Carl Theodor Dreyer's Ordet

[Hal2001]

Ordet (1955)

Carl Theodor Dreyer's "Ordet" is, above all, a film about faith, similar to a previous work of his, "The Passion of Joan of Arc." Of course, in "Joan of Arc," it is mainly Joan herself whose faith is being tested, while others believe her to be merely a blasphemer. In "Ordet," everyone's faith is put to the test, even those who choose not to believe in it.

The film mainly follows the Borgen family who live on a farm. The family consists of Morten Borgen (Henrik Malberg), the father, his three sons, Anders (Cay Kristiansen), Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen), and Johannes (Preben Lerdorff Rye), as well as Mikkel's wife, Inger (Birgitte Federspiel), and their two daughters. We learn that Anders is in love with Anne (Gerda Nielsen), daughter of a tailor, Peter (Ejner Federspiel). Anders goes to Peter to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage while Inger tries to break the news slowly to Morten because she knows he'll probably take it hard seeing as how Anne is not of the exact same religion as they are.

Anders's request is denied by Peter because he says Anders is not good enough and not of the exact same religion that they are, leading him to return home, grief stricken. When Morten hears that his son is not good enough for a tailor's daughter, he visits Peter. They quarrel over each others' points of view on religion. As it turns out, they are both Christians, but Morten believes in a more joyous type of Christianity, whereas Peter has more of a fundamental viewpoint. Peter warns Morten that he will be tested, and he is eerily correct as not long after, a situation arises that will test everyone's faith.

This was a very strange film. Strange that the first act is slow, and it can even be said, quite dull, but it manages to turn itself around so fast that you quickly forget what happened at the start. It became fascinating to watch as the faith of this family is tested, especially that of the three brothers. Mikkel has no faith at all. Anders seems to have a good amount of faith. Then there is Johannes, the brother that has been called crazy, but is he really?

Johannes walks about the house claiming that he is Jesus Christ, the son of God. He gives blessings, quotes scripture, sees things that can't be seen by anyone else, and even becomes prophetic in some instances. We are told that he studied theology some time ago, but after he took it all in, he became like he is at the start of the film. He is the brother that has an overabundance of faith.

The test of faith comes in the form of Inger's pregnancy. As soon as Peter tells Morten that he is to be tested more, the phone rings with news that Inger is not doing well during her delivery. Morten and Anders rush home to see for themselves. The second act deals almost entirely with the delivery and the question of whether Inger and/or her baby will survive.

Johannes stalks the house, saying that he sees a figure with a scythe and hourglass, but nobody believes what he sees because they all believe him to be crazy. The doctor continues working hard to deliver the baby while making sure that Inger is all right. I won't say how this scene plays out, but I will say that it becomes very tense at moments.

The final scene is very heartwarming. I'm not the least bit religious, but it even got to me. It could have been done in a very cheesy, over the top way, but Dreyer manages to make a large statement with a very simplistic scene. Some viewers will not buy what happens here, but it doesn't really matter. It comes down to the strength of faith. For some characters it's born, for others, it's renewed.

My one complaint about the film is that several of the performances seemed rather wooden, particularly Preben Lerdorff Rye as Johannes. When he believes he is Jesus Christ, he delivers his dialogue very stiffly, even annoyingly, whereas, at the end, he becomes simply bland. Others, too, become bland at times, but it is not enough to detract from the overall impact of the film. Dreyer put together a film that tested people's deepest beliefs and that can be enjoyed by both those who have faith or don't. That's one of the great things about it. You don't have to believe in it yourself to believe that others can have it. 3.5/4 stars.