The later part of the 1960s was a watershed in terms of censorship.The power of the Lord Chamberlain to censor the stage was abolished.Shortly after that the all nude revue Oh Calcutta was staged.At about the same time there was a furore about the showing of a females pubic hair.The film was shown uncut at the NFT.The censor,John Trevelyan wanted to keep in step with public tastes,so full frontal nudity was allowed.So all of a sudden producers were allowed to show everything,though there were and still are things they couldn't show.So give the audience a large dose of education and you could put in a reasonable amount of nudity.So that is clearly what happened here.It is actually quite entertaining.I think that the sonorous narration was by Valentine Dyall.Somehow I doubt that this was ever shown in any of the major circuits cinemas.
10 Reviews
DVD release by DD Home Entertainment is only 72 minutes
RedWitch200614 January 2006
I was excited to see that this film had been released on DVD by DD Home Entertainment, and delighted that their version was supposed to be 113 minutes (1hr 53 min) long. Like most people who have seen the movie at all I had only seen the 72 minute, cut-down, version of this film that was shown in theatres in 1970 and was broadcast on the UK Horror Channel in October 2004. I trawled the net trying to find more information on the length of the original release, to get some idea of what might be in this longer cut, but found nothing. So I spent my money and waited, anxious to see what the extra 40 minutes of footage contained, and keen to see the Special Feature Photo Gallery.
As my title suggests, the playing time of this DVD is not remotely close to 113 minutes, despite what the packaging says, it is 72 minutes! It is the same version as was shown on the UK Horror Channel, not a single frame more. To make matters worse, the Special Feature is the most pathetic I have ever seen on a DVD: eight poorly selected images from the film. These are not Stills (still photos taken at the time of filming, to be used for promotional purposes) but images that have been taken from the video itself: exactly what you would get by using your pause button.
The good news is that the image and sound are quite clear. This suggests that we may eventually get, from someone else, a decent release of this film, uncut and with a few interesting extras.
As my title suggests, the playing time of this DVD is not remotely close to 113 minutes, despite what the packaging says, it is 72 minutes! It is the same version as was shown on the UK Horror Channel, not a single frame more. To make matters worse, the Special Feature is the most pathetic I have ever seen on a DVD: eight poorly selected images from the film. These are not Stills (still photos taken at the time of filming, to be used for promotional purposes) but images that have been taken from the video itself: exactly what you would get by using your pause button.
The good news is that the image and sound are quite clear. This suggests that we may eventually get, from someone else, a decent release of this film, uncut and with a few interesting extras.
A curiosity piece
Red-Barracuda1 November 2021
Something witchy this way comes, in the form of a documentary about witchcraft in the British Isles. It features much footage of ceremonies and the like. Its kind of like a newer version of the silent doc Haxan, only not as good. On the one hand its quite fascinating and visually well shot but on the other hand its really quite boring as well, with the lack of synchronised sound being a core reason for this. A definite curiosity piece though but whether you like it is another matter entirely.
Return of the Witches
gavcrimson9 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Legend of the Witches opened at the Charing Cross Road Jacey Tatler cinema in early 1970 and was widely (and for the most part favourably) covered in film, sex and occult publications at the time. A meditation on witchcraft from its pre-Christian origins, to modern day black masses and how its influence has subliminally filtered into mainstream British life, represented by fortune tellers, a man on the street thinking twice about walking under a ladder and children playing 'ring a ring a roses'. Although worlds apart cinematically there are comparisons perhaps to The Wife Swappers, in so much that both films had the good fortune to appear when public curiosity in their subject matters were at their highest. Both films' lurid ad-mats and stills were wholly successful in capturing the publics' imagination.
