Carl Theodor Dreyer

Directing

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Born 1889-02-03 · Copenhagen, Denmark

Carl Theodor Dreyer (3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema. His best known films include The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Vampyr (1932), Day of Wrath (1943), Ordet (1955), and Gertrud (1964). Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark. His birth mother was an unmarried Scanian maid named Josefine Bernhardine Nilsson, and he was put up for adoption by his birth father, Jens Christian Torp, a married Danish farmer living in Sweden who was his mother's employer. He spent the first two years of his life in orphanages until his adoption by a typographer named Carl Theodor Dreyer, and his wife, Inger Marie (née Olsen). He was named after his adoptive father, but in accordance with Danish practice, there is no "Senior" or "Junior" added to their names to distinguish them from each other. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acting credits

Cinéastes de notre temps : Carl Th. Dreyer poster
6.8

No synopsis available yet.

Cinéastes de notre temps : Carl Th. Dreyer

1965

Carl Dreyer poster
NR

I made this little film portrait of Dreyer on the 17th of September 1965, in New York. He said he was very interested in what I was trying to do in the possibilities of film portraiture. - Jonas Mekas

Carl Dreyer

2006

Dreyer's Gertrud poster
NR

Documentary about the making and reception of Carl Th. Dreyer's final movie, "Gertrud."

Dreyer's Gertrud

2022

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches poster
7.3

Also known as Walden, Jonas Mekas’s first diary film is a six-reel chronicle of his life in 1960s New York, interweaving moments with family, friends, lovers, and artistic idols. Blending everyday encounters with portraits of the avant-garde art scene, it forms an epic, personal meditation on community, creativity, and the passage of time.

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

1968

No artwork available
8.0

On 4 September Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940) arrived in Copenhagen on the ship 'Hans Egede'. He received a hero's welcome as the first man to set foot on the North Pole. He was greeted by the king, and given an honorary doctorate at the University of Copenhagen. Only a few days later, however, his endeavour was questioned, and in December the University rejected Cook's documentation. Carl Th. Dreyer is seen as one of the journalists taking notes. (DFI)

Dr. Cook at Copenhagen

1909

Carl Th. Dreyer poster
6.8

A documentary about the famous Danish film director Carl Th. Dreyer, made a few years before he died. In this film Dreyer tells about the style in his feature films and about the important things in film making: the script and the casting. He tells about his theories about setting and acting.

Carl Th. Dreyer

1966

No artwork available
NR

On 4 September Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940) arrived in Copenhagen on the ship ‘Hans Egede’. He received a hero’s welcome as the first man to set foot on the North Pole. He was greeted by the king, and given an honorary doctorate at the University of Copenhagen. Only a few days later, however, his endeavor was questioned, and in December the University rejected Cook’s documentation. Carl Th. Dreyer is seen as one of the journalists taking notes.

Dr. Cooks Arrival

Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier poster
6.1

Torben Skjødt Jensen’s elegant documentary is a collage of memories and reflections on one of cinema’s greatest directors. Visually rich and densely layered, Carl Th. Dreyer—My Metier illuminates an artist too little understood and too important to overlook. Through interviews, historical writings, and rare archival footage, a portrait of Dreyer emerges: an austere perfectionist, yes, but also a passionate man possessing a genuine sense of humor.

Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier

1995

Sex, Sensations & Superstars: The History of Danish Silent Cinema poster
NR

Documentary on the rise and fall of the Danish silent film industry.

Sex, Sensations & Superstars: The History of Danish Silent Cinema

2020

The Cinema of Carl Th. Dreyer poster
5.8

No synopsis available yet.

The Cinema of Carl Th. Dreyer

1982

No artwork available
NR

Documentary about Carl Theodor Dreyer and his film Gertrud.

Carl Th. Dreyer und Gertrud

1994

A Life's Work – Carl Th. Dreyer's Jesus Film poster
NR

Documentary exploring the thirty-seven years of preparatory work that director Carl Th. Dreyer did for "Jesus of Nazareth" – a film that was never produced.

A Life's Work – Carl Th. Dreyer's Jesus Film

1970

Nitrate Flames poster
9.0

French actress Maria Falconetti (1892-1946) traveled a winding road from her glory days in luminous Paris, in the 1920s, to her last days in Buenos Aires, in the late 1940s. In her strange journey through life, she found a very special character, the center of a tragic story and the obsession of a peculiar filmmaker: a unique opportunity, a sublime performance, so remarkable that nothing would ever be the same for her again…

Nitrate Flames

2015

Behind the camera

The Passion of Joan of Arc poster
8.0

A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.

The Passion of Joan of Arc

1928

The Passion of Joan of Arc poster
8.0

A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.

The Passion of Joan of Arc

1928

Ordet poster
7.9

The three sons of devout Danish farmer Morten have widely disparate religious beliefs. Youngest son Anders shares his father's religion, but eldest son Mikkel has lost his faith, while middle child Johannes has become delusional and proclaims that he is Jesus Christ himself. When Mikkel's wife, Inger goes into a difficult childbirth, everyone's beliefs are put to the test.

