The Word. 1954. Denmark. Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer
These notes accompany screenings of Carl Th. Dreyer’s Ordet (The Word) on August 15, 16, and 17 in Theater 3.
A writer once referred to the “ravishing austerity” of Carl Th. Dreyer’s Ordet (the Word). Read more
Day of Wrath. 1943. Denmark. Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
These notes accompany the screenings of Carl Th. Dreyer’s Day of Wrath on July 6, 7, and 8 in Theater 3.
Despite being one of the greatest film directors, Carl Th. Dreyer (1889–1968) will probably always be considered an acquired taste. His best films are much too austere and demanding for even many serious moviegoers. Read more
The Passion of Joan of Arc. 1928. France. Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
These notes accompany the screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc, April 8, 9, and 10 in Theater 3.
Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889–1968) made eight quality but unspectacular features between 1919 and 1926. In the ensuing four decades, he made only six more films—one of which he disowned. Yet he is always near the top of any informed list of the greatest film artists.
Dreyer spent much of his life as a journalist, film critic, and manager of a cinema in Denmark. He was not psychologically adept at raising funds for his projects or lending them a commercial appeal; he appears to have been as somber and uncompromising as his characters. (I once upset one of my curatorial colleagues by even suggesting that there might be a tiny bit of tongue-in-cheek humor in his 1932 horror film, Vampyr.) La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc) (1928) has been acclaimed for over eighty years, but it was a financial flop, and even I recognize that it is entirely humorless. Read more
Find more in the Archives
If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). For additional information about using content from MoMA.org, please visit About this Site (www.moma.org/site).
© Copyright 2011 The Museum of Modern Art
