Ordet

This article is about the film. For the Japanese animation studio, see Ordet (company).

Ordet
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Carl Theodor Dreyer
Produced by	Carl Theodor Dreyer
Written by	Carl Theodor Dreyer Kaj Munk
Starring	Henrik Malberg Emil Hass Christensen Cay Kristiansen Preben Lerdorff Rye
Music by	Poul Schierbeck
Cinematography	Henning Bendtsen
Editing by	Edith Schlüssel
Release date(s)	Denmark: 10 January 1955 United States: 15 December 1957
Running time	126 min.
Country	Denmark
Language	Danish

Ordet [1] (English: The Word) is a 1955 Danish drama film, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor, first performed in 1932. The film was the winner of the Golden Lion at the 1955 Venice Film Festival, it was the only film by Dreyer that was both a critical and financial success.

Plot

The film centers around Borgen family in rural Denmark. The devout widower Morten, patriarch of the family, prominent member of the community, and patron of the local parish church, has three sons. Mikkel, the eldest, has no faith, but is happily married to the pious Inger, who is pregnant with their third child. Johannes, who went insane studying Søren Kierkegaard, believes himself to be Jesus Christ and wanders the farm condemning the age's lack of faith, including his family and the modern-minded new pastor of the village. The youngest son, Anders, is lovesick for the daughter of a local religious sect.

Anders confesses to Mikkel and Inger that he loves Anne Petersen, the daughter of Peter the Tailor. They agree to convince Morten to assent to the match. Later, Inger attempts to convince Morten to allow Anders to marry Anne. Morten angrily refuses, suddenly changing his mind when he finds out Peter has refused Anders' proposal. Morten and Anders go to meet Peter in order to negotiate the betrothal.

Morten tries to convince Peter to permit the marriage, though he continues to refuse unless Morten and Anders join his sect. As the discussion collapses into sectarian bickering, Morten receives a call announcing that Inger has gone into a difficult labor. Peter prays that Inger would die if it would convert Mikkel to his sect. Furious at Peter's hopes, Mikkel storms out with Anders and rushes home.

While the doctor is forced to abort the baby, he is able to save Inger's life. After the doctor and pastor leave, Johannes enrages his father by telling him that death is nearby and will take Inger unless Morten has faith in him. Morten refuses to listen, and as prophesied Inger dies suddenly.

While preparing to go to Inger's funeral, Peter realizes that he has wronged Morten terribly, and reconciles with him over Inger's open coffin, agreeing to permit Anne and Anders to marry. Johannes suddenly interrupts the wake, approaches Inger's coffin, and proclaims that she can be raised from the dead if the family will only have faith and ask God to do so. Inger's daughter takes Johannes' hand and impatiently asks him to raise her mother from the dead. Johannes praises her childlike faith and asks God to raise Inger, who begins to breathe and twitch in her coffin. Seeing what seems to be the miracle of resurrection, both Morten and Peter rejoice, forgetting their religious differences. As Inger sits up, Mikkel embraces her and proclaims that he has finally found faith.

Cast

Actor	Role
Gerda Nielsen	Anne Petersen
Sylvia Eckhausen	Kirstin Petersen
Ejner Federspiel	Peter Petersen
Cay Kristiansen	Anders Borgen
Birgitte Federspiel	Inger Borgen
Emil Hass Christensen	Mikkel Borgen, her husband
Susanne Rud	Lilleinger Borgen, Mikkel's Daughter
Ann Elisabeth Rud	Maren Borgen, Mikkel's Daughter
Preben Lerdorff Rye	Johannes Borgen
Henrik Malberg	Morten Borgen
Ove Rud	Pastor
Henry Skjær	The Doctor
Edith Trane	Mette Maren
Hanne Agesen	Karen, A servant

Production

Kaj Munk's play I Begyndelsen var Ordet (In the Beginning was the Word) was written in 1925 and premiered in Copenhagen in 1932. Already the year before, however, Munk had himself finished a script for a film version, which he unsuccessfully tried to sell to the production company Nordisk Film. In 1943 a Swedish film version was made, directed by Gustaf Molander, which couldn't premiere in Denmark until after the war.

For Dreyer's adaption, only one third of the original dialogue was used. Another difference is the play's possibility of Inger just appearing to be dead, while the film is very clear about the resurrection being a genuine miracle. The film was shot at the village Vedersø, where Munk had worked as a priest.

Release

The film premiered on 10 January 1955 at Dagmar Teatret in Copenhagen. It has been released on DVD by The Criterion Collection with spine number 126, as part of a box set with the other Dreyer films Day of Wrath and Gertrud.

Awards

It was among films honored with the 1956 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as the National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Film. At the 1955 Bodil Awards it won for Best Actor (Emil Hass Christensen), Best Actress (Birgitte Federspiel), and tied for Best Danish films. The film was also entered into the Venice Film Festival and won its highest prize, the Golden Lion. It is currently ranked as the number one most spiritually significant film of all time by Arts and Faith online community.

External links

• Ordet at the Internet Movie Database
• Ordet at AllRovi
• Criterion Collection essay by Chris Fujiwara
• "The Incarnate Transcendence of Ordet"
• Voted #1 on The Arts and Faith Top 100 Films (2010)