Drama
Danish
1955 · Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer · 125 min
On a prosperous farm in west Jutland, a widowed patriarch and his three sons hold three different relationships to faith: warm devotion, flat unbelief and a son who thinks he is Christ. A rival religious household next door sharpens every disagreement. Quiet, austere and unhurried, it is a drama about what belief means in daily life.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining film of religious art cinema and of the slow, austere style that later filmmakers from Tarkovsky to Lars von Trier drew on, made by one of the few silent-era masters still working in the mid-1950s.
Watch with intention
Watch how time and space are used: Dreyer lets rooms, light and slow camera movement build feeling that other films would get from cutting and music.
Save this film, rate it and keep your notes.
Free, no ads. Your journal, your lists, a Cine Guide that remembers you.
Create your free space
