Director Carl Dreyer returned to his native Denmark for this sombre,
touching silent drama, which amasses a wealth of realistic detail to
imbue a somewhat banal anecdote with the gravity and humanity which
distinguished his entire oeuvre. The use of deep focus is crucial, but
Dreyer also employs the rapid montage which would serve as the basis for
his later masterpiece, The Passion Of Joan Of Arc. The vision of a home
fractured by discord is painful, but it all subsides into a tender coda
of forgiveness and reconciliation.
