carlo ginzburg travelling to the world of the dead
(carlo ginzburg op reis naar de wereld van de doden)
documentary, 49′, video, colour
portrait of the italian historian carlo ginzburg
as a historian, ginzburg likes to explore the verges of historical studies. This is evident from his choice of research subjects, his ideas about scholarship, his methodology and his view of the place of the historian in society. the film particularly focuses on ginzburg’s research on witchcraft and the trials against witches in europe from the 14th until the mid-17th century.
script, interviews, production: lies janssen
photography: herman boogaerdt
sound: paul veld
editing: dorith vinken
producer: rvu
This documentary is no light stuff for the spectator. One really has to pay attention to follow the lines of thought that Ginzburg proposes. Following many trails, the scholar reaches the conclusion that the subject matter that he is researching already since decades, is closely related to the need in each human being for knowledge about the domain of the dead. This need is the element that fairy tales, myth and faith have in common. (Trouw)