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Day of Wrath – 1943 Dreyer
- The film was during Nazi occupation, so that allegory serves beyond even the world of the film’s narrative
- First feature in 11 years for Dreyer (Vampyr was 1932)
- It’s a story of persecution just like Joan of Arc
- Beautiful long opening take of Anna Sviekier’s Herlofs Marte fleeing
- His style forms and aesthetic choices largely vary throughout his work, but, as always, you get intelligence and theology
- Gorgeous tracking shot of the young suspected witch ending in a corridor with parallel columns (see pic)
- Historical statement on hiding those on the run, hypocrisy and the repercussions on silence
- The naked torture/confession scene is devastating—it’s an overwhelmingly bleak film
- Lots of shadow work
- It’s a very brief little montage but I like the sequence of the two young lovers playing in the fields. An idyllic moment
- Gothic stark architecture
- Ticking clock heard in the house as opposed to music quite often
- A stunner of a shot in the boat as it moves up the river. Literally in the boat
- Wind-whipping sound mix during climax
- The young girl’s hair is always up until the climax seduction
- This is complex- She does actually seem to hold some sort of spiritual or supernatural power. And Dreyer hints (at the very least) at this through editing
- Reoccurring shot in wheat fields
- Owes much to Hawthorne
- 360 shot shows altar boys singing that haunting song
- Dreyer lingers a beat and a half long on almost every shot—certainly intentional
- Must-See top 5 of the year quality film

Drake2020-07-03T10:31:11+00:00
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