The Headsman
The Headsman (aka Shadow of the Sword, Au. Henker) is a 2005 film directed by Simon Aeby. Set in early 16th century Tyrol, it is set before the background of the turmoils of the Lutheran Reformation. It was filmed in Austria and Hungary.
Plot
The Headsman tells a story of loyalty tested by two friends during Europe's 16th-century Inquisition. Orphans Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Georg (Peter McDonald) bond as children, but walk very different paths as adults. Georg follows his calling to join the church, while Martin becomes an army captain. When fate places Martin in the role of executioner, he must choose between friendship and fundamentalist doctrine.
Cast
Awards
Montréal World Film Festival - 2005
Podcasts:
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by Deathlike Silence
The Headsman
by: Deathlike SilenceThe morning sun beam
Finds a man in black
With a cruel face
No marks of grace
The tools of his trade
Seem scary on the back
Against the wall
He uses them all
Seeing him makes grown men weep
The eyes of him bear flesh decree
And his axe puts men to sleep
Eternal
Doomed in line
Waiting for the call
Staring at the traces of blood all around
Their lined faces
Hearing the sound of that
Man's head dropping to the floor
Falling axe
Sprays blood on the wall
Another head to the top of the mound
Quiet whining
Echoes from the walls
The last words before the blood pours
Master of his craft
Everybody's scared
To use his skill
It is the kill
In the solitude lives
Because no one dared
To be with him
His name is grim
Seeing him makes grown men weep
The eyes of him bear flesh decree
And his axe puts men to sleep
Eternal
Doomed in line
Waiting for the call
Staring at the traces of blood all around
Their lined faces
Hearing the sound of that
Man's head dropping to the floor
Falling axe
Sprays blood on the wall
Another head to the top of the mound
Quiet whining
Echoes from the walls