Book description
Regarded by many filmmakers and critics as one of the greatest
directors in cinema history, Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889--1968) achieved
worldwide acclaim after the debut of his masterpiece, The Passion of
Joan of Arc (1928), which was named the most influential film of all
time at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. In 1955 Dreyer
granted twenty-three-year-old American student Jan Wahl the
extraordinary opportunity to spend a unique and unforgettable summer
with him during the filming of Ordet (The Word [1955]).
Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet: My Summer with the Danish Filmmaker
is a captivating account of Wahl's time with the director, based on
Wahl's daily journal accounts and transcriptions of his conversations
with Dreyer. Offering a glimpse into the filmmaker's world, Wahl
fashions a portrait of Dreyer as a man, mentor, friend, and director.
Wahl's unique and charming account is supplemented by exquisite photos
of the filming and by selections from Dreyer's papers, including his
notes on film style, his introduction for the actors before the
filming of Ordet, and a visionary lecture he delivered at Edinburgh.
Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet details one student's remarkable
experiences with a legendary director and the unlikely bond formed
over a summer.
""Jan Wahl has given lovers of cinema around the globe
an incredible gift: an intimate portrait of Carl Theodor Dreyer at
work and at play. Wahl provides the reader with remarkable detail and
extraordinary insights into Dreyer's working methods and his
generosity of spirit. His account of the making of Ordet only
strengthens our admiration for Dreyer's astonishing film." --
Matthew H. Bernstein, Emory University" --
Jan Wahl is the author of more than one hundred books for all
ages. His books include How the Children Stopped the Wars, The Art
Collector, Through a Lens Darkly, and DEAR STINKPOT: Letters From
Louise Brooks. He lives in Toledo, OH.
