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“Landsbykirken” or “The Village Church” takes us back to the Danish old churches built in the Middle Age and their transformations through the years and through the dominant groups of a certain period, like the Christians and the Protestants, and the new things they were modifying in those constructions.

Since there isn’t much info on this short film I presume that Carl Theodor Dreyer was making a part documentary film with non actors peasants performing rituals, praying, showing how the church procedures were back at 700 years ago in those exact same places. Sounds hard to believe, but according to the narrator there’s plenty of medieval churches with part of its original material still existing in Denmark. I say that it’s “acting” and not a full documented work because of some scenes when it is explained the parts of the cathedral and there’s one moment when it’s told that during conflicts or wars people hide themselves in special parts of the church for protection, and we see people running and hiding in a compartment.

The creator of “Ordet” allows us to visualize the interiors and exteriors of many of those places, its rich architecture, making some positive remarks about how they changed through the years (the baptism sink that later evolved with a plate over it and we see a baptism performed on the same place before and after the change).

There isn’t to much be said, cinematically, other than Dreyer makes a great work, a great piece of document, barely seen by viewers. This was made in the 1940’s but parts of the camera work resembles silent movies techniques. An small historic film but very well made.

665MB | 13mn 53s | 958×720 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/C556E141D22B485/Landsbykirken_(1947).mkv

Language:Danish
Subtitles:English

The post Carl Theodor Dreyer – Landsbykirken AKA The Village Church (1947) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

This very short film offers a brief consideration of the major works of Bertel Thorvaldsen (ca. 1770-1884), one of the most famous of all Danish artists and arguably the greatest sculptor between Bernini and Rodin. Resting squarely within the Neoclassical tradition, Thorvaldsen’s great talent was his ability to perfectly balance his sculptures, giving them a sense of weightlessness. (Of course, the sculptures are also extremely beautiful, but in our post-WWII era there’s something disquieting about admiring a northern European artist’s conception of ideal physical beauty. I suppose that’s unavoidable, but Thorvaldsen’s reputation has happily escaped associations with Nazi ideology.)

624MB | 10mn 2s | 1440×1080 | mkv

https://nitro.download/view/DA0C92E43A2BFEB/Thorvaldsen_1949.1080p.bluray.AC3.x264.mkv

Language:Danish
Subtitles:English

The post Carl Theodor Dreyer – Thorvaldsen (1949) first appeared on Cinema of the World.