From the first striking images of the sun rising, deer running through fields, Stonehenge and a naked man on a rocky beach contemplating the sea its clear that director Malcolm Leigh was no hack though, and throughout the film Leigh demonstrates a true painter's eye for composition, vividly bringing his subject matter to life. Filmed entirely in black and white, most of the visuals qualify this as a 'horror film mood piece' (lots of crashing waves, full moons and deserted church yards) while the anonymous, velvet voiced, narration comes across as well-researched and offers fascinating insights into lesser known parts of British history. The films more livelier moments offer up black masses and a nude man lead blindfolded by a priestess through a forest during which he endures tests based on the elements of fire and water. A tour of a present day witchcraft museum in Cornwall is also included, with exhibits including cauldrons, rams horns and the skeletal remains of the last witch to be executed in England. Over shots of doll effigies with pins in them the narrator repeats 'hate, hate, hate', contemplating a doll dressed in a nurse's uniform he deduces without any hint of humour 'someone who suffered in hospital wants revenge on their nurse' another doll suggests someone has a score to settle with 'the women's branch of the armed forces'. Legend of the Witches final segment delves into the subject of hypnotism and has intense young people staring into whirling spirals, not unlike the 'dreamachine' sequence in Antony Balch's Towers Open Fire, as naked women and men wearing goats head hover around in the background. A long, serene shot of the sea closes the film.
You presume the censor must have considered Legend of the Witches to have a degree of artistic credibility and serious documentary worth, in that they seem to have gone lightly on the all the prancing around in the nude and people doing rude things on altars. Compared to say their banning and censoring of Virgin Witch at around the same time. (Though they might have had second thoughts had they known Legend of the Witches would be hyped as having 'more exposed flesh and genitalia per square than virtually anything in the sex film genre'). Strangely for a 1970 release that played mostly in sex cinemas, Legend of the Witches is most notable for having lots of full frontal male nudity as well as scenes of naked men being put into rope bondage, certainly a notable difference to the 'dolly bird on the altar' images rampant in the periods' story horror films like Curse of the Crimson Altar and the aforementioned Virgin Witch. Saying that there is lots of material in Legend of the Witches that simply isn't sensationalist in the slightest, leaving you to ponder what an audience expecting cheap titillation would have made of being treated to what amounts to a history lesson, mostly told in filmed olde worlde illustrations, in the process. It's the cinematic equivalent of the kind of books cum glorified pamphlets sold in little village shops which perk the imagination of younger readers with their tales of ghosts, witches and local folklore.
For such an off-the-wall, experimental film flavoured curiosity Legend of the Witches has deceptively solid connections to Britain's exploitation film industry. Like many of Leigh's films it was enabled by the Fanceys, a family with a long history in the lower-rung of Britain's film industry. Patriarch E.J Fancey had distributed hundreds of horror and B-films in his four decade career, given Michael Winner some of his earliest breaks in showbiz and did jail time in the 1940s for stabbing his accountant in the groin. A real family affair Legend of the Witches was produced and distributed by E.J's common law wife Olive Negus-Fancey and edited by their daughter Judith Smith. E.J's son from his first marriage, Malcolm Fancey was Leigh's assistant director. A few years after making Legend of the Witches, Leigh embarked on his only narrative feature Games That Lovers Play starring Joanna Lumley, the New Temperance Seven and lots of drag queens. Again enabled by the Fanceys, Games That Lovers Play concerned feuding brothel madams in the 1920s. Sex scenes generally play second fiddle to exceptionally lavish sets and photography, evoking the Roaring Twenties in a manner larger budgeted films would have killed for. Many predicted big things for Leigh; instead for reasons unknown he completely dropped out of commercial film-making and returned to making documentaries; later work Pillars of Islam being about Ramadan and Manifestations of Shiva concerning Hinduism. The lasting impression you get from Leigh's work is of a talented and thoughtful filmmaker who displayed respect and open-mindedness towards his subjects, no matter how far removed from the norms of his background they may have been. Until recently unseen for over thirty years, Legend of the Witches stands the test of time as an uneasy, yet compelling handshake between occultists and exploitation filmmakers.
