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Carl Theodor Dreyer (February 3, 1889 - March 20, 1968) was a Danish film director. He is regarded as one of the greatest directors in cinema.

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Although his career spanned the 1910s through the 1960s, his meticulousness, dictatorial methods, idiosyncratic shooting style, and stubborn devotion to his art ensured that his output remained low. In spite of this, he produced some of the most enduring classics of international cinema.

Contents 1 Life and work 2 Filmography 2.1 Feature films 2.2 Short films 3 External links

Dreyer was born an illegitimate child in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was soon orphaned. His adoptive parents were strict Lutherans, and their teachings were to influence the themes of many of his films.

As a young man, Dreyer worked as a journalist, eventually finding his way into jobs writing title cards for silent films and then writing screenplays. His first forays into directing were met with limited success, and he eventually left Denmark to try his hand in the film industry of France.

It was there, in 1928, that he made his first classic, The Passion of Joan of Arc. Working from actual transcripts of Joan's trial, he created a masterpiece of emotion that drew equally from realism and expressionism. Dreyer turned to private financing from Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg to make his next film as the Danish film industry was in financial ruin. Vampyr (1932) is a surreal meditation on fear. Logic gave way to mood and atmosphere in this story of a man protecting two sisters from a vampire. The movie contains many indelible images, such as the hero, played by de Gunzburg (under the screen name Julian West), dreaming of his own burial and the animal bloodlust on the face of one of the sisters as she suffers under the vampire's spell. The film was shot as a silent but had dialogue added later through dubbing.

Both films were box office failures, and Dreyer did not make another movie until 1943. At that time, with Denmark under Nazi occupation, he made Day of Wrath, a film about the hypocrisy of those who engaged in witchhunts. With this film, Dreyer established the style that would mark his sound films: careful compositions, stark black and white cinematography, and very long takes. In the more than a decade before his next full-length feature film, Dreyer made two documentaries

In 1955, he shot Ordet (The Word) based on the play of the same name by Kaj Munk. The film combines a Romeo and Juliet-style love story with an examination of faith.

Dreyer's last film was 1964's Gertrud. Although seen by some as a lesser film than the ones preceding it, it is a fitting close to Dreyer's career, as it deals with a woman who, through the ups and downs of her life, never expresses regret for her choices.

The great, never finished project of Dreyer’s career was a planned film about Jesus. Though a manuscript was written (published 1968) the unsafe economic conditions and Dreyer’s own demands of realism together with his switching engagement let it remain a dream. In return a manuscript about Medea (1965) was realised by Lars von Trier in 1988.

Dreyer died in Copenhagen at age 79. The documentary Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier contains reminiscences from those who knew him best.

Year	English title	Original title	Production country	Notes
1919	The President	Præsidenten	Denmark	Based on the novel by Karl Emil Franzos.
1920	The Parson's Widow	Prästänkan	Sweden/Denmark	Based on the story "Prestekonen" by Kristofer Janson.
1921	Leaves from Satan's Book	Blade af Satans bog	Denmark	Loosely based on the The Sorrows of Satan.
1922	Love One Another	Die Gezeichneten	Germany	Based on the novel by Aage Madelung, this film is extremely rare (only 4 prints survive in archives).
1922	Once Upon a Time	Der var engang	Denmark	Based on the play by Holger Drachmann.
1924	Michael	Michael	Germany	Based on the novel Mikaël (1904) by Herman Bang.
1925	Thou Shalt Honor Thy Wife (aka Master of the House)	Du skal ære din hustru	Denmark	Based on the play by Svend Rindom.
1926	Bride of Glomdal	Glomdalsbruden	Norway/Sweden	Based on the novel by Jacob Breda Bull.
1928	The Passion of Joan of Arc	La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc	France	Co-written with Joseph Delteil, author of the novel Jeanne d'Arc (1925, Prix Femina).
1932	The Vampire	Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey	France/Germany	Based on the novella Carmilla (1872) by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.
1943	Day of Wrath	Vredens dag	Denmark	Based on the play "Anne Pedersdotter" by Hans Wiers-Jenssen, hymns by Paul La Cour.
1945	Two People	Två människor	Sweden	Based on the play "Attentat" by W.O. Somin. Made in Nazi-related exile to Sweden, the film was disowned by Dreyer and withdrawn from distribution.
1955	The Word	Ordet	Denmark	Based on the play by Kaj Munk.
1964	Gertrud	Gertrud	Denmark	Based on the play by Hjalmar Söderberg.

• Good Mothers (Mødrehjælpen, 12 min, 1942)
• Water from the Land (Vandet på landet, 1946)
• The Struggle Against Cancer (Kampen mod kræften, 15 min, 1947)
• The Danish Village Church (Landsbykirken, 14 min, 1947)
• They Caught the Ferry (De nåede færgen, 11 min, 1948)
• Thorvaldsen (10 min, 1949)
• The Storstrom Bridge (Storstrømsbroen, 7 min, 1950)
• The Castle Within the Castle (Et Slot i et slot, 1955)

• Carl Theodor Dreyer at the Internet Movie Database
• Carl Theodor Dreyer at SensesOfCinema.com
• carldreyer.com
• A rare 25-minute radio interview in English, c.1965, USA (mp3)
• Dreyer's essay - 'Thoughts on My Métier'
• Dreyer's article - 'Realized Mysticism'
• In-depth article from 1951 on 'The Tyrannical Dane'

Carl Theodor Dreyer
Silent films	The President • The Witch Woman • Leaves from Satan's Book • Love one Another • Once Upon a Time • Michael • Thou Shalt Honor Thy Wife • Bride of Glomdal • The Passion of Joan of Arc
Sound films	Vampyr • Good Mothers • Day of Wrath • Two People • Water from the Land • The Struggle Against Cancer • The Danish Village Church • They Caught the Ferry • The Storstrom Bridge • The Castle Within the Castle • Ordet • Gertrud

v • d • e Cinema of Denmark
	Films A-Z • Films by year: 1910s • 1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s Actors • Directors • Cinematographers • Producers • Screenwriters • Score composers

Persondata
NAME	Dreyer, Carl Theodor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Danish film director
DATE OF BIRTH	February 3, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH	Copenhagen, Denmark
DATE OF DEATH	March 20, 1968
PLACE OF DEATH	Copenhagen, Denmark