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Post by spiderwort on Oct 2, 2019 13:58:15 GMT
Of all of Carl Dreyer's films, I've only seen La Passion de Jeanne D'Arc, Ordet, and Vampyr, but in my long life of viewing films, Jeanne D'Arc would be in my top ten films of all time. Given that others love Day of Wrath so much, I know I have some catching up to do. An interesting side note: Jeanne D'Arc's cinematographer, Rudolph Mate, later became a Hollywood cinematographer, nominated for Oscars five times; then became a "B" film director of films like D.O.A. Also interesting: one of its actors is Antonin Artaud, theatre actor, theorist, poet, and critic who postulated the theory of the Theatre of Cruelty.
And lest I forget, Maria Falconetti's performance as Joan is simply one of the greatest I have ever seen.
What are your thoughts on Dreyer's work?
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 2, 2019 14:28:16 GMT
The reason films used to matter far more than they do now is you could view the Art form as images that were an instructions about life and interior life too - what we felt and why. Films were made at the highest level by those few who infused their movies with their own personal knowledge, experience or worldview. In that way, they were like novels, poems or paintings in their effect. No director conveyed this type of cinema more than Dreyer - his works had the very essence of life within them ethically, spiritually, emotionally. Many of my favorite filmmakers come directly from Dreyer - Bresson, Bergman, Kieslowski - from his great Art came much other great Art too. That isn't always the case at all - sometimes great artists spur on far lesser ones - but it says something about how deeply his films struck and how wise he seemed that those who followed him found so much there to emulate. Day of Wrath has some of his greatest work within it, it's really special.
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