft
and free of any suspicion,
unmolested by the common people
who accused her of being a witch.
Thank you, my Lord.
You are a great man. You are truly just.
- You're free.
- Thank you.
Next.
Your Grace.
You're late.
Your Grace.
This is novice Deidre von Bergenstein.
She is accused
of killing her embryo
and mixing it with snakes and toads
into a witch's brew
which she then stirred and buried
under the porch of the convent
from which she had been expelled
so that Lucifer's wooden leg
could step over the threshold
and the nuns who went past
got stiff necks
and the abbot of the convent
developed a goitre,
the sign of the Devil.
In the eyes of God
she has committed terrible sins
and she has already been tortured twice.
It says three times here.
Oh, I'm sorry, my Lord, but I...
I mistook the "3" for a '2".
Continue.
As she's only allowed to testify
before an ecclesiastical court...
In the name of God,
let me speak, my Lord!
I was expelled by the priory
because the Lord Bishop
had forced himself upon me.
I went on to bear a child.
The Lord Bishop forced himself
upon you? Fancy that!
For this blasphemy you shall
be stretched on the rack today
until you confess
that this child is the Devil's.
Then you shall have your tongue
torn out by the roots. Next!
I swear by God and the saints
that I am innocent.
The only judge
who can judge me is God.
He and the Virgin Mary
are my witnesses.
I'm innocent.
- I'm innocent.
- Let me go!
I'm innocent.
Let me go!
Take your filthy hands off me.
The indictment!
I can find no indictment.
That's a lie, sir!
The indictment is there.
Restrain yourself!
What's her name?
Vanessa Benedict, your Grace.
Speak up.
Vanessa Benedict, my Lord.
And the charge?
What is it?
My Lord, the indictment was:
"Being in cahoots
with the Devil incarnate
"so that women can no longer conceive
"and men become impotent."
The charge is justified.
Take her back to her cell until
the indictment is found and examined.
It is cold in here.
Christian von Merou, follow me.
When autumn comes, Christian,
I begin to get tired.
I get tired of the travelling,
the noise, the people...
I'm constantly exposed
to screaming and protests.
I'm getting a little deaf.
A woman bit my hand
out of gratefulness.
One of the downsides
of our responsibilities.
Do you think
I'll be just like you one day?
You're a good pupil,
and you are brave.
I am well pleased with your eagerness,
cautiousness and sense of duty.
Your calmness and intelligence
will take you far in life.
One day you'll be able
to form your own opinion.
Take that girl,
that Vanessa, for example.
She's falsely accused.
I'm sure of it.
Just one hour before Lucifer's fall
God thought he was an angel.
This woman is a witch.
She will confess.
My Lord...
Young Baron Daumer.
We shall see him in court.
You may leave.
I once met Daumer's father
while out hunting. He has died.
It seems the boy has been possessed
by the Devil ever since.
He won't be spared
the embarrassing questioning in court.
May God help him
turn his back on Hell.
As the representative
of the high court which sits here
I am in charge of you,
Baron Daumer.
I am in the charge of a witch hunter?
Don't you dare
accuse me of witchcraft!
Do you think I can't see through
the Bishops' schemes?
They are trying to kill me and forfeit
my possessions to the Church.
Be quiet!
How dare you accuse God's servants
of trying to kill someone?
There is no Bishop who would
besmirch his holy office like that.
There is no doubt about it.
His soul has been possessed
by the Devil.
He shall be tortured and interrogated
until we succeed
in exorcising his notions of Hell.
I can't confess!
I have nothing to confess.
We'll see about that.
I'm innocent.
This is no place to rest, pal!
- Well, noble son, has the Devil...
- Enough!
That's not an interrogation,
it's hatred of the aristocracy.
One day we'll be wiped out
and the riff-raff will be in charge.
And justice will die.
Get him up.
The riff-raff will relish
seeing one of us weak.
Get inside!
I want to help you.
Or rather, you will help yourself.
If you can free yourself
of this dark power,
that Devil within you,
I will save your life.
