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Ordet, 1955
Morten Borgen (Henrik Malberg) lives with his three adult sons, as well as the wife and children of his eldest. Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen) is agnostic, though his wife, Inger (Birgitte Federspiel) is incredibly devout. Johannes (Preben Lordorff Rye) has had a psychological break and now believes himself to be Jesus Christ. Anders (Cay Kristensen) is in love with the daughter of a family with different religious beliefs from the Borgens. The conflict about whether the two young people can marry causes a feud between Morten and the young woman's father, Peter. Things get further complicated when Inger's pregnancy takes a bad turn.
This movie will give you shivers, though it does take a little while for the narrative momentum to build to that point.
The film begins by laying out the different belief systems of the family members. It's interesting, and I appreciated that it did a good job of conveying what it is like when others try to dictate your response to situations based on their beliefs. In one scene, Inger advises someone to pray. When they respond that they are praying and it isn't helping, she's like "Well, maybe you just need to pray some more!". This conflict is given more depth later when Morten and Peter explicitly get into a debate about religious belief--Morten claiming that religion should be about joy and Peter expressing that it is actually about suffering.
In a turn of events that is both powerful and frustrating, Inger's horrific childbirth experience becomes a litmus test for the "truth" of the different characters' beliefs. And things kick off in a horrible fashion with Peter basically saying that he hopes Inger dies so that it will teach Morten a lesson about suffering. As Inger languishes, characters not only have different outlooks on how to regard her situation (including the town doctor, who at one point bluntly asks something to the effect of, "What do you think helps more: your praying or my medicine?" But characters also imply that their belief is not just about handling Inger's dire situation, but even influencing it. It is implied that the right kind of belief will save her life.
And just to talk about Inger's childbirth scene: GOOD GRIEF! It's maybe one of the worst things I've ever seen. Inger lays on a table, surrounded by the midwife, Mikkel, and the doctor. And no one talks to her or tells her what is happening. No one asks her what she is feeling or explains what they are doing. At one point the doctor, without warning, just starts cutting her open to facilitate the birth. And even the framing seems designed to put the focus of the scene on the other characters and specifically the male characters. Inger's face is almost always excluded from the frame.
It's hard to talk about the final act without giving away really key plot elements. But the last 20 minutes or so are pretty amazing. The characters really hash out their different beliefs and especially when it comes to Mikkel you can sense the internal turmoil of choosing between having no faith and having faith that might not be rewarded. While on a personal level I don't agree with the view that I think the film is ultimately espousing about faith and belief, I do think that the ideas are powerfully presented. I would imagine that for people whose beliefs do align with the film's conclusions, this would be a real jolt.
Lastly, I want to mention the look of the film which is absolutely gorgeous. This is the second Dreyer film I've watched this month, and darn if the man doesn't know how to use light, shadow, and space to the best possible impact.
I would highly recommend this film, and I would also warn anyone who hasn't seen it that it took me about 40 minutes to really warm up to it. There is a lot of talk and little action for the first third or so, but do not let that deter you. Once the pieces are all in place, the whole film comes together beautifully.
Ordet, 1955
Morten Borgen (Henrik Malberg) lives with his three adult sons, as well as the wife and children of his eldest. Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen) is agnostic, though his wife, Inger (Birgitte Federspiel) is incredibly devout. Johannes (Preben Lordorff Rye) has had a psychological break and now believes himself to be Jesus Christ. Anders (Cay Kristensen) is in love with the daughter of a family with different religious beliefs from the Borgens. The conflict about whether the two young people can marry causes a feud between Morten and the young woman's father, Peter. Things get further complicated when Inger's pregnancy takes a bad turn.
This movie will give you shivers, though it does take a little while for the narrative momentum to build to that point.
The film begins by laying out the different belief systems of the family members. It's interesting, and I appreciated that it did a good job of conveying what it is like when others try to dictate your response to situations based on their beliefs. In one scene, Inger advises someone to pray. When they respond that they are praying and it isn't helping, she's like "Well, maybe you just need to pray some more!". This conflict is given more depth later when Morten and Peter explicitly get into a debate about religious belief--Morten claiming that religion should be about joy and Peter expressing that it is actually about suffering.
In a turn of events that is both powerful and frustrating, Inger's horrific childbirth experience becomes a litmus test for the "truth" of the different characters' beliefs. And things kick off in a horrible fashion with Peter basically saying that he hopes Inger dies so that it will teach Morten a lesson about suffering. As Inger languishes, characters not only have different outlooks on how to regard her situation (including the town doctor, who at one point bluntly asks something to the effect of, "What do you think helps more: your praying or my medicine?" But characters also imply that their belief is not just about handling Inger's dire situation, but even influencing it. It is implied that the right kind of belief will save her life.
And just to talk about Inger's childbirth scene: GOOD GRIEF! It's maybe one of the worst things I've ever seen. Inger lays on a table, surrounded by the midwife, Mikkel, and the doctor. And no one talks to her or tells her what is happening. No one asks her what she is feeling or explains what they are doing. At one point the doctor, without warning, just starts cutting her open to facilitate the birth. And even the framing seems designed to put the focus of the scene on the other characters and specifically the male characters. Inger's face is almost always excluded from the frame.
It's hard to talk about the final act without giving away really key plot elements. But the last 20 minutes or so are pretty amazing. The characters really hash out their different beliefs and especially when it comes to Mikkel you can sense the internal turmoil of choosing between having no faith and having faith that might not be rewarded. While on a personal level I don't agree with the view that I think the film is ultimately espousing about faith and belief, I do think that the ideas are powerfully presented. I would imagine that for people whose beliefs do align with the film's conclusions, this would be a real jolt.
Lastly, I want to mention the look of the film which is absolutely gorgeous. This is the second Dreyer film I've watched this month, and darn if the man doesn't know how to use light, shadow, and space to the best possible impact.
I would highly recommend this film, and I would also warn anyone who hasn't seen it that it took me about 40 minutes to really warm up to it. There is a lot of talk and little action for the first third or so, but do not let that deter you. Once the pieces are all in place, the whole film comes together beautifully.