Gertrud (Directors Suite) (1964)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Short Film-"They Caught The Ferry" by Dreyer Audio Commentary-Dr Adrian Martin Interviews-Crew-Baard Owe and Axel Strobye
Rating
Year Of Production	1964
Running Time	111:24 (Case: 152)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Carl Theodor Dreyer
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Nina Pens Rode Bendt Rothe Ebbe Rode Baard Owe Axel Strøbye Karl Gustav Ahlefeldt Vera Gebuhr Lars Knutzon Anna Malberg Edouard Mielche
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	Jørgen Jersild

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Danish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.66:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.66:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    It is curious to consider how a particular filmmaker gets plucked from relative obscurity to the point where all his or her major works are represented on DVD. Madman makes a pleasing habit of doing just this and often Umbrella scores just as highly. Umbrella recently released three of the films of Preston Sturges, Madman put out some early Billy Wilder and now Carl Theodor Dreyer gets his time in the sun.

Dreyer is, of course, not obscure to film buffs. His 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc is regularly cited as one of the greats of cinema. But I suspect few have seen it or any other of Dreyer's films. Now with Madman and Umbrella putting out DVD's of his films, the viewing public can get a chance to examine and enjoy the works of this Danish legend.

Philip S. recently reviewed the silent film Master of the House which came from the beginning of Dreyer's career. Gertrud comes from the other end of his filmmaking. In fact, it was his last film.

Gertrud was based on a famous Danish play from the turn of the century. Dreyer keeps it in that period replete with evening wear, drawing rooms and horse and cart travel. The play and the film deal with the search for "real love" by the eponymous heroine. Gertrud (Nina Pens Rode) is an unhappily married woman. She is a former professional singer now house bound. Her husband, lawyer Gustav Kanning (Bendt Rothe ), has come home with good news. He expects to receive an offer from the Prime Minister to become a minister himself. Gertrud also has some news - she is leaving him. She feels that he uses her as his trophy and values his work above all other things.

There are at least two other loves in her life. One is the talented young composer Erland Jansson (Baard Owe - some may recognize him as Professor Bondo from the original version of The Kingdom) and the other her former love Gabriel Lidman (Ebbe Rode). Finally, there is the psychologist Axel Nygen (Axel Stroybe).

As the story progresses she puts her love for them under a microscope and finds it lacking in any discernable life. All the men in her life are a disappointment - too interested in work, desire & power to understand "real love".

Gertrud is notable for its dramatic black and white photography and long takes. I use the word "long" advisedly. According to various sources one scene is an unbroken 9 minutes. I didn't time the scene myself but, quite frankly, most of the film consists of Dreyer putting his actors into stage like positions for lengthy periods where they intone their lines with dramatic seriousness but without feeling or passion.

For most, this will be a challenge. The performances are often delivered in a monotone as if in a dream and the characters rarely look at each other but rather stare off into space. It is hard to assess the quality of the performances of the cast and , if the interview material in the extras is to be believed, the cast didn't really know what they were doing either!

The dialogue is poetic and never really steps into the realm of the real. Theories abound as to Dreyer's intentions but the film will either draw you into its hypnotic coils or leave you devastatingly bored. Love it or hate it - the film is not easily forgotten.

Video

    Gertrud was originally shot on 35mm film at the standard European widescreen ratio of 1.66:1.

There are two transfers of this film floating around. The Region 1 from Criterion has been maligned for forcing the film into an unfamiliar aspect ratio - 1.78:1. The British Region 2 transfer is close to the original aspect ratio at 1.61:1. The aspect ratio for this DVD is the same as the British PAL transfer.

The DVD case refers to the print as being "All new restored" although comparison with damage markings and timings on the Region 2 release suggest that it is identical.

That aside, the film looks pretty good for a movie that is pushing 50 years old. It may have been restored but it does not appear to have been remastered. There are still plenty of artefacts on show and some stray hairs and dirt.

Otherwise the black and white image is quite stable. There is clarity to the image that is pleasing and the grain, whilst ever-present, is mild. Shadows are deep.

The English subtitles are clear and easy to read. The contrast levels however are a little on the bright side. I don't know the extent to which this is directorial. In the commentary track Dr Adrian Martin speaks about Dreyer's use of light in some detail. Comparisons with screen shots suggest it may have been authored a little brighter than the other versions.

Still fans of the film will find nothing to complain of in the presentation of this film.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The soundtrack for the film is Danish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono running at 224 Kb/s.

This is perfectly adequate for the film. This dialogue heavy film is all front and centre and I noticed no problems with the soundtrack other than the inevitable problems of age - thinness and hiss. Neither is a problem and the audio sync appears fine. This is so even in the parts where Gertrud is singing to the voice of an opera singer.

The music is used sparingly but creates a sense of unease and otherworldliness. Theories abound as to how the film is to be interpreted and the music is strange enough to keep the debate going.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Short Film - They Caught the Ferry

As an extra the DVD includes a short film by Dreyer entitled They Caught the Ferry. It was produced in 1948, apparently as a warning against speeding. A couple on a motorcycle speed from one ferry landing to another, with tragic consequences. It is a nice piece with the sense of destiny undercutting the whole 11 minutes. When the crunch comes, however, I was tempted to view the warning as :"Don't drive when there are madmen in cars trying to run you off the road!" rather than just "slow down". Still it is a worth a look. It is presented in a bare bones fashion with every scratch and damage marking intact.

Audio Commentary Dr Adrian Martin

Dr Adrian Martin, Senior Researcher Fellow, Film & Television Studies, Monash University and Co-Editor of Rouge Magazine provides the commentary track to the film. My initial fears were that the commentary would be as dry and obtuse, emotionally speaking, as the film itself. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr Martin provides a lively, informed commentary of this film which is both intellectually stimulating and sufficiently breezy to entertain the casual film buff. Dr Martin has every detail about the life and work of Dreyer at his fingertips and is able to place the film in a social context as well as in its place in the history of cinema. Those interested in film technique will be able to appreciate his explanation of Dreyer's mise en scene and those who like a bit of background will enjoy Dr Martins in depth knowledge of the story behind the story. It is a great tribute to the commentary that it invited a re-examination of the film without resorting to hyperbole.

Interviews-Actors

Finally, two of the actors from the film (Owe and Stroybe) are featured by way of outtakes from a documentary about Dreyer. If they have something in common it is that both didn't like the film when it came out and have very slowly warmed to it. Both don't really know what it was all about.

Of Dreyer's directorial method one says that the diminutive director sidled up to him and quietly chanted to him words that he couldn't hear! Dreyer comes over as a bit of a crackpot which is perhaps why the material wasn't used. The interviews are, however, fascinating as to the actors insight or lack thereof of the meaning behind the film.

   The Criterion Collection version in Region 1 has the same interviews as the Region 4 Archival but also boasts footage from the time of Gertrud’s production and a stills gallery. The Region 2 film doesn't have the interviews but has the real thing - a documentary on the making of Gertrud, including footage from the premiere in Paris and interviews with Dreyer, members of the cast and crew and others a different short film The Village Church from 1947 and a fully illustrated booklet with essays by Dreyer scholar Casper Tybjerg.

The Region 2 holds sway here.

    Gertrud is a strange film with an hypnotic beauty that may well capture your heart as Gertrud searches for "real love" and is disappointed at every turn.

The transfer is not perfect but is more than acceptable and fans of the film will have no complaint.

An above average commentary track and a few other interesting extras round out this package.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall