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      Michael

      1924 1h 33m Drama List
      94% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 71% Audience Score 500+ Ratings An art student (Walter Slezak) is accused of causing the death of the renowned painter (Benjamin Christensen) who secretly loved him. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Cody Corrall Chicago Reader ...it holds its own not just through its stunning technical prowess, but also in its surprising cultural longevity. Jun 24, 2020 Full Review Richard Brody New Yorker Closeups of burning intensity and opulent tableaux of frozen horror suggest the great director's transcendent theme, of divine grace granted and withheld. Apr 18, 2016 Full Review Mordaunt Hall New York Times A dull piece of work, redeemed only by some artistic scenes and Benjamin Christensen's able portrayal of Claude Zoret, an artist. Rated: 2/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review David-Elijah Nahmod Bay Area Reporter When it was made there was no queer cinema to speak of, only a small handful of such films had been made. That the lead characters' homosexuality was made so apparent was a giant step forward in the annals of moviemaking. Feb 20, 2024 Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Cinematographers Karl Freund and Rudolph Maté shoot Michael with a variable soft frame and dramatic lighting that draws attention to the film as a created work of art. It’s expressionism at its finest... Rated: 7/10 Jul 17, 2023 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension Ultimately, Michael amounts to little more than dull melodrama but the prestigious cast and crew make it worth your while. Jun 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Wonderful early-period Dreyer film that has something of the great stoicism of his last, Gertrude. That is especially apparent in the figure of the master painter Zoret (an excellent performance by Benjamin Christensen) who is fighting with great patience against the circumstances and the personality of Michael in order to achieve this 'true, perfect love' he believes in, that consists in unconditionally giving everything to its object (some kind of irrational Kierkegaardian 'leap of of faith' in terms of love). The visual aspect of the film is really good, with excellent and unusual lighting for its time (like having a lonely figure in the foreground unlighted while the background is bathed in light) that sometimes drowns every corner of the richly decorated house in darkness. There are two triangles in the film, the second being always in the distant background but helps enriching the tapestry of the high society of the age. An amazing scene involves the two mutually attracted people one of which -the woman- is married, while they pass, in front of her husband, to each other a sculpture of a naked woman, which symbolically becomes the medium of their suppressed mutual desire. The desire becomes apparent to the viewer through a close up that shows how their fingers touch the sculpture (this is a purely and truly cinematic effect that literature cannot achieve). There are some tracking shots even which is a rarity in silent films, like the one following one of the couples in the countryside (one of the few shots outside the stuffed house). Of course, the pinnacle of Dreyer's silent period remains The Passion of Joan of Ark, but this is also a film that deserves attention -even if it is not quite as great- for its wonderful performances, the ecxellent mood and the to-the-point symbolisms as well as its inventiveness in character presentation (such as the dinner scene in the beginning in which we learn each character's personality by his attitude to the concept of death) and beautiful visuals. Recommended. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Dreyer's silent film that is a well-made but unsurprising take on an artist's love for his model, who eventually betrays his trust. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A bore. The most unsatisfying of CTD's most well known pieces. Maybe this one needed a religious slant. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Beautiful and meticulously structured. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A example of the power of silent cinema, and not only that, but early queer media. Dreyer's early talents are demonstrated here—I think I'll have to follow more of his films. Neal Kurz's musical pairing gives the film even more depth; beautiful work on the piano. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent silent film. It started a little slow but it ended up being very touching and very sad as well. The sets were just beautiful. Some of the best I have seen from this era of films. I didn't care too much for the sub-plot, but the main plot was excellent. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Michael

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis An art student (Walter Slezak) is accused of causing the death of the renowned painter (Benjamin Christensen) who secretly loved him.
      Director
      Carl Theodor Dreyer
      Screenwriter
      Carl Theodor Dreyer, Thea von Harbou
      Production Co
      Decla-Bioscop AG
      Genre
      Drama
      Runtime
      1h 33m