But if you continue to rebel,
if you refuse a helping hand,
then there's nothing
I can do for you.
Look...
Just like me,
you are descended
from aristocracy,
not from the riff-raff.
Your late father left his estates
in the safekeeping of the Church...
Only until I finish my studies!
They're mine.
They're my inheritance from my father.
- Yes, but...
- They're mine!
You're right, but avarice
mustn't get the better of you.
It's a deadly sin.
Sign everything over to the Church
and I will vouch for your life.
If you don't value your life...
I must accuse you of witchcraft,
and you will be convicted.
Fight! All I ask of you
is that you fight the Devil within you...
It makes no difference.
If you are executed as a sorcerer
your estates will be confiscated
by the Church anyway.
That's enough.
Stretch her!
More!
Are you possessed by the demon
of untruthfulness, Sister Deidre?
You are called upon to tell the truth.
Name just one accomplice
and the executioner will stop the torture.
If you lie,
the torture will be increased.
Who taught you
the evil science of sorcery?
No one!
I want to confess.
It was the quack
who digs up the corpses at night.
She makes oil of the bones
and lights a fire with it.
She dances on the Sabbath.
Confess! Go on!
She boils owls and other dead birds.
Owls...
She puts them on the fire
and makes her witch's brew out of them.
Have you drunk from it?
- Yes.
- How many times?
Often, very often, yes.
When and where did you meet the Devil
for the first time?
Yes, yes, yes...
No, no, yes...
No! The Devil, yes, the Devil.
- Speak, my child. Rid yourself of him.
- I want to confess.
I want to confess everything,
anything you want.
I met him for the first time
in the monastery
when the Bishop
threw me naked into the cellar.
- Speak up!
- The Bishop...
Liar!
Stretch her more!
What do you know about it?
The whole responsibility's
on my shoulders.
If I weren't around...
There'd be someone else
to do the dirty work.
Look up there!
- We'll show her!
- Here I come!
She's in for a surprise!
Open up!
Well?
Get lost!
Let go of me!
Isn't that nice?
And all for nothing.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Come on, you witch!
Enough!
You pigs!
In the sight of the Almighty,
you, Deidre von Bergenstein,
will be burnt at the stake.
Confess and save your soul.
I have nothing to confess.
Then you must die.
In anticipation of my death...
I thank you
for your kindness and mercy,
for having delivered me
from torture and pain.
May God protect you...
...and have mercy on your soul.
I don't want her to die yet.
I need confessions, not martyrs.
She must confess
that this child of hers is the Devil's,
not the Lord Bishop's.
Get me a confession.
Where is Christian von Merou?
You won't let him see me, will you?
He won't turn against God for you,
a mere maid.
That doesn't make me a witch!
- I know a witch when I see one.
- And I know what you are.
The advocate has come
to tell you something about Albino.
I felt it my duty, my Lord.
I felt it my duty as a Christian
to report the matter.
Albino burst into a house, drunk,
and raped a girl.
One of his companions
stabbed a man to death.
I saw it with my own eyes.
It was Albino who made the accusations
against Vanessa Benedict.
Tell him that I'm expecting him
this evening.
The perpetrators must be punished.
Draw up a report.
Yes, my Lord.
- Are you tired as well?
- My arms are hurting.
Stretch her a little more.
Well, Witch?
The sooner you confess,
the sooner your pain will stop.
No confession yet.
She's still telling that fairy-tale
about the Bishop.
The tongue.
- Your Excellency, how are you?
- I'm well, thank you, my Lord.
We must never weaken
in performing God's work.
Yes, my lord.
For those
who turn against our Savior
no punishment is sufficient.
Christian!
You know I've been incarcerated
even though I'm not guilty.
Why don't you help me?
Why don't you protect me?
You know I'm not a witch.
Tell him!
If you are truly innocent
then God will show his mercy
by proving it.
Truly innocent?
I'm not a witch.
Christian, please tell him!
My Lord's decision stands.
If you're not a witch,
then he will know.
Can you really only see
through his eyes?
How can you be so blind?
