07/10/2025
To mark the centenary of Carl Th. Dreyer’s international breakthrough with ‘Master of the House’ (1925), Kosmorama publishes two new peer-reviewed articles by Peter Aurdal-Lawrence of Cambridge University, based on his research in the Dreyer Archive at the Danish Film Institute.
Taken together, the essays explore the astonishing range of Dreyer’s œuvre — from the formally radical ‘Gertrud’ (1964) to the humanist clarity of ‘Day of Wrath’ (1943).
In ‘Aesthetics and Politics in Carl Th. Dreyer’s "Day of Wrath" (1943)’, Aurdal-Lawrence examines how Dreyer’s story of witchcraft and repression moves beyond its 17th-century setting. Stylisation and restraint elevate the film’s critique of institutional power to a universal level — one that remains painfully relevant.
In ‘Deciphering Dreyer: Props and Symbols in "Gertrud" (1964)’, he offers a fresh reading of what David Bordwell once called “the most problematic film of Dreyer’s career.” By analysing Dreyer’s meticulous use of props — notably the piano and the statue of Venus — the essay uncovers a more life-affirming and sensuous dimension to this often-misunderstood work.
“Dreyer’s films are inexhaustible. Every new generation — and every new scholarly approach — finds different meanings in them,” says Lars-Martin Sørensen, Head of Research at the Danish Film Institute.
Read both articles in Kosmorama:
👉Deciphering Dreyer: Props and Symbols in Gertrud (1964) https://www.kosmorama.org/artikler/deciphering-dreyer-props-symbols-gertrud
👉Aesthetics and Politics in Carl Th. Dreyer’s Day of Wrath (1943): https://www.kosmorama.org/artikler/aesthetics-politics-dreyers-day-wrath
