Review of Ordet (1955) by Tim H — 17 Dec 2007

This is, by far, my favorite of the trilogy released by Criterion. Yes, I know the movies aren't linked outside of director, but I think this is fantastic packaging on part of Criterion. Good on you, guys, if I haven't told you already.

I kind of feel like like M. Night Shyamalan ganked Dreyer's style, but made it more Hollywood and fun. As I mentioned in my Day of Wrath review, these are depressing movies. I can't imagine friends coming over and throwing Dreyer into my XBox 360 for a viewing. Hell, I feel bad that I watched it on my XBox. (THAT'S A HIGH QUALITY MACHINE!) But Ordet takes a different approach to a similar theme. Religion and faith are placed center stage in this story. Again, I'm not sure about Dreyer's personal life, but discussing how extremist Christians are actually only lukewarm in their faith kind of scares me. I thought both camps were nuts (although the main character was significantly less crazy than the tailor.) But apparently, they both suck so poo on us all.

Now, Dreyer's not the first person to use the insane character to speak his message to the audience directly, but Dreyer makes Johannes a haunting character with a puzzling, yet direct voice. Usually if I see that crazy character, he's telling teenagers by a lake that they are all doomed. Not so much of a wink to the audience in Ordet. This really made me happy (well, depressed beyond function) to see such a strong movie from a director. Again, the movie is visually very clean and strong. He uses some strong imagery to convey the characters' innermost thoughts and philosophies without driving his message down my throat. If I was to recommend a Dreyer, this would be the one.