''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English), is a 1955

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

. It is based on a play by

Kaj Munk Kaj Harald Leininger Munk (commonly called Kaj Munk) (13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright and Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World ...

, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. The film won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

at the 16th Venice International Film Festival, and was the only film by Dreyer to be both a critical and financial success.''Ordet''
in the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute ( da, Det Danske Filminstitut) is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. Also known as ''Filmhuset'' ("the film h ...

database The film is now regarded by many critics as a masterpiece, admired particularly for its

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

. In ''

Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' magazine's 2012 poll on the greatest films of all time, it placed 19th in the directors' poll and 24th in the critics' poll.

Plot

The film centers around the Borgen family in rural Denmark during the autumn of 1925. The devout widower Morten, patriarch of the family, prominent member of the community, and patron of the local parish church, has three sons. Mikkel, the eldest, who has no faith, is happily married to the pious Inger, who is pregnant with their third child. Johannes, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit studying

Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , , ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on ...

, believes himself to be

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and wanders the farm. He condemns the age's lack of faith, including that of his family and of the modern-minded new pastor of the village. The youngest son, Anders, is lovesick for the daughter of the leader of a local

Inner Mission The Inner Mission (german: Innere Mission, also translated as Home Mission) was and is a movement of German evangelists, set up by Johann Hinrich Wichern in Wittenberg in 1848 based on a model of Theodor Fliedner. It quickly spread from Germany to ...

sect. Anders confesses to Mikkel and Inger that he loves Anne Petersen, the daughter of Peter the Tailor. They agree to convince Morten to assent to the match. Later, Inger attempts to convince Morten to allow Anders to marry Anne. Morten angrily refuses, but changes his mind when he finds out Peter has refused Anders' proposal. Morten and Anders go to meet Peter, in order to negotiate the betrothal. Morten tries to convince Peter to permit the marriage, but he continues to refuse unless Morten and Anders join his sect. As the discussion collapses into sectarian bickering, Morten receives a call announcing that Inger has gone into a difficult labor. Peter says he hopes Inger will die, as maybe then Morten will see the error of his ways and join Peter's sect. Furious at Peter's comments, Morten attacks Peter and storms out with Anders, the two of them rushing home. While the doctor cannot save the baby, he is able to save Inger's life. After the doctor and pastor leave, Johannes angers his father by telling him that death is nearby and will take Inger, unless Morten has faith in him. Morten refuses to listen and, as prophesied, Inger dies suddenly. While preparing to go to Inger's funeral, Peter realizes that he has wronged Morten terribly, and reconciles with him over Inger's open coffin, agreeing to permit Anne and Anders to marry. Johannes suddenly interrupts the wake, approaches Inger's coffin, and proclaims that she can be raised from the dead if the family will only have faith and ask God to do so. Inger's daughter takes Johannes (again, inspired by the Holy Spirit)' hand and impatiently asks him to raise her mother from the dead. Johannes praises her childlike faith and asks God to raise Inger, who begins to breathe and twitch in her coffin. Seeing what seems to be the miracle of resurrection, both Morten and Peter rejoice, forgetting their religious differences. As Inger sits up, Mikkel embraces her and proclaims that he has finally found faith.

Cast

Henrik Malberg Henrik Malberg (1873–1958) was a Danish actor of theater and Danish cinema who played his most noted role at the age of 80—the stoic authoritative farm owner in the Carl Theodor Dreyer classic film ''Ordet''. Career Henrik Martin Marinu ...

as Morten Borgen *

Emil Hass Christensen Emil Hass Christensen (23 January 1903 – 12 January 1982) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1925 and 1978. He was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * ''Cirkusrevyen 1936'' – 1 ...

as Mikkel Borgen *

Birgitte Federspiel Birgitte Federspiel (6 September 1925 – 2 February 2005) was a Danish film, theater and TV actress. She won two Bodil Awards for best actress in 1955 (''Ordet'') and 1959 (''En fremmed banker på'').Preben Lerdorff Rye Preben Lerdorff Rye (23 May 1917 – 15 June 1995) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 92 films between 1941 and 1989. He was born and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * '' The Child'' (1940) – Jurastuderende * ''En ganske alminde ...

as Johannes Borgen *Cay Kristiansen as Anders Borgen *

Ejner Federspiel Ejner Federspiel (12 August 1896 – 21 November 1981) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 58 films between 1934 and 1981. He was married to Gunver Fønss and his daughter was actress Birgitte Federspiel. Partial filmography * ''Hr. ...

as Peter Petersen *Gerda Nielsen as Anne Petersen *Sylvia Eckhausen as Kirstin Petersen *

Ove Rud Ove Rud (16 December 1923 – 21 September 2007) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 21 films between 1950 and 2000. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Denmark. Filmography * '' Blinkende lygter'' (2000) * '' Skytten'' (197 ...

as the Pastor *Henry Skjær as the Doctor *Edith Trane as Mette Maren (attender at Petersen's) *Ann Elisabeth Rud as Maren Borgen, Mikkel's Daughter *Susanne Rud as Lilleinger Borgen, Mikkel's Daughter *Hanne Agesen as Karen, Borgen's servant

Production

Pre-production

After several years of financial problems stalled his film career, Dreyer was awarded a lifelong lease to the Dagmar Bio, an art-house movie theater in Copenhagen, in 1952 . The Danish government had often given such awards to older artists, and the profits from the theater allowed Dreyer to begin production on a new film through Palladium Studios. Around that time, Palladium president Tage Nielsen received a suggestion for Dreyer's next film from the government-run Dansk Kulturfilm; Dreyer had worked with them before.

