Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer • 1925 • Denmark
Before he turned to the story of Joan of Arc, the Danish cinema genius Carl Theodor Dreyer fashioned this ahead-of-its-time examination of domestic life. A deft comedy of gentle revenge, it is the story of a housewife who, with the help of a wily nanny, turns the tables on her tyrannical husband. In it, Dreyer combines lightness and humor with his customary meticulous craft and sense of integrity. MASTER OF THE HOUSE, an enormous box-office success in its day, is a jewel of the silent cinema.
Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer • 1925 • Denmark
Before he turned to the story of Joan of Arc, the Danish cinema genius Carl Theodor Dreyer fashioned this ahead-of-its-time examination of domestic life. A deft comedy of gentle revenge, it is the story of a housewife who, with the help of a wily nann...
In this interview, produced in 2014, Danish film historian Casper Tybjerg discusses how MASTER OF THE HOUSE went from being a popular stage play to a film, one that was a major stepping-stone in director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s career.
In the following program, film scholar David Bordwell examines the cinematic techniques Carl Theodor Dreyer was experimenting with when he made MASTER OF THE HOUSE.
