Carl Theodor Dreyer
Encyclopedia
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. (3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968) was a Danish
film director
. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.
, Denmark
. His birth mother was an unmarried Scania
n maid named Josefine Bernhardine Nilsson, and he was put up for adoption by his birth father, Jens Christian Torp, a married Danish farmer living in Sweden who was his mother's employer. He spent the first two years of his life in orphanages until his adoption by a typographer named Carl Theodor Dreyer, Sr., and his wife, Inger Marie (née Olsen). His adoptive parents were emotionally distant and his childhood was largely unhappy. He later recalled that his parents "constantly let me know that I should be grateful for the food I was given and that I strictly had no claim on anything, since my mother got out of paying by lying down to die." But he was a highly intelligent school student, who left home and formal education at the age of sixteen. He dissociated himself from his adoptive family, but their teachings were to influence the themes of many of his films.
Dreyer was ideologically conservative. According to David Bordwell
: "As a youth he belonged to Radical Socialist party, a conservative group radical only in their opposition to military expenditures..."Even when I was with Ekstrabladet," Dreyer recalled, "I was conservative."..."I don't believe in revolutions. They have, as a rule, the tedious quality of pulling development back. I believe more in evolution, in the small advances.""
Dreyer died of pneumonia in Copenhagen at age 79. The documentary Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier
contains reminiscences from those who knew him.
, but he eventually joined the film industry as a writer of title cards for silent films and subsequently of screenplays. His first attempts at film direction had limited success, and he left Denmark to work in the French film industry. While living in France he mixed with Jean Cocteau
, Jean Hugo
and other members of the French artistic scene and in 1928
he made his first classic film, The Passion of Joan of Arc
. Working from the transcripts of Joan's trial, he created a masterpiece of emotion that drew equally from realism and expressionism. Dreyer used private finance from Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg to make his next film as the Danish film industry was in financial ruin. Vampyr
(1932
) is a surreal meditation on fear. Logic gave way to mood and atmosphere in this story of a man protecting two sisters from a vampire. The movie contains many indelible images, such as the hero, played by de Gunzburg (under the screen name Julian West), dreaming of his own burial and the animal blood lust on the face of one of the sisters as she suffers under the vampire's spell. The film was shot mostly silent but with sparse, cryptic dialogue in three separate versions - English, French and German.
Both films were box office failures, and Dreyer did not make another movie until 1943. Denmark was by now under Nazi occupation, and his Day of Wrath
had as its theme the paranoia surrounding witch hunts in the sixteenth century in a strongly theocratic
culture. With this work, Dreyer established the style that would mark his sound films: careful compositions, stark monochrome cinematography, and very long takes. In the more than a decade before his next full-length feature film, Dreyer made two documentaries. In 1955, he made Ordet
(The Word) based on the play of the same name by Kaj Munk
. The film combines a love story with a conflict of faith. Dreyer's last film was 1964's Gertrud
. Although seen by some as a lesser film than its predecessors, it is a fitting close to Dreyer's career, as it deals with a woman who, through the tribulations of her life, never expresses regret for her choices.
The great, never finished project of Dreyer’s career was a film about Jesus
. Though a manuscript was written (published 1968) the unstable economic conditions and Dreyer’s own demands of realism together with his switching engagement let it remain a dream.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.
Life
Dreyer was born illegitimate in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. His birth mother was an unmarried Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
n maid named Josefine Bernhardine Nilsson, and he was put up for adoption by his birth father, Jens Christian Torp, a married Danish farmer living in Sweden who was his mother's employer. He spent the first two years of his life in orphanages until his adoption by a typographer named Carl Theodor Dreyer, Sr., and his wife, Inger Marie (née Olsen). His adoptive parents were emotionally distant and his childhood was largely unhappy. He later recalled that his parents "constantly let me know that I should be grateful for the food I was given and that I strictly had no claim on anything, since my mother got out of paying by lying down to die." But he was a highly intelligent school student, who left home and formal education at the age of sixteen. He dissociated himself from his adoptive family, but their teachings were to influence the themes of many of his films.
Dreyer was ideologically conservative. According to David Bordwell
David Bordwell
David Bordwell is an American film theorist and film historian. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1974, he has written more than fifteen volumes on the subject of cinema including Narration in the Fiction Film , Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema , Making Meaning , and On the...
: "As a youth he belonged to Radical Socialist party, a conservative group radical only in their opposition to military expenditures..."Even when I was with Ekstrabladet," Dreyer recalled, "I was conservative."..."I don't believe in revolutions. They have, as a rule, the tedious quality of pulling development back. I believe more in evolution, in the small advances.""
Dreyer died of pneumonia in Copenhagen at age 79. The documentary Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier
Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier
Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier is a 1995 Danish documentary film directed by Torben Skjødt Jensen, about the film career of Carl Theodor Dreyer.-External links:* * *...
contains reminiscences from those who knew him.