's play ''I Begyndelsen var Ordet'' (''In the Beginning was the Word'') was written in 1925 and premiered in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1932. Dreyer had attended the play's premiere in 1932 and had been writing notes for a film adaptation since 1933. Dansk Kulturfilm suggested that Dreyer finally make the film and be retroactively paid for his years of work on the script.Bordwell. p. 224. Munk had himself finished a script for a film version, which he tried and failed to sell to the production company

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S (lit. "Nordic Film") is a Danish entertainment company established in 1906 in Copenhagen by filmmaker Ole Olsen. It is the fourth-oldest film studio in the world behind the Gaumont Film Company, Pathé, and Titanus ...

. The Swedish film adaptation, '' The Word,'' directed by

Gustaf Molander Gustaf Harald August Molander (18 November 1888 – 19 June 1973) was a Sweden, Swedish actor and film director. His parents were director Harald Molander, Sr. (1858–1900) and singer and actress Lydia Molander, ''née'' Wessler, and his brother ...

and starring

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

, was released In 1943. It couldn't premiere in Denmark until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. For legal reasons, the 1943 film forced Palladium to wait until 1954 to begin production on Dreyer's film. Dreyer made changes to the original play, such as adding the film's opening scene (which was inspired by a passage from Munk's published memoir), omitting Johannes's previous love affair as a contributor to his mental illness and cutting two-thirds of Munk's original dialogue. Although Munk had died in 1944, he was careful to stay true to Munk's intention and the play's message, he cut dialogue down to the bare essentials, resulting in a minimalist film.

Filming

Filming lasted for four months: two months on a studio set and two months in Vedersø, a village in West

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

where Munk had served as a Lutheran priest.Wakeman. p. 271. ''Ordet'' is best remembered for its cinematography. The film has a total of 114 individual shots, half of which occur in the first and last scenes of the film. Many shots lasted for up to seven minutes. Dreyer used mostly long takes and a slow moving camera, as his style had been gradually progressing towards for several years. He also paid close attention to every minute detail during filming and later said that he "made the film crew equip the kitchen with everything he considered right for a country kitchen. Then... he set about removing the objects. Finally, only ten to fifteen remained, but they were just what were wanted to create the right psychological illusion." Dreyer's shooting method was to shoot one individual shot per day. In the mornings Dreyer would rehearse with the actors while simultaneously blocking their movement, set up lights and block the camera movement. Then at the very end of the day Dreyer would film the single shot, usually shooting between 2 and 3 takes. Dreyer chose not to pre-plan any shots and every decision was made the day of the shoot. Cinematographer Henning Bendtsen said that "each image is composed like a painting in which the background and the lighting are carefully prepared." Whereas most filmmakers at that time would use one or two lights for a scene, Dreyer and Bendtsen often used up to 20. Electricians often had to turn lights on and off during the shooting without it being noticeable on film. Dreyer disliked

light meter A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. In photography, a light meter (more correctly an exposure meter) is used to determine the proper exposure for a photograph. The meter will include either a digital or analog calcul ...

s and preferred to deduce the correct exposure at each location by eye. Actress

Birgitte Federspiel Birgitte Federspiel (6 September 1925 – 2 February 2005) was a Danish film, theater and TV actress. She won two Bodil Awards for best actress in 1955 (''Ordet'') and 1959 (''En fremmed banker på''). Dreyer staged the actors around the lighting design on the set and not to accommodate their performances. Federspiel said that Dreyer never verbally told the actors when he was pleased with their performances and would simply smile when they were performing the way that he wanted them to.''Ordet'' DVD Special Features. Birgitte Federspiel interview. The Criterion Collection. 2011. The blocking of the actor's movement was so precise and carefully planned out that many of them had to count out their steps while speaking their dialogue. Federspiel said that Dreyer personally picked out costumes for every actor and even went shopping for stockings with her. He also hired a linguistic specialist to make sure that all the actors spoke the same dialect as the characters that they played. Dreyer had some difficulty with the elderly actor

being able to remember his dialogue for such long takes. Munk had written the original role of Morten Borgen specially for Malberg in 1925. Twice in the film, as Morten and Anders drive to and from their meeting with Peter the Tailor, they pass the rough cross erected at the place where the body of

was found. Munk was assassinated in 1944 during the

Nazi occupation of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (german: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (german: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 ...

for openly preaching against collaboration with the Nazi regime. Like her character, Federspiel was really pregnant during the film's production and went into labor towards the end of the shoot. She agreed to allow Dreyer to tape record her labor pains while she was giving birth and then later use the recording as a sound effect in the finished film. While waiting for Federspiel to return to the production after having the child Dreyer and Bendtsen planned out the final resurrection scene. They shot two different versions of the scene, a version from Munk's play which suggests the possibility of Inger just appearing to be dead and a version where the resurrection is a genuine miracle. Dreyer chose to use the second version in the final film.

