ThehistoryofDanishcountrychurcharchitectureistoldbyshowingscenesofhowthechurchwasusedbythecongregation,beginningwiththecelebrationofmassinasmallandsimplewoodenchurch800yearsago,andendingwiththecongregationsinginginavillagechurchofto-day.Thedevelopmentandthegrowthofthepatternofchurcharchitectureisshown. Dreyerinthisfilmshowsaseriesofchurchesfromdifferentperiodswithchurchgoersinperiodclothing.Eachperiodisseparatedbyashotofachurchbelldouble-exposedonthesky.Althoughthefilmhasavibrantandinstructivewayofcommunicatingthedifferentepochsandstylestostudents,itdoesnotexhibittheartisticqualitythatusuallydistinguishesaDreyerfilm,exceptperhapsinsomeofthecostumes,whichwereoriginallymadeforDayofWrath. TheboardofDanskKulturfilminautumn1945decidedthattheirplannedchurchfilmwouldexclusivelybeaboutvillagechurches.Dreyerwouldreworkthescriptthatwaswrittenbyeditorandfolkhigh-schoolprincipalBernhardJensen,aidedbyacommitteeofexpertsconsistingofarchitectH.Lønborg-JensenandVictorHermansen,curatorattheNationalMuseumofDenmark.Dreyerhadafirstdraftreadyinmid-March,entitledKirkeneretgammeltHus(TheChurchIsanOldHouse),whichwasdistributedtothemembersofthecommitteefortheircomments. InthelasthalfofJuly,DreyerandVictorHermansentravelledthecountrytolookatsuitablechurches.TheyresearchedthedetailsandatDreyer’srequestanumberoftechnicalchangesweremadetothechurches,includingtheremovalofporcelainholdersforelectricalwiringinTvejeMerløseChurch. On4July,DreyerwentinadvancetoRingkøbing.Shootingwassettostartafewdayslaterwiththearrivalofthedirectorofphotography,PrebenFrank,whohadfallenoffaladderandbrokenhisleg,Fortunately,hewasreadytocautiouslystartworkingagainwithinafewdays,withhisleginacast. Otherwise,theproductionwentwithoutaglitch.Everywhere,Dreyersaid,theywerewellreceivedatthevicaragesandtheyhadnoproblemgettingenoughextras.On1august,theyreturnedtoCopenhagenwithalmostalltheirfootageinthecan.TheyonlyneededtofilmthechurchinSkelby,wheretheweatherhadbeenagainstthem,plusaSwedishwoodenchurchinHedared.Theeconomywasdistressedsosoonafterthewar,especiallywhenitcametoforeigncurrency,buttherewerenorealwoodenchurchesleftinDenmarkandbuildinganinteriorsetinthestudiowouldbetooexpensive. Thefinishedfilmwasshownforthefirsttimeon24September1947toasmall,closedcircle,whichincludedtheMinisterforEcclesiasticalAffairs.InDecember1947,aswasDanskKulturfilm’sstandardpractice,thefilmwaspresentedtothepress,politiciansandothersonaprogrammewithfourothershortfilms.
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