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Information
- A.k.a.
- Day of Wrath
- Year
- 1943
- Runtime
- 110 min.
- Director
- Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Genres
- Drama, History
- Rating *
- 8.1
- Votes *
- 6,989
- Checks
- 2,360
- Favs
- 307
- Dislikes
- 18
- Favs/checks
- 13.0% (1:8)
- Favs/dislikes
- 17:1
Top comments
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Siskoid
15 years after The Passion of Joan of Arc, Dreyer returns to the concept of burning women at the stake in Day of Wrath, a talky, a talky but still awash with a silent cinema atmosphere, stark sets, expressionistic lighting, and faces and body language often telling more than the dialog. In Dreyer's world, God and the Devil are real forces, whether active entities, or merely symbols for virtue and sin, is something left ambiguous (and yet). The film opens and closes on verses from Revelations, but shows a more intimate Apocalypse, epic passages writ on the personal, individual level. In the wake of a witch being burned, the preacher's all-too-young wife falls in love with her husband's more vital son who has just returned home. So sin is definitely at play, but is she necessarily communing with the Evil One? Therein lies the suspense - fear of discovery, of accusation founded or unfounded, in a world where women especially can be murdered by a pointing finger - that makes the film so riveting despite being really rather quiet and introspective. If the staging sometimes feels old-fashioned, Dreyer captures subtle performances that demand examination. It's required if one is to make sense of so complex a study of the relationship between sin and guilt, which I think is at the heart of the matter - guilt defining what is virtuous or sinful. 5 years 6 months ago -
ClassicLady
Dark, gloomy, and slow moving in places. But beautifully photographed and an excellent work of art. 11 years ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 13 official lists
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This movie ranks #15 in IMDb's History Top 50
IMDb's History Top 50
15 -
This movie ranks #18 in IMDb's 1940s Top 50
IMDb's 1940s Top 50
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This movie ranks #23 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…
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This movie ranks #101 in Harvard's Suggested Film Viewing: Narrative Films
Harvard's Suggested Film…
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This movie ranks #145 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
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This movie ranks #190 in Anthology Film Archives's Essential Cinema
Anthology Film Archives'…
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This movie ranks #220 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…
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This movie ranks #276 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
David Thomson's Have You…
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This movie ranks #282 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
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This movie ranks #297 in UNESCO's Memory of the World
UNESCO's Memory of the W…
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This movie ranks #346 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
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This movie ranks #548 in Amos Vogel's Film as a Subversive Art
Amos Vogel's Film as a S…
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This movie ranks #602 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
Sight & Sound's The Grea…
602