Carl Theodor Dreyer - Ordet aka The Word (1955)

A crisis of faith and love comes to a head at the Borgen farm. Patriarch Morten (Henrick Malberg) is adamant that his son Anders (Cay Kristiansen) should not marry the tailor's daughter, as her family is of a different faith. Morten feels that the Christian ways are falling by the wayside, as his eldest son Mikkel (Emil Hass Christiansen) is a non-believer. Mikkel's dedicated and loving wife Inger (Birgitte Federspiel) gently accepts her husband's lack of faith as she awaits her third child. Morten is determined to defend the church of his forefathers but his third son Johannes is a mental case who believes him self to be Jesus Christ and is beginning to become a serious embarrassment. One night, events transpire that change all of their lives ...





A disconnected, soft spoken man wanders into the vast open field of the Danish countryside, as he often does, preaching to the wind, believing that he is Jesus Christ. His name is Johannes Borgen (Preben Lerdorff Rye), a theology student who suffered a mental breakdown pondering the fundamental questions of faith and religion. His younger brother, Anders (Cay Kristiansen), notices his disappearance from the family farm and sets out to find him with their father, Morten (Henrik Malberg). The eldest brother, Mikkel (Emil Hass Christensen), a morally decent agnostic, is alerted of Johannes' disappearance by his wife, Inger (Birgitte Federspiel), the sweet, kind hearted lady of the house, and Mikkel also joins in the familiar ritual. Morten is a pious man who believes in a personal, unstructured relationship with God, and is racked with guilt over Johannes' madness. Morten had encouraged Johannes to immerse himself in his studies, convinced that his son's charismatic personality and passionate devotion would make him ideally suited to restore the villagers' faith in God. Now, he prays for Johannes' suffering to end. One day, Anders confides to Mikkel and Inger that he is in love with Anne (Gerda Nielsen), the daughter of a strict, religious fundamentalist tailor, Peter (Ejnar Federspiel), a relationship that is certain to be met with disapproval. Encouraged by Inger, Morten reluctantly visits Peter, and their polite dialogue soon escalates into a war of words over their differing observations of faith. As Morten storms out of the house, he receives news that Inger has suffered complications from childbirth, and a venomous Peter declares his cruel wish for an unspeakable tragedy so that Morten will come to accept his way of thinking.

Using long panning shots and spare, precise composition, Carl Theodor Dreyer examines the complex nature of faith in Ordet. There is a glimpse of its elusiveness in Johannes' distracted, rambling speech, questioning people's skepticism and inability to accept the existence of miracles in the modern world. Peter's callousness and intractability reflect the intolerance of placing organized religion above compassion and human decency, an austerity similarly explored by Ingmar Bergman. Despite his innate goodness and sincerity, Mikkel's lack of faith prevents him from imploring God to grant what would seem to be an impossible wish. Similarly, Morten's faith also proves to be imperfect as he dismisses Johannes' visions as delusions. In the end, the words of the seeming madman prove to be enlightened, as Johannes provides the testament, the Word, that redeems the family from their overwhelming pain and misery. But what is the Word? It is a deeply personal question that is best answered in silence and introspection.







La palabra
1930, en una comunidad de Jutlandia, Dinamarca. El anciano Morten Borgen, padre de 3 hijos, trata de sacar adelante su granja. Uno de sus vástagos, Ander, está enamorado de una muchacha de una familia rival. Otro, Mikkel, espera que su mujer, Inger, dé a luz su tercer hijo. El último, Johannes, es un estudiante de teología que de tanto estudiar e identificarse con la figura de Jesucristo es considerado un loco por sus vecinos. El parto de Inger se complica, y el doctor se muestra muy pesimista.

La gran obra maestra del cine religioso de todos los tiempos, y el film más redondo del director danés Carl Theodor Dreyer, que obtuvo el León de Oro en Venecia. El cineasta adaptó una obra teatral de Kaj Munk, pastor protestante, sobre la relación entre ciencia y religión, y el poder de la oración. El film, rico en reflexiones antropológicas, es heredero directo de la preocupación por la fe del también danés Søren Kierkegaard, uno de los filósofos fundamentales del siglo XIX. (decine21)





Слово
Фильм, снятый по одноименной пьесе датского драматурга Кая Мунка, показывает разное отношение к одному и тому же Богу, размышления о религии и ее необходимости в нашей жизни.
По мнению теоретика кино Пола Шрёдера и аббата Эфра, Дрейер "бескомпромиссный мастер трансцендентального стиля в кинематографе" (наряду с Робером Брессоном), творчество которого - это этап в развитии киноискусства не как развлечения, а как способа внеличностного высказывания.
А что можно сделать Словом?
Многое: вдохновить на ратные подвиги, заставить поверить в собственные силы, убить и наконец воскресить из мертвых, когда надежда в глазах близких уже угасла и они лицезреют мертвое безжизненное тело усопшего.





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