Die Gezeichneten

A lot of novel to fit into 90 minutes. How do our leads fit into society? Hard to say in the volatility of 1905, in a plot that chafes at tradition, assimilation, and youthful revolutionary fervor at once. A more thoughtful take on all these themes than Leaves from Satan's Book, to be sure. Still, melodrama aplenty, especially as a police-instigated pogrom takes center. It's a bit much to juggle, though the cast is strong; given the theme, so many Russian theater émigrés do bring resonance.

Since "The Passion of Joan of Arc" is the only other Dreyer movie I've seen, I don't know what I expected...but not this. This one is about as limp as the other is laser-like in its intensity. A sort of enervated (because it tries to do too much) melodrama where nothing has any real delineation. It plods along for 70 minutes, and then the last 15 minutes are a frenzy of activity. Rather odd, and not particularly satisfying.

A slow, confusing watch that certainly has some interesting themes and beautiful imagery, but tries to get 20 characters and any number of plot lines into the running time. The film lacks focus and I had a hard time focusing while watching it. I'm tempted to say "for Dreyer completionists only".