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Wednesday, December 6, 2017

DU SAL ÆRE DIN HUSTRU / MASTER OF THE HOUSE (1925)

That most austere of directors, Carl Theodor Dreyer, doing an I LOVE LUCY? Back in Danish studios after making MICHAEL/’24 in Germany, this adaptation of a domestic ‘problem’ play isn’t so far removed from a Lucy & Ricky sit-com template. The one that finds Ricky Ricardo ineptly (and hilariously) having to take over Lucy’s domestic chores, and finding himself in over his head with kids, kitchen & a recalcitrant vacuum cleaner. Naturally, Dreyer plots out a serious version of that setup, where a husband turned tyrant after losing his business drives his wife into a nervous breakdown with demands & selfish behavior. Only his old nanny stands up to him (hadn’t she whipped his ass when he was a boy?), sending the wife off to Mother for a rest cure and teaching Dad a painful lesson by not giving him a moment’s peace at household duties large, small & demeaning. Even to changing diapers & taking punishment by standing in the corner with hands behind his back. This may well have been more comic on stage (Dreyer’s pacing is very deliberate), but what makes it unmissable is Dreyer’s use of space with perhaps 90% of the film playing out in a single multi-purpose living room that, with but minor adjustment, serves for dining, sleep, homework, laundry, sewing, coffeehouse (what’s a Dreyer film without pots of strong Danish coffee?) and smoking area. Pop’s transformation, when it comes, is surprisingly swift, but Nanny sure makes the ungrateful sot work for his forgiveness. Desi Arnaz might not have survived the tough love treatment.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Lucille Ball idea may be less of a stretch than seems as Dreyer’s stunning PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC/’28 found its martyr not in some tragedienne, but in light stage comedienne Falconetti. Her only screen appearance.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: The reconstructed score on Criterion’s DVD is largely made up of classical pieces adapted for solo piano, making for odd juxtapositions like Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ used to underscore a salami sandwich.

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