Kristofer Janson (story)
Carl Theodor Dreyer (adaptation)
4 October 1920 (Sweden) more
A young man is elected by a small village to be its parson. As part of his duties, he is required to marry the widow of the parson before him... more | add synopsis
A posthumous (and minor) masterpiece. more (8 total)
| Greta Almroth | ... | Mari | |
| Einar Röd | ... | Söfren | |
| Hildur Carlberg | ... | Margarete Pedersdotter | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Olav Aukrust | ... | First Candidate | |
| Emil Helsengreen | ... | The Gardener | |
| Mathilde Nielsen | ... | Gunvor | |
| Lorentz Thyholt | ... | The Beadle | |
| Kurt Welin | ... | Second Candidate | |
Directed by | |||
| Carl Theodor Dreyer | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Kristofer Janson | (story "Prestekonen") | |
| Carl Theodor Dreyer | (adaptation) | |
Cinematography by | |||
| George Schnéevoigt | |||
Editorial Department | |||
| Bret Hampton | .... | editor: video (2003 alternate version) | |
Music Department | |||
| Neal Kurz | .... | music compiler: Edvard Grieg's works (2003 alternate version) | |
| Neal Kurz | .... | musician (2003 alternate version) | |
Other crew | |||
| David H. Shepard | .... | video producer (2003 alternate version) (as David Shepard) | |
| Jan Wahl | .... | titles: English titles (2003 alternate version) | |
The Witch Woman (International: English title) (USA)
The Fourth Marriage of Dame Margaret
The Parson's Widow
Youth to Youth
A Quarta Aliança da Sra. Margarida (Brazil) [pt]
Die Pastorenwitwe (Germany) [de]
La quatrième alliance de Dame Marguerite (France) [fr]
La vedova del pastore (Italy) [it]
Papinleski (Finland) [fi]
more
USA:71 min (2003 alternate version)
1.33 : 1 more
USA:TV-14 (TV rating)
Featured in "Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood" (1995) more
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| Journal d'un curé de campagne | L'albero degli zoccoli | Home from the Hill | Antonia | Ossessione |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb Sweden section | Add this title to MyMovies |
Hildur Carlberg, the skilled septuagenarian actress who plays Dame Margarete, died in August, 1920, two months before this film opened-- a heartbreaking irony, in part because the plot involves her youthful husband marrying her only to await her death.
The film has marvelous comic moments, capitalizing on the fact that the medieval Europeans suffered from backbreaking work, a total absence of education, and a desperate need for dentists. The scene when two of the clerics (the losers) compete for the job of parson by delivering sermons in which they inadvertently skewer their own backwardness is priceless, especially as they are speaking to a congregation of bedraggled and toothless locals who were mostly in church to nap. And the scene where an old lady hocks something out of her nose before returning to her needlepoint-- fabulous.
Dreyer, a committed naturalist who didn't even approve of make-up on his performers, shot this film on location at Maihaugen, Norway, in an open-air museum of 200 medieval buildings. Even the interiors are authentic. Every frame shows it. Watch particularly for a folk wall hanging in Dame Margarete's home. This is another silent gem from the director of The Passion of Joan of Arc.