Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet: My Summer with the Danish Filmmaker

Chapter 8. Something about Jesus

The density of rain was not what plagued Dreyer most. The rainfall often was easy, though it never seemed to cease because it hovered over, threatening, even if the pattering stopped—ready to begin anew. Some shots demanded full overhead or noon light; others demanded softer early-morning or late-afternoon sun. Technicians and actors were ready; the waiting was endless, a heavy burden. Dreyer had already waited a decade to begin a new film. Now time was running out; Palladium expected the outdoor shots to be finished in a matter of days. Therefore, when the contracts had been drawn up in the spring, they covered only to October 1. No one had foreseen such inclement weather. The exteSomething about Jesus 8 Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet 64 rior shots at the parish of Vedersø were expected to consume only a tenth of the film’s total running time. Some crew members were scheduled to move on to other projects at Palladium or elsewhere. The young actors Gerda and Cay, both of them teachers, were obliged to return to their schools. However, for Dreyer, these were not the main problems; eventually, there would be some way around them. Vedersø was to provide the milieu that must carry over to interiors at the studio. Dreyer’s most vexing worry was that he was delaying the start of his chief and most cherished project, the long-planned Jesus-film. He had written the script in the late 1940s. The Word was a trial run for that project—a tantalizing sketch in preparation for the ultimate goal. But this film must stand on its own. In the following days, whenever it clouded up or as we strolled together after an evening meal, he shared his vision. It wasn’t enough to be making this film. Although this experience was important, the Jesus-film was to be his salvation. Until he was actually immersed in it, his soul would not be at rest, he confessed. He must be given the chance to make The Life of Jesus (or Jesus of Nazareth) simply because he was capable of doing it. The Word was a thematic experiment for the Jesus-film. It was the grand beginning. Furthermore, Dreyer expected the Jesus-film to be in color. As he saw it, an artist proceeds from engraving to a wider field of color tones. Thus he would use widescreen or CinemaScope, if desired. In both this current film and the Jesus one, there would be problems to solve, for he was dealing with an individual forced into a social group: Johannes in the midst of his family, Something about Jesus 65 Jesus with the disciples. Because the context had expanded, longer dialogues were necessary. In his earlier sound films Vampyr and Day of Wrath, the dialogue was spare. Now Johannes must speak to his family and Jesus to the disciples. Scenes composed of twenty to thirty or more joined cuttings , as was artful in the silent features, would spoil the unity. The camera here had to be held back; unbroken shots of five, six, seven, eight minutes’ duration must be sustained. But how? The viewer could not remain stationary; that was not Dreyer’s way. That would be theater. The solution was what Dreyer described as the floating close-up with a constantly subjective camera. This method particularly demanded precise camera work and rehearsing. Dreyer carried out technical experiments during The Word. One day a shot was to be made just outside the fir forest, with the camera placed in a field with a far view of tall trees. And Johannes was returning home after his prayer at the plantage. His mind was now untroubled, his course clear. On the other side of the path lay a grove of trees. Dreyer picked an open space with the forest in the distance. On the near side, he wanted a suggestion of trees. So we made a shadow of many leaves and branches created from a very long, narrow fishnet that seven of us held high in the air with poles or rakes borrowed from nearby farms. Johannes was to step into the picture at the right, a greatcoat slung over his arm—the camera on a swivel as he strode out at the left. The shot had to be taken three times. It was an ordinary linking shot; however, Dreyer arranged it with his customary attention. He...