From the first striking images of the sun rising, deer running through fields, Stonehenge and a naked man on a rocky beach contemplating the sea its clear that director Malcolm Leigh was no hack though, and throughout the film Leigh demonstrates a true painter's eye for composition, vividly bringing his subject matter to life. Filmed entirely in black and white, most of the visuals qualify this as a 'horror film mood piece' (lots of crashing waves, full moons and deserted church yards) while the anonymous, velvet voiced, narration comes across as well-researched and offers fascinating insights into lesser known parts of British history. The films more livelier moments offer up black masses and a nude man lead blindfolded by a priestess through a forest during which he endures tests based on the elements of fire and water. A tour of a present day witchcraft museum in Cornwall is also included, with exhibits including cauldrons, rams horns and the skeletal remains of the last witch to be executed in England. Over shots of doll effigies with pins in them the narrator repeats 'hate, hate, hate', contemplating a doll dressed in a nurse's uniform he deduces without any hint of humour 'someone who suffered in hospital wants revenge on their nurse' another doll suggests someone has a score to settle with 'the women's branch of the armed forces'. Legend of the Witches final segment delves into the subject of hypnotism and has intense young people staring into whirling spirals, not unlike the 'dreamachine' sequence in Antony Balch's Towers Open Fire, as naked women and men wearing goats head hover around in the background. A long, serene shot of the sea closes the film.
You presume the censor must have considered Legend of the Witches to have a degree of artistic credibility and serious documentary worth, in that they seem to have gone lightly on the all the prancing around in the nude and people doing rude things on altars. Compared to say their banning and censoring of Virgin Witch at around the same time. (Though they might have had second thoughts had they known Legend of the Witches would be hyped as having 'more exposed flesh and genitalia per square than virtually anything in the sex film genre'). Strangely for a 1970 release that played mostly in sex cinemas, Legend of the Witches is most notable for having lots of full frontal male nudity as well as scenes of naked men being put into rope bondage, certainly a notable difference to the 'dolly bird on the altar' images rampant in the periods' story horror films like Curse of the Crimson Altar and the aforementioned Virgin Witch. Saying that there is lots of material in Legend of the Witches that simply isn't sensationalist in the slightest, leaving you to ponder what an audience expecting cheap titillation would have made of being treated to what amounts to a history lesson, mostly told in filmed olde worlde illustrations, in the process. It's the cinematic equivalent of the kind of books cum glorified pamphlets sold in little village shops which perk the imagination of younger readers with their tales of ghosts, witches and local folklore.
For such an off-the-wall, experimental film flavoured curiosity Legend of the Witches has deceptively solid connections to Britain's exploitation film industry. Like many of Leigh's films it was enabled by the Fanceys, a family with a long history in the lower-rung of Britain's film industry. Patriarch E.J Fancey had distributed hundreds of horror and B-films in his four decade career, given Michael Winner some of his earliest breaks in showbiz and did jail time in the 1940s for stabbing his accountant in the groin. A real family affair Legend of the Witches was produced and distributed by E.J's common law wife Olive Negus-Fancey and edited by their daughter Judith Smith. E.J's son from his first marriage, Malcolm Fancey was Leigh's assistant director. A few years after making Legend of the Witches, Leigh embarked on his only narrative feature Games That Lovers Play starring Joanna Lumley, the New Temperance Seven and lots of drag queens. Again enabled by the Fanceys, Games That Lovers Play concerned feuding brothel madams in the 1920s. Sex scenes generally play second fiddle to exceptionally lavish sets and photography, evoking the Roaring Twenties in a manner larger budgeted films would have killed for. Many predicted big things for Leigh; instead for reasons unknown he completely dropped out of commercial film-making and returned to making documentaries; later work Pillars of Islam being about Ramadan and Manifestations of Shiva concerning Hinduism. The lasting impression you get from Leigh's work is of a talented and thoughtful filmmaker who displayed respect and open-mindedness towards his subjects, no matter how far removed from the norms of his background they may have been. Until recently unseen for over thirty years, Legend of the Witches stands the test of time as an uneasy, yet compelling handshake between occultists and exploitation filmmakers.
The secret rituals of witches exposed for the 70's dirty raincoat brigade
mwilson197616 January 2020
This 1970 movie is a dramatised documentary on the cult and practice of witchcraft since pre-Christian times in Britain. Featuring tales of Pagan gods and goddesses mingling with artful landscape shots, pictures of wildlife, Stonehenge and other images, narrated in typically 1970s droning voice over by Guy Standeven, it tries to sell itself as a serious investigation into witchcraft in the modern world, but is just an excuse for copious amounts of female nudity. The whole thing just comes across as a titillating exploitation flick (director Malcolm Leigh went on to make the British Sex film, Games that Lovers Play in 1971), and is a really slow paced film which is pretty boring despite its far out subject matter. It does however feature a pretty mesmerising soundtrack which changes intensity throughout the film, and is also notable for including the only known footage of Alex Sanders, dubbed the King of Wicca.
