The Parson's Widow
About The Parson's Widow
Söfren, just out of seminary, and his fiancée Mari walk to a Norwegian village that needs a pastor. Her father will not let them marry until he has the post. Two richer scholars from Copenhagen preach first. One puts the church to sleep with the creation story. Söfren wins. The committee then tells him that Dame Margarete Pedersdotter, widow of the last pastor and already the widow of three, can require the new pastor to marry her. He does. He brings Mari in as a maid and calls her his sister. They try to be rid of Margarete, then see they have misjudged her.
Cast & crew
More about The Parson's Widow
Carl Theodor Dreyer wrote and directed it from Kristofer Janson's story Prestekonen, drawn from a seventeenth-century case. George Schnéevoigt photographed it. Svensk Filmindustri released it on October 4, 1920. Wikipedia gives 71 minutes. Other listed dates are October 22, 1920, December 26, 1920, and April 26, 1921. Gaumont distributed it in France. Einar Rød plays Söfren. Hildur Carlberg plays Margarete. Greta Almroth plays Mari. The story is set in Norway. Also known as The Witch Woman. The Swedish title is Prästänkan.
Themes
Background
Janson's tale uses a seventeenth-century custom that the pastor's widow could claim the next pastor as husband.
Making
Dreyer shot the Norwegian village story for the Swedish company, with Schnéevoigt on the camera.
Look
George Schnéevoigt photographed the forest walk and the church where the trial sermons are preached.
Preservation
A copy is on the Internet Archive.
Notes
- Margarete has already buried three parson husbands.
- Mari enters the house as a maid called his sister.
- The trial sermons are how the village picks him.
- A copy is on the Internet Archive as prastankan-the-parsons-widow-1920-c.-t.-dreyer.
- Olav Aukrust, Emil Helsengreen, and Mathilde Nielsen are billed.
Scenes
- A trial sermon puts the congregation to sleep.
- Söfren is told the post includes marriage to Dame Margarete.
Influenced by
- Kristofer Janson's Prestekonen
Also available
- Internet Archive (prastankan-the-parsons-widow-1920-c.-t.-dreyer)