Career
As a young man, Dreyer worked as a journalistJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, but he eventually joined the film industry as a writer of title cards for silent films and subsequently of screenplays. His first attempts at film direction had limited success, and he left Denmark to work in the French film industry. While living in France he mixed with Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
, Jean Hugo
Jean Hugo
Victor Jean Hugo is a South African professional golfer.Hugo matriculated at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 1994 and graduated three years later with a BA Degree from the University of Stellenbosch prior to becoming a professional golfer...
and other members of the French artistic scene and in 1928
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
he made his first classic film, The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti...
. Working from the transcripts of Joan's trial, he created a masterpiece of emotion that drew equally from realism and expressionism. Dreyer used private finance from Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg to make his next film as the Danish film industry was in financial ruin. Vampyr
Vampyr
Vampyr is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly. Vampyr was funded by Nicolas de Gunzburg who starred in the film under...
(1932
1932 in film
-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) is a surreal meditation on fear. Logic gave way to mood and atmosphere in this story of a man protecting two sisters from a vampire. The movie contains many indelible images, such as the hero, played by de Gunzburg (under the screen name Julian West), dreaming of his own burial and the animal blood lust on the face of one of the sisters as she suffers under the vampire's spell. The film was shot mostly silent but with sparse, cryptic dialogue in three separate versions - English, French and German.
Both films were box office failures, and Dreyer did not make another movie until 1943. Denmark was by now under Nazi occupation, and his Day of Wrath
Day of Wrath
Day of Wrath is a black-and-white film, made in 1943, by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film is an adaptation of Anne Pedersdotter by the Norwegian playwright Hans Wiers-Jenssen, based on an actual Norwegian case in the sixteenth century.-Plot:Day of Wrath is set in a Danish village in...
had as its theme the paranoia surrounding witch hunts in the sixteenth century in a strongly theocratic
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
culture. With this work, Dreyer established the style that would mark his sound films: careful compositions, stark monochrome cinematography, and very long takes. In the more than a decade before his next full-length feature film, Dreyer made two documentaries. In 1955, he made Ordet
Ordet
Ordet is a 1955 Danish drama film, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor, first performed in 1932...
(The Word) based on the play of the same name by Kaj Munk
Kaj Munk
Kaj Harald Leininger Munk was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II...
. The film combines a love story with a conflict of faith. Dreyer's last film was 1964's Gertrud
Gertrud (film)
Gertrud is a 1964 Danish drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, based on the 1906 play of the same name by Hjalmar Söderberg. The title role of Gertrud Kanning is played by Nina Pens Rode, with Bendt Rothe as her husband, Gustav Kanning, and Baard Owe as her lover, Erland Jansson.Gertrud was...
. Although seen by some as a lesser film than its predecessors, it is a fitting close to Dreyer's career, as it deals with a woman who, through the tribulations of her life, never expresses regret for her choices.
The great, never finished project of Dreyer’s career was a film about Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Though a manuscript was written (published 1968) the unstable economic conditions and Dreyer’s own demands of realism together with his switching engagement let it remain a dream.
Feature films
| Year | English title | Original title | Production country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | The President | Præsidenten | Denmark | Based on the novel by Karl Emil Franzos Karl Emil Franzos Karl Emil Franzos was a German novelist.Karl Emil Franzos was a popular German author of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. His works, both reportage and fiction, concentrate on the multi-ethnic corner of eastern Europe, now largely in Ukraine, where the Habsburg and Russian empires met... . |
| 1920 | The Parson's Widow The Parson's Widow The Parson's Widow is a 1920 comedy drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film is based on a story Prestekonen by Kristofer Janson.-Plot:... |
Prästänkan | Sweden/Denmark | Based on the story "Prestekonen" by Kristofer Janson Kristofer Janson Kristofer Nagel Janson was a Norwegian poet, author and Unitarian clergyman. Kristofer Janson is commonly recognized as the historical founder of the Norwegian Unitarian Church.-Background:... . |
| 1921 | Leaves from Satan's Book Leaves from Satan's Book Leaves from Satan's Book is a 1921 drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starring Helge Nissen.-Synopsis:Satan has been cast out from hell and banished to Earth under decree of heaven. He can return, only through a series of temptations. However, for every soul who gives in to his... |
