dir: Carl Th. Dreyer
pro: Erich Pommer, Decla-Bioscop
sc: Carl Th. Dreyer
ph: Karl Freund
cast: Benjamin Christensen, Walter Slezak, Nora Gregor, Alexander Murski
dis: Dansk Kulturfilm (DFI)

„Michael”, adapted from a novel of the same name by the Danish writer Herman Bang, is the story of a famous artist, called The Master, and his love for a young man, Michael, who is his model and protégé. The Master gets a commission to paint a portrait of the Countess Zamikow, but he can’t quite capture the expression in her eyes. Michael, however, can. He has fallen in love with her. Time and again Michael abuses The Master’s trust in him, and The Master keeps forgiving him. Tortured by loneliness and Michael’s selfishness, The Master creates a final, magnificent painting before he dies, uttering the words, “Now I can die in peace, for I have seen a great love.” Michael is unable to free himself from the Countess’s embrace long enough to visit The Master on his deathbed.

„Michael” is a chamber play, depicting a few people and their mutual relationships. All significant things remain unspoken. Dreyer has the camera tell the story in glances, facial expressions and objects. For Dreyer, working with the actors was what mattered, guiding them to give nuanced and precise emotional performances to be captured in close-ups.

Mikaël / Heart’s Desire, (DE) 1924  b&w

Film description thanks to www.carlthdreyer.dk