{"id":31923,"date":"2013-06-25T14:28:59","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T21:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=31923"},"modified":"2021-02-05T12:48:49","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T19:48:49","slug":"ordet-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=31923","title":{"rendered":"Ordet \/ Word, The (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;And the rest of us, all the rest of us, we go straight down to hell to eternal torments, don&#8217;t we?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Poster-217x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"217\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-31924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Poster-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Poster-93x128.jpg 93w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Poster.jpg 465w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe youngest son (Cay Kristiansen) of a cynical Danish farmer (Henrik Malberg) wishes to marry the daughter (Sylvia Eckhausen) of a religiously fundamentalist tailor (Ejner Federspiel), though both fathers disapprove; meanwhile, Malberg&#8217;s son Johannes (Preben Lerdorf Rye) believes he&#8217;s Jesus Christ, while the gentle wife (Birgite Federspiel) of his son Mikkel prepares to give birth to her third child.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carl Theodor Dreyer Films<\/li>\n<li>Death and Dying<\/li>\n<li>Mental Illness<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Religious Faith<\/li>\n<li>Scandinavian Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary posits that the theme of Carl Theodore Dreyer&#8217;s adaptation of a &#8220;play by [Danish hero] <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kaj_Munk\">Kaj Munk<\/a>&#8221; &#8212; about &#8220;a proud, elderly Christian farmer whose faith has all but disappeared because of the lack of miracles in modern times&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;is that people, even priests, shouldn&#8217;t let faith in God diminish&#8221;, and that &#8220;those who are regarded as insane are actually closest to God&#8221;. To that end, one&#8217;s appreciation for this critically lauded parable will depend upon one&#8217;s willingness to accept it as something other than a traditional cinematic tale; Dreyer&#8217;s intention is not to entertain, but to provoke. However, as Peary notes, while the &#8220;beginning of the film is charming due to the simplicity of the sets and the characters&#8221; (he jokingly writes that &#8220;it wouldn&#8217;t be jarring if June Lockhart, Tommy Rettig, and Lassie dropped in for a visit&#8221;), it &#8220;becomes drawn out and silly&#8221;; he argues that while &#8220;it might work as a story told in church&#8221;, &#8220;as a film it is far-fetched&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll admit I&#8217;m essentially in agreement with Peary&#8217;s take on this one. Unlike most other reviewers (whose praise is unreserved), I find it overly slow and a tad pretentious, not to mention terribly depressing &#8212; in sum, everything Scandinavian films from this era are stereotyped as being (but see Bergman&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=31807\"><em>Smiles of a Summer Night<\/em> [1955]<\/a> for a refreshing counter-example). With that said, there&#8217;s no denying either the power of Dreyer&#8217;s imagery, or the integrity of his intentions; film fanatics will want to check this one out at least once, and make up their own minds about its ultimate place in the world&#8217;s cinematic canon. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> I was fascinated to learn (from a citation on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ordet\">Wikipedia<\/a>) that this film was not only a critical success but a financial success as well; my, how audience tastes have changed&#8230;  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Committed performances by the entire cast<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Performances2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dreyer&#8217;s typically stunning visual sensibility<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography1.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography1-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Ordet-Cinematography2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply as one of Ordet&#8217;s most celebrated works &#8212; though your enjoyment will be highly variable. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048452\/\">IMDb entry<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/543489\/ordet#articles-reviews?articleId=81391\">TCM Article<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=1017\">Q Network Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/ordet\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;And the rest of us, all the rest of us, we go straight down to hell to eternal torments, don&#8217;t we?&#8221; Synopsis: The youngest son (Cay Kristiansen) of a cynical Danish farmer (Henrik Malberg) wishes to marry the daughter (Sylvia Eckhausen) of a religiously fundamentalist tailor (Ejner Federspiel), though both fathers disapprove; meanwhile, Malberg&#8217;s son Johannes (Preben Lerdorf Rye) believes he&#8217;s Jesus Christ, while the gentle wife (Birgite Federspiel) of his son Mikkel prepares to give birth to her third&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=31923\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31923"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68942,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31923\/revisions\/68942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}