Carl Theodor Dreyer Retrospective

In March we will continue our retrospective of films by the great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889–1968), screening all works he directed until the end of the month. Between 1919 and 1964, Dreyer shot a total of 14 full-length films that differ greatly. Social realism and melodrama, comedy and passion story, fairy tale and horror movie alternate. Works characterized by concise close-ups stand alongside films without a single close-up, works edited in a faced-paced way alongside ones with ten-minute-long shots, movies dominated by language next to sound films with a minimum amount of dialog. Dreyer was convinced that a director should not adhere to a personal style; it was his aim to "find a style valid only for a very specific film", depending on the subject. A decisive basis for this was formed by the script, always written by him based on a literary model, the selection of actors as well as special accuracy and attention to detail regarding the props. What all films have in common is the search for a modern cinematographic form of expression and a reduction to what is essential.