Release and reception

The film premiered on 10 January 1955 at Dagmar Teatret in Copenhagen. It was Dreyer's first film since ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne ...

'' to immediately receive critical praise and was especially popular in his native Denmark with both critics and audiences, as well as with critics in other countries. It also won the

at the 16th Venice International Film Festival.Wakeman. p. 272. Critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave the film a 4/4. He wrote "For the ordinary filmgoer, and I include myself, ''Ordet'' is a difficult film to enter. But once you're inside, it is impossible to escape." Critic Tom Milne wrote that "the interior scenes are luminous with a sense of expansive affection arising from the rich, warmly observed detail of the relationship... Throughout the film Dreyer's emphasis is on the density of emotion allied to gesture which he first explored in ''

Master of the House ''Master of the House'' ( da, Du skal ære din hustru, literally ''Thou Shalt Honour Thy Wife'') is a 1925 Danish silent drama film directed and written by acclaimed filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film marked the debut of Karin Nellemose, ...

''." Critic Robin Wood also praised the film, but wrote that "our sense of the interdependence of the characters and their actions is communicated visually... one cannot but admire the total essentials, a process that certainly imbues those essentials with expressive intensity. At the same time, I find it difficult not to react against the style as repressive and deadening." Dave Calhoun of ''Time Out'' wrote that "‘Powerful’ doesn't do justice" to the film and that it "reminds us how in the end we know little about the mysteries of life. Dreyer manages to say all this within the framework of a strange, wondrous and shocking work. Once seen, it’s unlikely to leave you." Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' called it "a gripping and eerie tragedy of the supernatural", but also thought it was not as good as ''Day of Wrath'' or ''The Passion of Joan Of Arc''. Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 100% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 9.62/10. The film is sometimes cited as Dreyer's greatest work, and frequently appears in lists of the greatest films of all time. ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' ranked the film at number 16 in its Top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list in 1999, based on a poll of critics. In ''Sight and Sound'''s 2012 poll on the greatest films of all time, the film placed 19th in the directors' poll and 24th in the critics' poll. In the earlier 2002 version of the list the film ranked 45th in critic's poll. In 2018 the film ranked 65th on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

's list of the 100 greatest foreign-language films, as voted on by 209 film critics from 43 countries. It has been released on DVD by

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

with spine number 126 as part of a box set with the other Dreyer films ''

Day of Wrath ''Day of Wrath'' ( da, Vredens dag) is a 1943 Danish drama film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starring Lisbeth Movin, Thorkild Roose and Preben Lerdorff Rye. It is an adaptation of the 1909 play '' Anne Pedersdotter'' by Hans Wiers-Jens ...

'' and '' Gertrud''.

Awards

''Ordet'' was entered into the 16th Venice International Film Festival and won its highest prize, the

. In 1956 the film was among films honored with the

Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...

, as well as the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

Award for Best Foreign Film in 1957. At the 1955

Bodil Awards The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are given ...

it won for Best Actor (

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

(Birgitte Federspiel), and tied for Best Danish film with Sven Methling's ''

Der kom en dag ''Der kom en dag'' () is a 1955 Danish dramatic film directed by Sven Methling, It stars John Wittig, Kjeld Jacobsen and Astrid Villaume as Danish resistance fighters during the last days of the German occupation of Denmark in World War II. ...

''. It is currently ranked as the third most spiritually significant film of all time by Arts and Faith online community.

References

External links

* * *
Article about ''The Word'' on the Carl Th Dreyer website
(in English) Retrieved 2013-03-12
''Ordet'' entry in the Danish Film Institute database
Retrieved 2013-03-12
''Ordet''
an essay by Chris Fujiwara at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

"The Incarnate Transcendence of Ordet"

{{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''Ordet'' , list = {{Bodil Award for Best Danish Film {{Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film {{National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film {{The Golden Lion 1950s pregnancy films 1955 drama films 1955 films Best Danish Film Bodil Award winners Danish black-and-white films Danish drama films Danish films based on plays 1950s Danish-language films Films based on Danish novels Films directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer Films scored by Poul Schierbeck Films set in 1925 Films set in Denmark Films shot in Denmark Golden Lion winners Metaphysical fiction films Resurrection in film