Interesting excuse for nubile full frontals. B&W.
philpot-217 May 2006
UPDATE: Now available in BluRay from the BFI. Excellent transfer, worth watching.
This was obviously made in an era when full frontal nudity in the cinema needed an excuse. "Now what can we use to get some pubics past the censor? I know! Witchcraft!", seems to be what the director thought.
A quick trip to Wardour Street to hire a camera, 50 quid for a roll of neg, and off to the local church for some background shots. "Let's make a movie (even if we can only afford black and white). Yippee!" Next off to Hampsted Heath with some cronies from the local pub (note to self: make sure the girls don't mind taking their knickers down; pity I forgot to tell the blokes not to try covering up their naughties as they all look like they are playing with themselves, when in fact they are trying to stop the camera seeing who is the "best man"!) I must say the rostrum camera-work isn't too bad and it's a pity that the database doesn't have the crew named.
The commentary sounds, and let's face it is, straight from the 1970's. You can imagine creeping into a dingy cinema full of the Dirty Mac brigade who are only sitting there to see the tits and bums.
From the above you will think that I am taking the urine, actually this film is quite interesting, well researched and deserves a play to a wider audience if only for the lack of coyness. But comments such as "The women's branch of the armed forces is a source of images" is well, rather odd to say the least! Although I can't imagine a real coven having so many long haired, firm breasted 20 year olds who all look like singer Mary Hopkin, accompanied by slightly balding 40 year old men trying to copulate with them. What happened to all the wizened, warty old hags? Perhaps they didn't go down the pub that night! In short, it's all a bit staged.
This was obviously made in an era when full frontal nudity in the cinema needed an excuse. "Now what can we use to get some pubics past the censor? I know! Witchcraft!", seems to be what the director thought.
A quick trip to Wardour Street to hire a camera, 50 quid for a roll of neg, and off to the local church for some background shots. "Let's make a movie (even if we can only afford black and white). Yippee!" Next off to Hampsted Heath with some cronies from the local pub (note to self: make sure the girls don't mind taking their knickers down; pity I forgot to tell the blokes not to try covering up their naughties as they all look like they are playing with themselves, when in fact they are trying to stop the camera seeing who is the "best man"!) I must say the rostrum camera-work isn't too bad and it's a pity that the database doesn't have the crew named.
The commentary sounds, and let's face it is, straight from the 1970's. You can imagine creeping into a dingy cinema full of the Dirty Mac brigade who are only sitting there to see the tits and bums.
From the above you will think that I am taking the urine, actually this film is quite interesting, well researched and deserves a play to a wider audience if only for the lack of coyness. But comments such as "The women's branch of the armed forces is a source of images" is well, rather odd to say the least! Although I can't imagine a real coven having so many long haired, firm breasted 20 year olds who all look like singer Mary Hopkin, accompanied by slightly balding 40 year old men trying to copulate with them. What happened to all the wizened, warty old hags? Perhaps they didn't go down the pub that night! In short, it's all a bit staged.
Not quite the documentary it claims, but still good
jonathanburns-ncl10 August 2020
Extraordinary film. Passes itself off as a documentary, but the rituals are obviously staged for the camera and although there is the presence of noted Wiccans Alex and Maxine Sanders, the covens feel slightly too young and nubile to be entirely convincing. Still a very interesting watch, and there are undoubtedly elements of truth and documentary to it.
I was amazed at the extent of the explicit nature of the content
christopher-underwood1 November 2019
Halloween viewing and surprisingly effective it turned out to be. As excited children could be heard squealing on the streets outside this by contrast was a creepy and somber affair painting a most believable picture of witchcraft through the ages. There is much speculation about a 113 minute version but whilst there is no evidence to support this, the recent BFI Blu-ray set contains an 85 minute film which is considerably longer than the IMDb 70 minute quote and likely to be the full length. I imagine the shorter version is that which went briefly on general release because watching this I was amazed at the extent of the explicit nature of the content. I was also most impressed with the camera work throughout. From the misty sunrise opening and moon across the water to the naked rituals and more this was eye opening stuff indeed. Particularly pleased to see the Witchcraft museum in Boscastle featured as I remember my father donating much material there in his later years. Fabulous view and can't wait to watch the accompanying short and numerous extras.
