(Carl Theodor Dreyer, Denmark 1955, 126 min., DCP, Danish with English subtitles)
Director Dreyer explores multiple issues of faith through a family on the Danish highlands in 1925. Morten (Henrik Malberg) has a crisis of faith following the death of his wife; Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen) has his agnosticism challenged when his wife becomes ill; Johannes (Preben Lerdorff Rye) believes he is the second coming of Jesus after studying Kierkegaard; and Anders (Cay Kristiansen) falls in love with the tailor’s daughter, only to have both fathers oppose the match due to their differing views on Christianity. Dreyer’s deliberate camera (there are only 114 shots in the film, and only three are close-ups) focuses on domestic rhythms and the space of the home, as the family, individually and as a whole, deal with their changing perceptions of faith and religion. #48 on Sight & Sound’s most recent list.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | Larks on a String (35mm)
A Summer Trip through Europe(an Cinema) Private moments are hard to come by in post-war Czechoslovakia. Whether it’s the recitation of a poem, a philosophical conversation, the playing of a saxophone, or a simple flirtation, all are looked on with suspicion by the government and its agents.
Film Screenings | Eternity and a Day (35mm)
A Summer Trip through Europe(an Cinema) An elderly poet in Greece, alone and near death, takes comfort in memories of a happier time and the companionship of a young Albanian refugee.