Rent Michael (1924)
3.5 of 5 from 75 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel of the same name, Carl Th. Dreyer's 'Michael' is a fascinating fin-de-siecle study of a "decadent" elderly artist (Benjamin Christensen) driven to despair by his relationship with his young protege and former model, Michael (Walter Slezak). With suffocatingly sumptuous production design by renowned architect Hugo Haring (his only film work), this Kammerspiel, or "intimate theatre", foreshadows Dreyer's magnificent final film Gertrud, by forty years with its "Now I may die content, for I have seen great love" epigraph.
- Actors:
- Walter Slezak, Max Auzinger, Nora Gregor, Robert Garrison, Benjamin Christensen, Didier Aslan, Alexander Murski, Grete Mosheim, Karl Freund, Wilhelmine Sandrock, Mady Christians
- Directors:
- Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Producers:
- Erich Pommer
- Writers:
- Herman Bang, Thea von Harbou, Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Aka:
- Mikaël
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Lesbian & Gay, Romance
- Collections:
- A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, What to Watch Next If You Liked Dracula
- Countries:
- Germany
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 12/02/2018
- Run Time:
- 94 minutes
- Languages:
- German LPCM Stereo, Silent
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Full-length audio commentary by Dreyer scholar, Casper Tybjerg
- An exclusive video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns
- An illustrated audio interview with Dreyer from 1965
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Reviews (1) of Michael
Not the Dreyer you're looking for - Michael review by VW
If you loved The Passion of Joan of Arc and Vampyr and are hoping this film will be just as good as them then you're in for a disappointment. If you're hoping for a silent gay love story then you'll be disappointed too. This is a pretty run of the mill silent movie with little flair or touches of Dreyer magic. The gay theme is pretty thin too. Yes there's a hint of something sexual between the patron and his protégé but blink and you'll miss it. If it hadn't had the Dreyer name attached this would never have been restored and re-released. I feel it's been somewhat oversold.
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