Vampyr
What strikes you immediately is Carl Dreyer's visual sense. Be it THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC , ORDET , or 1932's VAMPYR, the mastery of imagery as storytelling is evident in every frame. The astonishing use of shadow and light serves for more than their own existence. This was the co-writer/director's first film to utilize sound, but dialogue is minimal, which is the right choice. As I catch up on early twentieth century cinema I increasingly realize how intrusive words can be. Film is a medium of pictures, framed artfully (in gifted hands) and with purpose. Maybe just for theme, often to propel a (dreamlike) narrative. Dreyer executes both in this seventy-three minute horror piece, an homage of sorts to Edgar Allan Poe and the short stories of Sheridan Le Fanu. Allan Gray (Julian West) is a student of the occult. His visit to a small French village will feed his fascination and horror on such matters. Strange peop...
