LOVE ONE ANOTHER (1921)

Original Danish poster from 1921 - film made by Primusfilm, Berlin. Love One Another was the first of Dreyer's films to get recognised in France. The critic Riccioto Canudo wrote, "one of those polyrhythmic frescos that the artisans of the screen must soon create." Thanks to Henrik Sylow for the scan. Click the thumbnail for a larger image.

MIKAËL (1924)

Original Danish programme - Dansk-svensk Films. Click the thumbnails for larger images.

GLOMDALSBRUDEN (1925)

Original Danish programme - Dansk-svensk Films. Thanks to Henrik Stormer for the scans.
Click the thumbnails for larger images.

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1927)

1.) Photographs of pre-production model constructs - from the book Om Filmen. Thanks to Henrik Sylow for the scans. Click the thumbnails for larger images.


2.) A cartoon from a 1929 issue of Le Cinematographie Francaise - reprinted in the Danish book Levende Billeder (p.127). The caption read "Every success will get a successor". The joke is explained as a confirmation of how famous Dreyer's film was at the time of release. Thanks to Henrik Sylow for the scan. Click the thumbnail for a larger image.

VAMPYR (1932)

1.) Vampyr Programme (Danish, 1933) - This is the original Danish programme from 1933 with art by Erik Aaes (art director on Vampyr, Day Of Wrath, and Ordet). The entire programme has been translated into English from Danish and is included here.

2.) Martin Koerber's notes on the restoration of Vampyr - First published in Danish and then Italian, this is the first English publication of this piece, revised in 2003 by the author Martin Koerber (he restored Vampyr for ARTE Television in 1999).

3.) Locations from Vampyr - Photos taken in 2002 by Regine Wertheimer of the locations in Courtempierre, France where Vampyr was shot.

DAY OF WRATH (1943)

1.) Original Danish programme, 1943, Palladium, Copenhagen - This original 1943 programme is in Danish, and only 8 pages long. (Thanks to Thure Munkholm for the scans) Click the thumbnails for larger images.



2.) Original Danish poster from 1943 - film made by Palladium Productions, Denmark.
Click the thumbnail for a larger image.

ORDET(1955)

1.) International Press Book, 1955, Palladium Film, Copenhagen - This original 1955 press book is in English and Danish. It features a plot synopsis and many stills from the film. Click the thumbnails below for larger images.


2.) Poster, 1955, Palladium Film, Copenhagen - This original 1955 3-page poster was kindly sent in by Henrik Stormer. Click the thumbnails below for larger images.


3.) Danish Press Book, 1955, Palladium Film, Copenhagen - This original 1955 12-page booklet seems to have been for the Danish market only. All text below kindly translated from Danish by Trond Trondsen.

Click the thumbnails below for larger images.


The text begins,

"In spite of the fact that ORDET centres around a miracle, it is a thoroughly realistic piece, a play about those who are feeble in their faith. The miracle one longs for only happens when the person arrives who has the faith - the firmly rooted Faith. The action plays out among Danish peasants and it depicts the struggle between two different denominations: the bright happy christianity and its counterpart, the dark, life-hating, religious fanaticism."

- and is then followed by a synopsis similar to the English text in the other pressbook (see item 1 in this section). The text then continues,

BRIEFLY ABOUT ORDET AND ITS ADAPTATION FOR FILM

Kaj Munk's play ORDET premiered on 2nd September 1932, at the Betty Nansen Theatre. Among the audience sat film director Carl Th. Dreyer, deeply touched. Already at that early point in time an idea and a desire to film Kaj Munk's play was conceived in his mind, but only now, 22 years later, has this dream become reality.

Kaj Munk wrote ORDET as far back as 1925. He was so thoroughly absorbed by the subject matter that he completed the script in merely five days. Interestingly, Carl Th. Dreyer, equally absorbed by his work on the film, cut it in the exact same number of days. This may be considered rather unprecedented, both the writing a play for the theatre in five days, as well as the editing a film in only five days.

In the programme booklet for the Betty Nansen performance of ORDET Kaj Munk wrote a foreword, which he ended with the following words:

"I was very young when I wrote these 4 Acts. At the time any kind of suffering, once it caught my attention, somehow tended to become my own. I have not grown much older in that I am still deeply moved each time I sense within this piece the beats of my own heavy laden heart. There will be those of you among the audience tonight who will be stirred in much the same way. I thank you as well. KAJ MUNK."

There was a death in the area - a young woman who died in childbirth - which made such a deep impression on Kaj Munk that he was compelled to write a play based on this tragic event.

When working on the script for ORDET, Carl Th. Dreyer continually sought to remain true to what he perceived Kaj Munk intended with his piece. But at the same time he had to take into account the fact that the laws governing Cinema are very different from the laws of the Theatre. The dialogue included in the film comprises hardly 1/3 of the original dialogue. This just goes to show what an extensive simplification process had to be undertaken.