Deserves to Be Better Known
Michael_Elliott4 August 2015
Legend of the Witches (1970)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Malcolm Leigh directed this rather interesting, if a bit slow, documentary about cults, Satanist and other such issues. The film tries to explore all aspects of witchcraft from its earliest days to the present time.
LEGEND OF THE WITCHES is a pretty interesting movie on a number of levels but I must admit that I wish the narration was a tad bit better. It certainly sounds like a British film from the 1970s (which it is of course) but there's no question that it's a bit too try and a bit too much like a professor talking to himself. Still, this is just a minor issue because the rest of the film is actually quite good.
We can start with the wonderful cinematography, which takes a very low-budget and makes it look like something more. I was really shocked to see how well the film looks and this includes the various lighting that was done to highlight certain things. There are are all sorts of Black Masses and strange rituals being done under the moonlight and they simply come across beautifully on the screen.
Another major plus is that there's a nice atmosphere to many of the re-enactments. The film opens up with a terrific sequence showing some wildlife in the forest before moving to a group of naked people doing a ritual. This ritual includes a naked man having a blindfold put on him and his led through the dark having to trust the woman leading him. Another great sequence happens towards the end when a Satan-like creature comes into play.
What's most shocking about this picture is how much full frontal nudity there is. Considering what type of films were being edited by the British censors, it's rather shocking that there's so much nudity on display here. That's certainly not a bad thing but it's just not something you'd expect to see.
LEGEND OF THE WITCHES really deserves to be better known. With its atmosphere and visuals, this really does come off as one of the better British horror films from this period.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Malcolm Leigh directed this rather interesting, if a bit slow, documentary about cults, Satanist and other such issues. The film tries to explore all aspects of witchcraft from its earliest days to the present time.
LEGEND OF THE WITCHES is a pretty interesting movie on a number of levels but I must admit that I wish the narration was a tad bit better. It certainly sounds like a British film from the 1970s (which it is of course) but there's no question that it's a bit too try and a bit too much like a professor talking to himself. Still, this is just a minor issue because the rest of the film is actually quite good.
We can start with the wonderful cinematography, which takes a very low-budget and makes it look like something more. I was really shocked to see how well the film looks and this includes the various lighting that was done to highlight certain things. There are are all sorts of Black Masses and strange rituals being done under the moonlight and they simply come across beautifully on the screen.
Another major plus is that there's a nice atmosphere to many of the re-enactments. The film opens up with a terrific sequence showing some wildlife in the forest before moving to a group of naked people doing a ritual. This ritual includes a naked man having a blindfold put on him and his led through the dark having to trust the woman leading him. Another great sequence happens towards the end when a Satan-like creature comes into play.
What's most shocking about this picture is how much full frontal nudity there is. Considering what type of films were being edited by the British censors, it's rather shocking that there's so much nudity on display here. That's certainly not a bad thing but it's just not something you'd expect to see.
LEGEND OF THE WITCHES really deserves to be better known. With its atmosphere and visuals, this really does come off as one of the better British horror films from this period.
Interesting British take on the modo shock doc genre
Woodyanders25 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
While this documentary does do an engrossing and illuminating job of covering various aspects of witchcraft in England throughout the ages, there's no denying that writer/director Malcolm Leigh used the documentary format as an excuse to get away with showing attractive young buck naked folks performing initiation rites and dancing around a bonfire sans clothes under the moonlight. What prevents this doc from seeming like a cheap piece of lurid exploitation is the fact that it's actually sharply photographed in crisp black and white by Robert D. Webb, with lots of nicely atmospheric shots of the sun, the moon, and waves crashing on the shore. Moreover, this doc depicts everything from animal sacrifices to everyday superstitions to Christianity's similarities to Wiccan practices in a neat and straightforward manner. Best of all, it's narrated with exquisitely soothing sonority by furiously prolific British bit player Guy Standeven, who spent the bulk of his lengthy career popping up in numerous films and TV shows in often uncredited minor nonspeaking roles; it's a real treat to hear Standeven's mellifluous voice talking throughout with utmost sincerity on the strangest of stuff. Worth a look.
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