Film Review
Once upon a Time (a.k.a.
Der var engang) is an atypical film
for the Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer, a departure from his more
usual realistic dramas into the realm of fantasy and fairytale.
It was the only film that Dreyer made for the independent film producer
Sophus Madsen, a Danish film enthusiast whose only other production was
Laurids Skands's all but forgotten
Livets
Karneval (1923). The film was adapted from a play by
Holger Drachmann, written in 1885, that was itself based on Hans
Christian Andersen's fairytale
Svinedrengen
and Shakespeare's
The Taming of the
Shrew. From the outset, this was conceived as a lavish
production, but it soon ran into financial difficulties. Even
though some scenes were cut - including an extravagant market sequence
- the film still ended up with a 150 per cent overspend on its 90,000
kroner budget.
Once upon a Time was a
considerable success in Denmark but it was not marketed abroad and
consequently failed to secure the wider interest that Dreyer's other
films enjoyed. This probably accounts for why the film only
exists today in a fragmentary form. About a third of the film is
missing, including its entire last quarter. Despite this, it has
been carefully reconstructed with the missing footage bridged with available
photographs and explanatory inter-titles. In its current,
incomplete state, the film is remarkably coherent and appears to stand
up well when set against the other films that Dreyer made around this period, although
Dreyer himself was greatly dissatisfied with it.
As in his earlier satire
The Parson's Widow (1920),
Dreyer uses natural locations effectively to bring both a biting
realism and a poetic charm to the film. The most striking
sequence occurs around the middle section of the film, where the Prince
(disguised as a pauper) begins to cohabit in the woods with the
capricious Princess-in-exile. There is a beautifully lyrical
naturalism to this part of the film, that contrasts vividly with the
stale grandeur of court life glimpsed in the opening passages.
The humour takes a backseat as Dreyer indulges in what he does best,
allowing his characters to develop and connect with their inner
emotions, changing before our eyes.
The final part of the story, in which the Prince misleads the now
completely reformed Princess into marrying him before revealing to her
his cruel deception, is sadly missing, but enough of the narrative
exists for us to construct this sequence in our mind's eye. It is
hard to gauge from what remains of
Once
Upon a Time whether it deserves to rank alongside Dreyer's other
great films but it is undeniably the work of a master filmmaker, an
appealing, lovingly crafted fable that is shot through with humour and
moments of exquisite poignancy.
© James Travers 2014
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Next Carl Theodor Dreyer film:
Mikaël (1924)
Film Synopsis
Once upon a time, in the far away land of Illyria, there was a king who
was eager to marry off his daughter. Unfortunately, the princess
is in no hurry to wed and every suitor who comes to claim her hand is
either sent packing or led away to be executed. The Prince of
Denmark is just the latest in a long line of disappointed aspirants who
have failed to gain the princess's affections. As he returns
home, the Prince encounters a mysterious vagabond who gives him a
magical kettle. Disguised as a pauper, the Prince shows the
kettle to the Princess, and agrees to let her have it if he can spend
the night in her bed chamber. The Princess acquiesces, but lives
to regret it. The Prince's faithful vassal Kaspar Røghat
confronts the King with the news that, as his daughter has slept with a
pauper, she has insulted the Prince of Denmark. To avoid a war
between his country and Denmark the King has no choice but to banish
the Princess. The pauper and the ex-Princess are soon living in a
cabin in the woods, eking out a barely subsistence existence as
potters. When the pauper falls ill, his now devoted companion
returns to the royal castle to beg for scraps of food. The Prince
appears and forces her to take his bride's place at a wedding
party. When the festivities are over, the Prince asks the
ex-Princess if she will remain as his wife. Faithful to her one
true love, she returns to the cabin in the woods, where a surprise
awaits her...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.