I was surprised, Christian,
that she knows your first name.
The girl was falsely accused.
At least I thought she was
falsely accused at first.
- That's why I felt sorry for her.
- What did you say?
I said I felt sorry for her.
- Sorry for a witch?
- Sometimes I find it hard to tell...
It's so hard.
Carrying out the will of our Savior
is often hard work, my son.
We shall talk about it.
Some wine?
You're very quiet.
I've been thinking
about how I would feel
if my mother were accused
of witchcraft.
God's will is unfathomable.
More wine?
No, thank you.
I don't think I'm up to the task.
I'm often confused.
I hate to admit this to myself.
And now I'm even admitting it to you.
We understand each other, don't we?
As long as you confide in me,
I will give you strength.
Come in.
My Lord, you wish to see me?
Permit me to retire.
Good night.
We shall discuss these matters further.
You were drunk.
You forced yourself upon a woman.
A man was stabbed.
Too much turpitude
through ignorance or greed.
For more than two years, my Lord,
I've been hunting witches in this town.
Just me, no one else.
- And now you have come.
- Yes, I have come.
And as of today,
your reign has come to an end.
The days of arbitrary witch hunts
are over.
I hope you understand.
Get out.
- I am a man, just like you.
- I told you to go.
I may not be as educated as you
but I'm not stupid.
I know why this Baron Daumer is here.
Do you? Well?
We could work together,
divide the money, yes?
I've burnt many people
in God's name, too.
You don't have to pretend to me,
not where witches are concerned.
You too get a thrill out of seeing them
on the rack, don't you?
You're a man, like me.
You misuse God's name
for your own ends.
If we worked together,
we could divide the women between us.
The money
from young Baron Daumer too.
I can get you many beautiful women.
- Guard!
- I know the game you're playing!
- You can't fool me.
- I can hang you.
I spit on your cursed God.
- I am the witch hunter here! Me, Albino.
- Guard!
If you have me arrested,
I'll tell them the truth.
And if you have them
tear out my tongue, I'll talk!
You'll be the laughing stock
of the entire country.
You, the mighty Cumberland,
who gets pleasure
out of torturing women,
for you are impotent!
A witch hunter, are you?
You're nothing but dirt!
Get out of my sight...
Bury him.
In the sight of the Almighty,
novice Deidre von Bergenstein
has confessed
to making a pact with the Devil.
Death by burning at the stake!
Take her away.
All we need is your signature
on the decree, my Lord.
In the name of the Almighty
this person stands condemned
of committing blasphemy
before the holy sacrament
and for making a pact with the Devil
and having intercourse with him.
Confess!
Confess and save your souls!
Witches, sorcerers, confess!
Confess, confess, confess!
Obdurate, stubborn scum!
No water!
Forfeit your worldly goods
to the Church.
Save yourself from Hell!
You say my soul is possessed
by the Devil.
Not mine, but yours!
You're a murderer!
Go on! Torture him harder.
You're a devil!
Why do you lock me up?
There is no indictment against me.
There will be one.
I'll decide when.
I know you're a witch.
Go to Hell with your threats.
One, two, three,
someone went past
Four, five, six,
she turned into a witch
Seven, eight, nine,
the straw is in the barn
Ten, eleven, twelve,
the wolves are coming
Hey! Look here,
I've caught a mouse.
Say, are you catching mice
or are you catching rats?
- Look, I'm a sorcerer.
- How come you can do magic tricks?
Little mouse, little mouse,
catch me if you can
Come! Come!
These sweet little brats...
Catch me if you can...
I'm all out of breath
because of these little ones.
How are you doing?
Can you go on?
You haven't had to run like this
for a long time.
- Where have you been?
- Just a minute!
They want to catch my mouse
but they're not going to get it.
- What's all this, gentlemen?
- What a nice house.
I am a great wizard,
I can do what I want.
If I had feathers, I could fly.
Only angels and witches can fly.
- Then I'll be an angel.
- You're not good enough.
At the most you could ride
on a broomstick like an old witch.
Like an old witch?
I'll be an angel.
