Der var Engang

Der var Engang (1922) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

Viewed on July 17, 2019

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Illiria, lived a princess who was beautiful, but cruel. She had a fierce temper and would lash out whenever she was displeased. Those who sought her hand in marriage would frequently be condemned to death. Her father, the king, wished for her to marry, but he was powerless to control her.

One day, the prince of Denmark comes seeking her hand in marriage. He tells her about the wonderful country comes from up north, but she is not persuaded. Since she is in a good mood, she does not have him killed, but simply sends him away.

The prince is miserable. He wanders through the woods. A mystical figure decides to help him. He gives the prince a gift of a magic kettle that will show him the way to happiness. By breathing on the kettle, he can see his future. The prince does so and sees an himself in a domestic scene. The mystical figure vanishes, also leaving with the prince another gift, a noisemaker.

The prince returns to Illiria and spies the princess dancing with her handmaidens. He attracts her attention with the noisemaker. The princess decides she must have it, but he will not part with it unless she pays the price - a kiss on her lips. She agrees to the deal, giving him a brief kiss and grabbing the noisemaker.

The prince makes a bet with his fool that he will sleep that night in the princess's chamber. He then attracts her attention with his second magic object, the kettle. He tells the princess that the kettle will show the one who breaths on it who he or she will marry. The princess wants the magical kettle, too, but the price has gone up. She sends her handmaiden, who is told that he will part with the kettle only if the princess allows him to sleep in her chamber. At first, the princess refuses, but then the handmaiden returns with the key, warning the prince that, if he is caught, the princess will deny knowledge and he will be executed.

That night, a messenger from the prince arrives by boat to ask the princess if she has changed her mind. She tells him that she will never allow the prince into her room.

The fool, disguised as the prince, arrives at the castle, and is given entry by the king. He comes to the princess's chamber. The kettle shows her that the prince is the one she will marry. Angrily, she tells him that the kettle is wrong. She will execute him but, since a deal is a deal, she will allow him to sleep in the corner of her chamber.

The fool informs the king that the prince has schemed to ruin the princess's reputation. Furthermore, he threatens that, if the king does not exile the princess, the prince's army will overrun the country. The king goes to his daughter's chamber and catches her there with whom she thinks is a beggar. Despite her protests, he exiles her with the beggar.

They travel to the north, and he brings her to a shabby hut. He tells her she is free to go, but humbled, she decides to stay. Still, she refuses to do any work. She is still a princess. But here, this hut is his kingdom and, reluctantly, she obeys. As time passes, she becomes useful learning how to make pots which they go to sell in the market. On their way, they pass by a man hanging from a tree, a poacher who has been caught by the foresters. They meet a friend of the poacher, who asks the potter to help him. The potter sends the princess to the market by herself to sell the pots, warning her not to break any. On her way to the market, she is accosted by a group of foresters who overturn her cart and smash all the pots. She returns to the hut and shows the potter the cart of broken parts. He is angry. She tries to stop him from leaving by trying to tell him that she loves him, but she cannot quite get the words out. He goes into the woods to poach, and is pursued by the foresters back to the hut. She hides him and, finally, tells him that she loves him. They kiss.

They fall upon hard times, and the potter tells his wife to go to the castle to beg for food. The scullery maid gives her food on condition that she make herself useful. The fool announces that the prince has returned, but the foreign princess he was to marry has fallen ill. He asks to find someone who will fit the wedding dress to stand in for the bride. Naturally, the dress fits only the potter's wife. She begs to be allowed to go home to her sick husband, but the prince demands she stay.

The fool asks the scullery maid to marry him. She agrees.

The prince says that he will marry her instead of the prince. She refuses and begs to home to her husband. He commands that he potter's hut be burned down. She offers her own life in exchange for the man she loves. He relents, but as she goes, he stops her with the same words she used. She realizes that he is the potter. They embrace. Her father, the king, arrives to see the happy couple.

Commentary:

Half of this film is missing. What remains has some charms. The film begins slowly, and the fairy tale plot is a little too contrived, even for a fairy tale. But once the princess is exiled, the film gains considerable power as the princess learns the value of simplicity and the importance of love.