Ordet

1955

Ordet poster
7.9

The three sons of devout Danish farmer Morten have widely disparate religious beliefs. Youngest son Anders shares his father's religion, but eldest son Mikkel has lost his faith, while middle child Johannes has become delusional and proclaims that he is Jesus Christ himself. When Mikkel's wife, Inger goes into a difficult childbirth, everyone's beliefs are put to the test.

Ordet

1955

Ordet poster
7.9

The three sons of devout Danish farmer Morten have widely disparate religious beliefs. Youngest son Anders shares his father's religion, but eldest son Mikkel has lost his faith, while middle child Johannes has become delusional and proclaims that he is Jesus Christ himself. When Mikkel's wife, Inger goes into a difficult childbirth, everyone's beliefs are put to the test.

Ordet

1955

Day of Wrath poster
8.0

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Day of Wrath

1943

Day of Wrath poster
8.0

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Day of Wrath

1943

Day of Wrath poster
8.0

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Day of Wrath

1943

Gertrud poster
7.2

Hopeless romantic Gertrud inhabits a turn-of-the-century milieu of artists and musicians, where she pursues an idealized notion of love that will always elude her. She abandons her distinguished husband and embraces an affair with a young concert pianist, who falls short of her desire for lasting affection. When an old lover returns to her life, fresh disappointments follow, and Gertrud must try to come to terms with reality.

Gertrud

1964

Gertrud poster
7.2

Hopeless romantic Gertrud inhabits a turn-of-the-century milieu of artists and musicians, where she pursues an idealized notion of love that will always elude her. She abandons her distinguished husband and embraces an affair with a young concert pianist, who falls short of her desire for lasting affection. When an old lover returns to her life, fresh disappointments follow, and Gertrud must try to come to terms with reality.

Gertrud

1964

Vampyr poster
7.3

Allan Gray, a young man fascinated by the supernatural, goes to a small village where he feels a sinister force descending upon him. There, Allan meets an old man who asks him to protect his two daughters, for one of them has been bitten by a vampire.

Vampyr

1932

Vampyr poster
7.3

Allan Gray, a young man fascinated by the supernatural, goes to a small village where he feels a sinister force descending upon him. There, Allan meets an old man who asks him to protect his two daughters, for one of them has been bitten by a vampire.

Vampyr

1932

Vampyr poster
7.3

Allan Gray, a young man fascinated by the supernatural, goes to a small village where he feels a sinister force descending upon him. There, Allan meets an old man who asks him to protect his two daughters, for one of them has been bitten by a vampire.

Vampyr

1932

The Parson's Widow poster
7.2

A newly elected village parson is required to marry his predecessor's widow. However, he's already married, and the woman is old enough to be his grandmother.

The Parson's Widow

1920

The Parson's Widow poster
7.2

A newly elected village parson is required to marry his predecessor's widow. However, he's already married, and the woman is old enough to be his grandmother.

The Parson's Widow

1920

The Mystery of the Crown Jewels poster
10.0

On his way home from a business trip, the young detective Karl Frank meets the siblings Kuno and Margit von Krall. Immediately captivated by Margit’s beauty, Frank accepts an invitation to visit them at their hotel soon. That same evening, he is hired for an important mission: he must prevent a burglary at the city’s jeweller. However, he fails miserably as the mysterious masked thief escapes. He retires to the country estate of his new friends to nurse his wounded pride, still unaware that he will soon become part of a shady business. (Stumfilm.dk)

The Mystery of the Crown Jewels

1916

Hotel Paradis poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Hotel Paradis

1917

No artwork available
5.2

The Mothers' Aid is a state-funded institution with branches all over Denmark. Erna, a young pregnant woman, has asked a doctor to carry out an abortion, but instead he advised her to go to the Mothers' Aid for consultation.

Good Mothers

1942

No artwork available
5.2

The Mothers' Aid is a state-funded institution with branches all over Denmark. Erna, a young pregnant woman, has asked a doctor to carry out an abortion, but instead he advised her to go to the Mothers' Aid for consultation.

Good Mothers

1942

Two People poster
6.7

Set entirely in one room, an innocent young man is accused of plagiarising the work of an old professor. Later, he is blamed for the professor's murder.

Two People

1945

Two People poster
6.7

Set entirely in one room, an innocent young man is accused of plagiarising the work of an old professor. Later, he is blamed for the professor's murder.

Two People

1945

Love One Another poster
6.6

A look at various lives, one of which is Jewish girl Hanne Liebe, as she grows up and experiences the pains of living as a Jew in Russia, leading to a revolution.

Love One Another

1922

Love One Another poster
6.6

A look at various lives, one of which is Jewish girl Hanne Liebe, as she grows up and experiences the pains of living as a Jew in Russia, leading to a revolution.

Love One Another

1922

No artwork available
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

The War Correspondents

1913