- No, no, you're not good enough.
- All right, then I'll be a witch.
No way!
You're not bad enough for that.
Who's making
all that terrible noise?
Who taught you to speak?
The Devil's grandmother
who sits by the oven
spinning witches' socks
on the spinning wheel.
Stranger, do you have a question
for me to answer too?
Recite one of the Ten Commandments.
Thou shalt respect
thy father and mother
so that ye may live
long and happily on Earth,
you thick head!
Those puppets can talk
and give correct answers
to questions they're asked.
They disappear one minute
and reappear the next.
They move about
as if they were alive.
They do the strangest things.
Greetings, stranger!
How do you like us?
Walter...
Isn't it time you asked these gentlemen
what they desire?
Yes, darling, I think...
I am glad you like our puppets.
These puppets
have a magic effect on everyone.
They captivate young and old,
these cute little devils.
Thanks to the quality of the carving
they almost seem to be alive.
Jeff Wilkens, in the name
of your master, Lord Cumberland,
I command you to arrest this man
and charge him with practicing magic
through the intermediary
of puppets with human voices.
Let go of me!
We'll find the Devil's mark!
It's usually on the belly.
You evil man!
Mummy, come!
Go away! Go away!
- Let go of him!
- You evil, evil man!
- We've got to help him.
- No way!
Mummy!
Jeff Wilkens.
Help me!
Help me!
Well?
What do you see out there?
My Lord...
Yes?
For more than three years
I've believed in nothing else
but you and your teachings.
I never once doubted that you were
an infallible defender of God.
I've always taught according
to the best of my knowledge.
I'm only a small, weak human being.
But what I'm doing here is just.
God is just.
Towards you?
Or towards the murdered Albino?
When you came to me three years ago
and asked to become my pupil,
I warned you not to see an idol in me.
I said, "On the difficult path
we are going to tread together,
"many innocent people
are going to die."
I remember the day.
God knows, many have died.
- And there will be many more.
- Yes, I know.
But is that just?
There's never any safety.
Where is there any safety in the world?
Nowhere!
Neither for me...
...nor for you, Christian.
Yes?
My Lord, the advocate and I
have discovered two witches.
They have magic dolls
which speak like humans.
Magic dolls which speak like humans?
They're real puppets, my Lord.
We entertain the children with them.
There's no witchcraft.
Open the door.
What's the charge?
Witchcraft and consorting with the Devil
to trap human souls in these dolls.
No, they're made of wood.
My husband carves them.
I paint them and dress them up.
- We put on plays.
- What did you say?
I said, we put on plays.
- What kind of plays?
- About the Devil... and witches who fly.
Plays for children.
Sometimes stories
from the scriptures, moral plays.
It has nothing to do with the Devil.
The puppets spoke about flying.
- About witches on broomsticks.
- Oh, no!
It was educational,
the story of a man who wants
to be able to fly in the air like a bird.
He wants to be something
no man can ever be.
And when at the end of the play
he wears a suit of feathers
and tries but fails to fly,
he realizes
that even though he's got feathers
and looks like a bird
he cannot rise above other people.
Prepare the indictment immediately.
No! No, I want to go to my husband.
Where is he?
Oh, God!
Imbecile!
They are puppets made of carved wood,
not instruments of the Devil.
And you have no authority
to make public arrests.
Only I have that authority.
Go away.
- Fools.
- Lord Cumberland...
- Why order an indictment?
- Because they must burn as witches.
But they're innocent.
You must acquit them.
You know they're innocent.
Vanessa is innocent too.
There are no charges against her
and yet you keep her in prison,
even though she's as innocent
as those poor people with their puppets.
- You know that.
- I know nothing.
They have been
publicly accused of witchcraft.
There is nothing I can do.
Is that an example
of your much lauded justice?
How dare you talk to me like that?
Who do you think you are?
They have been indicted.
To release them would show weakness.
We must display our strength!
They'll be executed.
That's murder.
They have nothing to do with the Devil.
- Then they shall die as martyrs.
- What if they are Christian martyrs?
