synopsis
In a Danish village around the year 1930, a widower Morten Borgen lives with his three sons. The eldest is a sceptic Mikkelo, the middle son is Johannes who went insane after his fiancée had died and started to imagine he was Christ. The youngest is Anders who is in love with the daughter of Morten’s worst enemy, Peter, and also a follower of a different religious teacher. On the day of the funeral of Mikkel’s wife who died when she was giving birth, Johanes brings her back to life by the word, and cures himself at the same time.

about the director
Carl Theodor Dreyer (Copenhagen, 1889 - Copenhagen, 1968) was a Danish director and a screenwriter. He was raised in the strict Lutheran spirit, worked as a pianist, journalist and a bookkeeper. He started working with film in 1912. He is one of the most eminent directors in the history of film, a screenwriter of around fifty, and a director of 23 films (14 feature films). The most successful in his extremely consistent opus are: The Parson's Widow (1920), Michael (1924), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), The Vampire (1932), Day of Wrath (1943), a masterpiece the Word (Golden Lion in Venice, 1955) and his last film Gertrud (FIPRESCI award in Venice, 1965).

festivals and awards
Golden Lion, Venice, 1955

from the director's filmography
1964. Gertrud
1955. Ordet (The Word)
1945. Two People (Två människor)
1943. Day of Wrath (Vredens dag)
1932. The Vampire (Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey)
1928. The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
1926. Glomdalsbruden (The Bride of Glomdal)
1925. Master of the House (Du skal ære din hustru)
1924. Michael (Heart's Desire)
1922. Die Gezeichneten (Love One Another)
1921. Blade af Satans bog (Leaves Out of the Book of Satan)
1920. Prästänkan (The Parson's Widow)
1919. Præsidenten (The President)

about the film
The Word is Dreyer's masterpiece. It is his most appreciated film which even today, more than half of a century after it was made, enjoys a status of one of the most beautifully made films ever. It consists of 114 takes, and each lasts for about 65 seconds. The precision of takes enabled the film to be edited in only five days.