The Parson's Widow (1920)
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

Film Review

Raucous comedy is not something that is readily associated with Carl Theodor Dreyer, the esteemed Danish filmmaker whose later works make Ingmar Bergman's gloomier films feel laughably accessible.  Dreyer is best remembered for his austere, meticulously composed dramas, which include two of cinema's most illuminating meditations on faith - La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928) and Ordet (1955).  It is hard to believe that this, the most sober of filmmakers, could ever have even contemplated a fleeting dalliance with comedy, let alone directed one of the funniest films to come out of Scandinavia in the silent era.  Dreyer's The Parson's Widow (originally released as Prästänkan) is a comedy tour de force that will come as a surprise, if not a revelation, to admirers of his subsequent work.  Not only is it funny - laugh-out-loud funny in places (with gags that would not be out of place in a Charlie Chaplin or Marx Brothers film) - it is also a dazzlingly astute commentary on how old people, particularly those of the female gender, are regarded and treated by society.  As ageism continues to be one of the most persistent failings of our era, the film has a remarkable resonance today.  'Judge not the old' is the simple moral that Dreyer manages to get across in this touching and entertaining comic fable.

This was Dreyer's third film and, arguably, the first in which his potential as a world-class cineaste is evident.  Prior to this, he had made two films for Nordisk in his native Denmark - The President (1918) and Leaves from Satan's Book (1920) - where he had developed a distinctive naturalistic style and had come to appreciate the power of the close-up.  After falling out with his producers at Nordisk, Dreyer defected to Svensk Film, the Swedish company to which Ingmar Bergman would later devote most of his career.  It was here that Dreyer fell under the spell of Sweden's greatest filmmaker of the time, Victor Sjöström, whose influence can be felt in virtually all of the films he would subsequently make, most noticeably The Parson's Widow.

Doubtless it was the influence of Sjöström that led Dreyer to strive for as much authenticity as possible in his period films.  The Parson's Widow is particularly effective in recreating the feel of life in the 17th century, and the main reason for this is because Dreyer had the good fortune of shooting the entire film in perfectly preserved houses of this period at Maihaugen, an open-air museum near the Norwegian town of Lillehammer.  Filming in these ridiculously confined structures presented an immense challenge for Dreyer and his team but it endows the film not only with a sense of historical veracity but also a feeling of claustrophobia that effectively conveys the strained, intensely inimical relationship between the two main protagonists.

From a story written by Kristofer Janson, Carl Dreyer crafts a timeless morality tale that uses comedy brilliantly to drive home the sour injustice of blind prejudice.  From the outset, Dreyer compels us to look upon the elderly woman of the title in exactly the same way as the protagonist, an immature and selfish young man, regards her - as a malicious old witch.  Despite the quiet dignity that the 77-year-old Hildur Carlberg brings to her portrayal of Dame Margarete, we see her as an object of ridicule, ruling her house with an iron grip, cunningly coercing a younger man into marrying her and then revelling in the misery she subjects him to (i.e. by not allowing him to carry on an affair with his erstwhile fiancée).  We begin to scan the picture for signs of her broomstick and other demonic accoutrements, so convinced are we that she is an evil practitioner of the Black Arts.

When the truth finally dawns on us that Dame Margarete isn't at all what she seems to be, that she is in truth a lonely and decent old woman with an extraordinary compassion for others, that is when the laughter dies in our throats and we suddenly repent of our vile prejudice.  The reconciliation scene between the old woman and the young parson (who, just a few scenes back had attempted to scare his beldam to death in a not very convincing Devil outfit) is among the most poignant in Dreyer's entire oeuvre.  The Parson's Widow is an incredible package in which its director somehow manages to encompass the whole dramatic range, with a deftness and sincerity that is breathtaking and uniquely Dreyer-esque.  It may not possess the psychological depth or the flawless artistry that elevates Dreyer's subsequent masterpieces but it is intensely involving and probably the most accessible film he made.  If Carl Theodor Dreyer is a name that fills your soul with dread this will doubtless prove to be the best introduction to his work.

Film Synopsis

In the 17th century, Söfren, a young seminary graduate, and Mari, his attractive fiancée, make their way across country to a little Norwegian village which is need of a new parson.  Söfren is eager to get the job because, until he is settled in a parsonage of his own, his marriage to Mari will be opposed by her father.  But there are two other candidates for the post, both better qualified than Söfren.  Once the three men have each given a sermon to the Church committee they are told that whoever takes the position must marry the widow of the previous parson, Margarete Pedersdotter.  As the widow is an ugly and domineering crone in her late seventies, the prospect of the parsonage loses its appeal and Söfren's two rivals beat a hasty retreat.  Margarete persuades Söfren to escort her back to her house, where she offers him a room for the night.  The next morning, at breakfast, Söfren imagines he sees his hostess as a smiling young woman and agrees to marry her.  He doesn't yet known that Dame Pedersdotter has already buried three husbands.   After the wedding, Söfren persuades his aged wife to allow Mari, posing as his sister, to live with them as a maid.  The young man's attempts to enjoy some moments of intimacy with his former fiancée are, however, constantly thwarted and Söfren soon begins to believe the rumours that Margarete is an evil witch...