What
I know before going in
Not much, I know the plot of concerns
religious value, but beyond, I don’t know any specifics. I have seen on other
Dreyer film, Gertrud, as a part of
this marathon. I found Gertrud interesting
and enjoyed thinking about, but did not find it particularly engaging. Maybe Ordetwill be different?
Immediate
Reaction
Ordetfeels like a film out of time. I cannot think of any
predecessor’s to the film’s style and it is very difficult for me to list any
that are influenced by it. I imagine if you went back in time to the beginning
of the 1800’s and handed someone a camera, the results would resemble Ordet. The film could almost take place
during any time and the inclusion of telephone and cars feels slightly off. The
film’s characters move slowly through sparse environments, expound dryly about
religion, and rarely face each other when speaking. It’s a similar effect to
the one in Gertrud and it is
similarly distancing. It creates an odd barrier that I honestly have trouble
overcoming in order to engage with Dreyer’s films.
The one aspect I did pick up on that I
might have missed in Gertrud is the
subtle way Dreyer moves his actors around in the frame. Dreyer’s compositions
rarely call attention to themselves, although they do have a calming, graceful
simplicity, so character movement is one of the few ways he can create action
or draw the viewer’s attention somewhere. In most films an explosion or
shootout counts as exciting. In Dreyer’s films a character standing up too
quickly and induce gasps or seat-gripping. A similar approach is taken by Akira Kurosawa
in the first section of High and Low
where he uses the slight re-positioning of his players to underline that film’s
themes regarding class.
The main thrust of Ordetconcerns the feud between the
Borgen and the Peterson clans about whether their two children will marry, and
the contrasting viewpoints each member of the Borgen family has regarding
religion.All this messiness comes to a head when Inger dies after a
miscarriage. This tragic event causes Morten and Peter to put aside their
differences and allow their children to marry. Finally, the film comes to a
stunning conclusion where the existence of God is explicitly acknowledged.
Johannes walks into Inger’s burial room (supposedly cured), accuses everyone of
not having strong enough faith, and then seemingly uses the blind faith of a
child TO RAISE INGER FROM THE DEAD! It is an insane, inspiring, and breathless
way to cap the film. I’m honestly not even sure what Dreyer is trying to
suggest with this move, my best guess is that he is pleading with people to
stop fighting over minor differences in religion, but nevertheless, it is a
memorable note to end on.
Further
thoughts
Argh, I have now gone through a few
other reviews and words like hypnotic, emotional, and spiritual keep coming up.
I realize that Ordetis technically
supposed to inspire all of these emotions and thoughts, but it just did not
work for me. I was disengaged from the film for most of its running time. I
just worry that I am not fully synthesizing the intent of Dreyer’s style. I am
positive that everything from spare surroundings, the artificial way the
characters move, and their awkward manner of talking to each other is in
service of some purpose. Unfortunately, I am incapable of divining that
purpose. Perhaps the dryness of the majority of the film is meant as a contrast
to the sensuality of the ending. I swear I saw a string of saliva extend from
Inger’s mouth after kissing Mikkel, a moment that seems so out of place
compared to the rest of the film. Perhaps Dreyer is suggesting that true faith
lies in the realm of human warmth, not in esoteric arguing?
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