In Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Parson's Widow," we see a young man with his love in hand traveling to a small village in search for a preacher's position. Upon arrival, he finds he's one of three applicants. The other two put the congregation to sleep, but he speaks of hell and damnation. After learning he's hired, he's told the last parson's widow's hand is offered in marriage to the next parson. He is aghast at this! Then, he meets her. He being twenty something, she being much, much older, he is very wary and uneasy about this situation. He does go to her house and is mesmerized by the amount of food in front of him. He eats heartily and in his drunk, dazed, tired and woozy state of fullness, he sees (a vision of) her as a young lady and says he will marry her – but, when he comes to his senses later, he asks that "his sister" is given a job and quarters near him. (He and the widow do have separate rooms.) He tries to make night visits to his young love, but through obstacles never makes it. Will he eventually find love with the parson's widow, or will he and his young love find a way to happiness together? I've read that many of Dreyer's followers say that this is his best film, despite the fact this is not done in his usual solemn dramatic style. I have not seen all of his work, but I enjoyed this film very much. It was very heartwarming and had moments of feeling that are indescribable. Its combination of humor (with some characters) and depth (of others) creates a beautiful composition, or even a painting of far off. I know the music (exquisite!! – a variation of Grieg, the credits say) heard throughout probably has been redone, but I have never been so moved by the whole experience of a silent picture in a long time. This should be seen more often on TCM, so more people can discover this silent classic.
Review of The Parson's Widow