What does their death make you?
Confess! Confess
that you are possessed by the Devil.
Put him on the rack.
Take her out.
No water.
Please...
No water.
Wine...
Go on, open the door.
Everything's in order.
- Vanessa!
- Christian!
Christian!
- We can't stay here. Come on.
- Yes.
- Now I must go back.
- No, Christian.
I don't want you to go there.
Why do you want to leave me?
- I don't want you to go there.
- Vanessa, I have to free Baron Daumer.
Do it. It has to be done.
But I'm worried about you.
Where is my husband?
I beg you, take me to him.
You're wanted elsewhere.
No, Mummy, Mummy!
Don't leave, Mummy.
Open up! Open up!
- Where's Mummy?
- Can't you see? Mummy's gone.
Open up!
These soldiers
have taken our Mummy away.
These evil, evil men!
What are they doing to our Mummy?
Maybe she went to get Father
and he'll free us.
Are you hungry?
Some wine?
Are you afraid to die?
To have your pretty head cut off?
Show me your neck.
It would be a pity to...
You're not going to die.
I'll set you free,
and your husband and children.
My Lord... my kind Lord.
You are truly a just man.
Thank you.
How can I thank you?
How can I ever repay you?
You know
my husband and I are innocent.
You knew it straight away.
I saw it in your eyes.
Oh, Lord...
Look again.
What do you see now?
No!
Stop it! Remove the chains.
Gather all your strength
and try to come with me.
We don't need to go far
and you'll be free.
Don't stand around.
Get back to work!
Stop gawking.
Hold on for a few minutes.
I'll carry you out of here.
Halt! Go back to your cell!
Arrest them!
And the witch? Where is she?
She could only escape with your help.
You let her go.
She's innocent.
A goddamn witch,
that's what she is.
They are all witches.
A short while ago
I would have believed you,
but not anymore.
I can't follow you on your path,
because you lied to me.
Baron Daumer, he is innocent.
It's not true
that he is possessed by the Devil.
You talk a lot about God
but you really mean the Devil.
You've been kind to me,
good to me.
And I trusted you.
But how can I trust you
when you murder poor innocent people?
You asked me once whether
there was any safety for any of us.
Do you remember
what I answered you?
Take him to the dungeon.
Cowards!
Stand up to Cumberland.
Wake up!
Don't just sit there and gawk!
Give him a taste
of his own medicine!
Yes, she's right!
He Kills innocent people
and tortures them.
Together we're stronger than him!
He can't defend himself
against all of us.
He must be put on the rack!
Stop his evil doings!
The Prince and the Church
will reward us if we burn this Devil!
Torture him! Kill him!
Slaughter him!
To Hell with him!
Kill him! Burn him!
He's the Devil.
Put him on the stake!
It won't be much longer.
- My Lord.
- What is it?
Don't disturb me.
You can see that I'm praying.
There's an uprising, your Grace.
Half the town...
The people are on their way here.
They want to storm the castle.
We must prepare for a fight.
We must prepare my coach, you fool!
Wait...
You'll ride into town
with all your men.
Kill every man, woman and child
who dares to stand against me.
My Lord, I have very few men.
You'll have even fewer
by the end of the day. Now, go!
Trust in the Lord.
May the Lord
protect us against all evil.
Pray, my son,
and God will have mercy on your soul.
Halt! Halt!
Bloody riff-raff!
Take him down! Down!
Kiss the cross.
In the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prisoner No.1 is accused
of being possessed by the Devil
and of having spoken to the dead.
He has been sentenced to death
by the sword. It is his just comeuppance.
It has been decided that his estates
will be signed over to the Church,
according to the law of the land.
Prisoner No.2 has also been
sentenced to death by the sword.
- Come on!
- You're free! Come on!
- Come on, let's go.
- Come on!
Get down!
My children! My husband!
Walter! The children!
Oh, God!
- Mummy!
- Angelina!
- Christoph!
- Mummy!
Bastard!
Him!
It's him!
String him up!
Let me through!
No! No!
You...
You...