Thorvaldsen

That Thorvaldsen...he was one heck of a sculptor. I know because I got to see many of his works when I was in Copenhagen recently and I was particularly impressed by his many works in the Church of Our Lady. He was incredibly gifted. However, this film is not all that exciting...perhaps even if you are a Thorvaldsen groupie. That's because director Carl Theodor Dreyer chose an unconventional way to explore the man and his art...by focusing almost entirely on the sculptures themselves and telling us precious little about Thorvaldsen. Apart from a blurb written in the beginning, the film doesn't so much talk about him but describes his pieces of art in very glowing and ultra-flowery terms (ways which no one but a pretentious art jerk would use) as the camera slowly rotates around the artwork. Yes, the sculptures are gorgeous...but the manner in which all this was presented did little for me. Sorry all you Dreyer groupies but this film just didn't impress me apart from the nice camera-work. It manages to make some exciting art seem, well, rather dull.

I was glad I saw this little slice of a documentary from Carl Th Dreyer, as it reminds me that as a filmmaker (even to pay the bills which I'm sure this was apart of at the time) he could recognize another unique, genuine artist. Here he examines with a lens that's a little more 'controlled' this time- or to put it another way, he doesn't make this document on Thorvaldsen that much more than any other garden variety short doc on an old famous artist and his work. The camera-work is interesting nonetheless, as it does try to peer around into these sculptures, as the so-so adulatory narration goes on in the background. On the level of art-history, however, it is quite good, probably priceless in some small circles. It's obvious that this man and his very precise, curved figures of men and women in old-school Greek poses, should be revered at least once on film. That it is Dreyer doing the work there's maybe a moment or two where a stylistic flourish might pop up. But unlike the other short film included on the accompanying DVD, this one doesn't really delve style wise into the subject- for the director the detailing and the style of the sculptures says more than he can. Which is just as well, as the subject matter actually doesn't have a need for some kind of unique vision to it, just a steady eye over the (aesthetic) national treasures of Denmark. So for those interested on either side, if being a fan of the director's sporadic career or if wanting to show it as something of a 'teacher's tool' in an art-history class, it's more than adequate viewing. But it goes without saying that it's not the fastest 10 minutes either.

This very short film offers a brief consideration of the major works of Bertel Thorvaldsen (ca. 1770-1884), one of the most famous of all Danish artists and arguably the greatest sculptor between Bernini and Rodin. Resting squarely within the Neoclassical tradition, Thorvaldsen's great talent was his ability to perfectly balance his sculptures, giving them a sense of weightlessness. (Of course, the sculptures are also extremely beautiful, but in our post-WWII era there's something disquieting about admiring a northern European artist's conception of ideal physical beauty. I suppose that's unavoidable, but Thorvaldsen's reputation has happily escaped associations with Nazi ideology.) There is a museum in the center of Copenhagen dedicated solely to Thorvaldsen's work, and it's well worth a couple hours' visit -- even if you don't normally like sculpture.

Over the course of its 10 minutes or so, this film examines about a dozen of Thorvaldsen's largest and best-known statues, including "Hope," "Venus and the Apple," and his own self-portrait. The narrator gives us a refresher course on Thorvaldsen's career, style, and thematic concerns. Basically, it serves as a good introduction to the artist and his work. Since alternate English-language narration was recorded at the same time, I assume that this film was made by and for the Danish tourist industry in the late 1940s.

What makes this movie worth a second glance, however, is the fact that it was directed by yet another great Danish artist, the film director Carl Theodor Dreyer (best known for his silent "Passion of Joan of Arc"). It's not an important part of Dreyer's canon; throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Dreyer produced many short films to keep himself occupied (and to earn some money) between feature film projects. But the fact that Dreyer took the time to reflect on a fellow Danish artist, especially one who shared his own interest in depicting biblical figures and various forms of religious experience, gives this film an added level of interest. And of course, Dreyer's masterful use of light and shadow and close-ups show off Thorvaldsen's work to great advantage.

If you're interested in seeing this short film, it's available on Image Entertainment's DVD release of "The Parson's Widow," a genuinely funny comedy that Dreyer made in 1920. Unfortunately, "Thorvaldsen" is not in particularly good condition, but "The Parson's Widow" is OK. Best of all, the DVD also includes Dreyer's finest short film, the surprisingly effective "They Caught the Ferry," a short driver-safety film.