Carl Theodor Dreyer's elegant, emotionally devastating adaptation of Herman Bang's novel — and one of the earliest sympathetic portrayals of homosexual love in cinema. An aging master painter, Claude Zoret, takes a beautiful young man named Michael as his model and protégé. Their relationship, clearly more than professional, is shattered when Michael falls in love with a manipulative princess who exploits them both. Dreyer films the story with his characteristic restraint and visual precision, never sensationalizing the central relationship but treating it with a dignity and emotional seriousness that was extraordinary for 1924. Benjamin Christensen (director of Häxan) gives a deeply moving performance as the painter. A film of quiet power that rewards patient, attentive viewing.
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