Prästänkan
1920 / 94m - Sweden
Drama, Comedy
1.5*/5.0*
The Parson's Widow poster

Watches

May 20, 2021

1.5*/5.0*

A surprisingly light Dreyer film. With Jeanne D'Arc in mind I expected a much darker, heavier film, but the tone of The Parson's Widow is actually quite chipper. The film isn't without its portion of drama of course, but there isn't too much wallowing or deep despair here, which was quite the relief.

A young man is traveling around with his fiance, looking for a suitable parish. When he finds a town that is looking for a parson, he has to compete against two other candidates for the job. A trial sermon will determine who is to be the chosen one, but even the positive outcome doesn't mean the end of this young couple's troubles.

Dreyer shows himself a rather competent director, though the film is rather slow. Especially for a true silent, meaning there's nothing in the way of music or dialogue to add flavor to the images. The quirkier moments are definitely a big plus here, but overall I found the film a bit too simple to be engaging.