Blade af Satans bog | Denmark | Loosely based on The Sorrows of Satan The Sorrows of Satan The Sorrows of Satan is an 1895 faustian novel by Marie Corelli. It is widely regarded as one of the world's first bestsellers, partly due to an upheaval in the system British libraries used to purchase their books and partly due to its popular appeal... . |
| 1922 | Love One Another | Die Gezeichneten | Germany | Based on the novel by Aage Madelung, this film is extremely rare (only 4 prints survive in archives). |
| 1922 | Once Upon a Time | Der var engang | Denmark | Based on the play by Holger Drachmann Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann , was a Danish poet and dramatist. He is an outstanding figure of the Modern Break-Through.... . |
| 1924 | Michael Michael (1924 film) Michael was a silent film released in 1924, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, director of other notable silents such as The Passion of Joan of Arc , Master of the House , and Leaves from Satan's Book... |
Michael | Germany | Based on the novel Mikaël (1904) by Herman Bang Herman Bang Herman Joachim Bang was a Danish author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.-Biography:Bang was born into a noble family of Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vicar... . |
| 1925 | Thou Shalt Honor Thy Wife (aka Master of the House) | Du skal ære din hustru | Denmark | Based on the play by Svend Rindom Svend Rindom Svend Rindom was a Danish screenwriter. He wrote for 36 films between 1911 and 1950.He was born and died in Denmark.-Selected filmography:* 5 raske piger * Life on the Hegn Farm... . |
| 1926 | Bride of Glomdal Bride of Glomdal Bride of Glomdal is a 1926 film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on the stories "Glomdalsbruden" and "Eline Vangen" by Jacob Breda Bull.... |
Glomdalsbruden | Norway/Sweden | Based on the novel by Jacob Breda Bull Jacob Breda Bull Jacob Breda Bull was a Norwegian author.Bull is best known for the novel Vesleblakken and for other novels and stories about descriptions of folk life in the Østerdalen valley. He also wrote historical novels, contemporary novels and poetry.Bull was born in Rendalen, the son of the priest Matthias... . |
| 1928 | The Passion of Joan of Arc The Passion of Joan of Arc The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti... |
La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Jeanne d'Arc lidelse og død) | France | Co-written with Joseph Delteil, author of the novel Jeanne d'Arc (1925, Prix Femina Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine La Vie heureuse . The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury, although the authors of the winning works do not have to be women... ). Named the most influential film of all time by the curators of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues... . |
| 1932 | Vampyr Vampyr Vampyr is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly. Vampyr was funded by Nicolas de Gunzburg who starred in the film under... |
Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey | France/Germany | Based on the novella Carmilla Carmilla Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla... (1872) by J. Sheridan Le Fanu Sheridan Le Fanu Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era.... . |
| 1943 | Day of Wrath Day of Wrath Day of Wrath is a black-and-white film, made in 1943, by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film is an adaptation of Anne Pedersdotter by the Norwegian playwright Hans Wiers-Jenssen, based on an actual Norwegian case in the sixteenth century.-Plot:Day of Wrath is set in a Danish village in... |
Vredens dag | Denmark | Based on the play "Anne Pedersdotter" by Hans Wiers-Jenssen Hans Wiers-Jenssen Hans Wiers-Jenssen was a Norwegian novelist, playwright, stage producer and theatre historian. Wiers-Jenssen was employed at the theatres Christiania Theatre, Nationaltheatret and Den Nationale Scene.-Personal life:... , hymns by Paul La Cour. |
| 1945 | Two People | Två människor | Sweden | Based on the play "Attentat" by W.O. Somin. Made in Nazi-related exile to Sweden, the film was disowned by Dreyer and withdrawn from distribution. |
| 1955 | The Word Ordet Ordet is a 1955 Danish drama film, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor, first performed in 1932... |
Ordet | Denmark | Based on the play by Kaj Munk Kaj Munk Kaj Harald Leininger Munk was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II... . |
| 1964 | Gertrud Gertrud (film) Gertrud is a 1964 Danish drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, based on the 1906 play of the same name by Hjalmar Söderberg. The title role of Gertrud Kanning is played by Nina Pens Rode, with Bendt Rothe as her husband, Gustav Kanning, and Baard Owe as her lover, Erland Jansson.Gertrud was... |
Gertrud | Denmark | Based on the play Gertrud (play) Gertrud is a Swedish 1906 play , in three parts, by author and playwright Hjalmar Söderberg.-Story description:The play is a modern relationship drama with the middle-age Gertrud in the centre and about her relationships with three different men; her husband Gustav Kanning , her older,... by Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg was a Swedish novelist, playwright, poet and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stockholm through the eyes of the flaneur... . |
Short films
- Good Mothers (Mødrehjælpen, 12 min, 1942)
- Water from the Land (Vandet på landet, 1946)
- The Struggle Against Cancer (Kampen mod kræften, 15 min, 1947)
- The Danish Village Church (Landsbykirken, 14 min, 1947)
- They Caught the Ferry (De nåede færgen, 11 min, 1948)
- Thorvaldsen (10 min, 1949)
- The Storstrom Bridge (Storstrømsbroen, 7 min, 1950)
- The Castle Within the Castle (Et Slot i et slot, 1955)