Kaj Munk originally wrote the part for the old Morten for Henrik Malberg. However, when ORDET could not be staged at The Royal Theatre after all, and it turned out impossible to loan the actor to the Betty Nansen Theatre, Malberg had to pass on the role, to the great disappointment of both Dreyer and Malberg. In Carl Th. Dreyer's film version, the now 80 years old Henrik Malberg finally gets to play his part.

When Carl Th. Dreyer in 1943 filmed THE DAY OF WRATH for Palladium, Poul Schierbeck wrote the score. Unfortunately Schierbeck died a few years ago, but one has succeeded in locating among the works he left behind a series of motifs which in the opinion of the director are almost as if they were written specifically for ORDET.

During the preparations for shooting ORDET, Kaj Munk's widow, Mrs. Lise Munk, was an immense support, even to the point of travelling along with Carl Th. Dreyer to Vedersø, the small desolate parish on the west coast of Jylland, where the film is set.

PHOTO CAPTION: Carl Th. Dreyer with Mrs. Lise Munk at Vedersø

[Added: 10-03]

4.) Ordet, 1932, theatre performance, Copenhagen, Denmark
This is a rare photograph from the first performance of the original production of Ordet at the Betty Nansen Theatre in 1932. It's remarkable because it shows us how closely the mise-en-scène for Dreyer's film was lifted from this theatre production. The decor, the arrangement of candleholders, the symmetry and Johannes distinctive look - the long coat, swept back hair and beard, identical to Preben Lerdorff Rye's appearance in Dreyer's film. Click the picture for a larger version. (Thanks to Henrik Sylow for the scan)

GERTRUD (1964)

1.) Gertrud Programme (Danish, 1964) - This is the original Danish programme from 1964 (thanks to Thure Munkholm for the scans).

Miscellaneous Items

1.) Letter from Carl Th. Dreyer to Louis B. Mayer (1943)

December 17th 1943 - At the height of World War II and just after completion of Day Of Wrath, Dreyer writes "cap in hand" to Louis B. Mayer (at MGM, Culver City, California) asking for a position in his company and the chance to remake Day Of Wrath "in American milieu". (Thanks to Jonah Horwitz for sending this in.)

2.) "The Tyrannical Dane" (1951)

An article by Paul Moor, from Theatre Arts Magazine, April 1951 - This rare 1951 article finds Dreyer (pre-Ordet) in the New York Public Library poring over ancient biblical texts whilst researching his "Christus" scenario. Dreyer tells Moor that this film will be his "magnum opus". The photograph which accompanies the piece was taken by Moor and is included here alongside the text.

3.) A Letter From Henning Bendtsen (March 2003)

Dreyer's cameraman on Ordet and Gertrud kindly responds to various questions (from readers of this website) with a four page letter. Questions were written in English and Mr. Bendtsen was encouraged to write in Danish (which he did).

4.) A Dreyer Top Ten (1952)

Dreyer submitted this list to Cinematheque Belgique in 1952:

1. Birth of a Nation (Griffith)
2. Hr. Arne's Treasure (Stiller)
3. Potemkin (Eisenstein)
4. The Gold Rush (Chaplin)
5. Sous les Toits de Paris (Clair)
6. Quai des Brumes (Carne)
7. Brief Encounter (Lean)
8. Henry V (Olivier)
9. The Petrified Forest (Mayo)
10. Open City (Rossellini)

5.) A Dreyer Top Ten (1963)

In a book of essays published by the Museum of Modern Art in New York simply called Carl Th. Dreyer, the introductory essay by Ib Monty quotes Dreyer from a 1963 magazine interview:

"The titles of the ten films which I myself think that I have learned something from:

1. Hr. Arne's Treasure [Herr Arnes pengar] (1919, Mauritz Stiller)
2. The Sons of Ingmar [Ingmarssönerna] (1919, Victor Sjöström)
3. Intolerance, the modern chapter (1916, D.W. Griffith)
4. Crainquebille (1922, Jacques Feyder)
5. Die Flamme [Montmartre] (1923, Ernst Lubitsch)
6. Battleship Potemkin [Bronenosets Potyomkin] (1925, Grigori Aleksandrov & Sergei M. Eisenstein)
7. Mother [Mat] (1926, Vsevolod Pudovkin)
8. Ivan the Terrible [Ivan Groznyj] (1945, Sergei M. Eisenstein)
9. Henry V (1944, Laurence Olivier)
10. Jigokumon [Gate Of Hell] (1953, Teinosuke Kinugasa)."

6.) 25 minute audio interview with Carl Th. Dreyer

(MP3 format, 12MB, mono, 64kbps). The interview is currently in the process of being identified, but it's clearly American, circa 1965. Thanks to Jonah Horwitz for sending it in!