Michael (DVD)
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Nora Gregor
Max Auzinger
Walter Slezak
Karl Freund
Writers Thea von Harbou and Carl Theodor Dreyer
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Danish film master Carl Theodor Dreyer's Michael is a mature and visually elegant period romance decades ahead of its time. Available for the first time on DVD, Michael takes its place alongside Dreyer's better known masterpieces as an unusually sensitive and decorous work of art and is one of the earliest and most compassionate overtly gay-themed films in movie history. Collaborating with famed German cinematographers Karl Freund (Metropolis, The Last Laugh) and Rudolph Maté (Passion of Joan of Arc, DOA) Michael offers the first fully realized example of Dreyer's emotionally precise, visually extravagant style.
Based upon Herman Bang's 1902 novel, Dreyer's Michael refashions the classical Greek myth of Jupiter and Ganymede into a love triangle between an aging artist, Zoret (director Benjamin Christensen), his protagonist Michael (Walter Slezak, later to play the Nazi villain in Hitchcock's Lifeboat) and Princess Zamikoff (Nora Gregor, Rules of the Game), an aristocratic femme fatale as entranced by Michael's youthful beauty as Zoret is. As Michael plunges from the dizzying heights of new love to the depths of theft and betrayal, Zoret experiences a spiritual rebirth from out of the ashes of rejection and despair.
A film of exquisite artistry, Michael is both elaborately theatrical and remarkably restrained. Dreyer elicits vivid and passionate performances from his adroit cast, including the screen's only acting appearance by cinematographer Freund. Co-written by Fritz Lang's wife and collaborator Thea von Harbou (M, Metropolis), this intimate and compelling film possesses a bold level of emotional detail and depicts the twilight of a male-male romance with unusual daring and subtlety.
DVD Extras Include:
- Audio Commentary by Danish Film Scholar Casper Tybjerg.
- Dreyer: A Complete Filmography.
To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information,
visit Kino Lorber Edu.
Related Products
Country: Germany
One of the first gay-themed films in the history of cinema. Different From the Others was banned at the time of its release, later burned by Nazis and was believed lost for more than forty years. Now... More
Country: Germany, U.K.
In this Robert Louis Stevenson adventure story, the battlefield of Culloden is awash with the blood of Scottish Highlanders making their last stand against the Hanoverian forces. More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K.
In this Robert Louis Stevenson adventure story, the battlefield of Culloden is awash with the blood of Scottish Highlanders making their last stand against the Hanoverian forces. More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany
Brimming with visual invention and breathless erotic angst, Sex in Chains uniquely combines gorgeous cinematic craftsmanship with bold subject matter. More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S.
Action star Michael Dudikoff (Avenging Force) shines as an inexperienced West Point graduate thrown into the hells of war in this gutsy, brutal look at the real Vietnam War. Ex-Marine Major Howard... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S.
Action star Michael Dudikoff (Avenging Force) shines as an inexperienced West Point graduate thrown into the hells of war in this gutsy, brutal look at the real Vietnam War. Ex-Marine Major Howard... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany
Diary of a Lost Girl represents the second and final work of one of the cinema's most compelling collaborations: G. W. Pabst and Louise Brooks. Diary confirmed Pabst's artistry as one of the great... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany
Diary of a Lost Girl represents the second and final work of one of the cinema's most compelling collaborations: G. W. Pabst and Louise Brooks. Diary confirmed Pabst's artistry as one of the great... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany, U.S.
Michael Smerconish celebrates his 30th year as a talk radio host in this dynamic one-man performance, recorded live in the midst of a pandemic. More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany, U.S., U.S.
When California's state law is updated to allow for same-sex marriage, Shane quickly makes plans to elope with his partner of six years – until a terrible accident happens, throwing Shane's lif... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S.
Reverend Frank Schaefer never set out to be an activist, but after officiating the same-sex wedding of his son, the United Methodist Church put him on trial, igniting a media firestorm in this... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S.
Led by Peter Adair, the Mariposa Film Group made the first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers. Their 1977 film is a collage of interviews, funny and... More
Country: Germany, U.K., U.K., Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, Germany, U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., U.S.
Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism immerses the viewer in the San Francisco leather dyke scene, shattering assumptions about gender and lesbian sexuality, while broadening the discussio... More
Prepare for the chill of a lifetime as the master of suspense, Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone), hosts every spine-t…' https://t.co/MxSmfZELUw'
RT' @Under_Radar_Mag': Check out our take on the new Kiyoshi Kurosawa film, “Wife of a Spy,” out now on Blu-ray via' @KinoLorber'. “It’s a sati…
RT' @KLStudioClassic': Coming February 1st! Where There’s Life (1947) • Theatrical Trailer • Bob Hope Trailers • Optional English Subtitles…
RT' @FilmLinc': Léa Seydoux brilliantly holds the center of Bruno Dumont’s unexpected, unsettling new film as an unflappable superstar TV jou…
We recently announced our acquisition of Levan Koguashvili’s BRIGHTON 4TH, winner of the Best Screenplay, Best Acto…' https://t.co/7MATPublnn'
RT' @LuzzuFilm': Thank you for' @DEADLINE' for the feature in Contenders International! Director' @alex_camilleri' discusses the road to making…
Shatara Michelle Ford’s TEST PATTERN, Mohammad Rasoulof’s THERE IS NO EVIL, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s WIFE OF A SPY ar…' https://t.co/9AFUBts8gS'
RT' @TheFilmStage': Where to stream the best films of 2021:' https://t.co/aOAO7F5YjL'' https://t.co/n5OEcIZ7pc'
RT' @CinapseNews': Love, patriotic duty, and moral justice come into conflict in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s award-winning wartime drama, now out from…
RT' @GeekVibesNation': 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker' The Complete Series Blu-Ray Review - Darren McGavin Battles Weekly Terrors In Classic Ser…
General Inquiries
333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503
New York, NY 10018
Tel. (800) 562-3330
Fax. (212) 714-0871
Press & Media
For publicity assistance and press inquiries please contact us by emailing dninh@kinolorber.com or calling 212-629-6880.
Educational
Please visit our educational site at www.KinoLorberEDU.com
For assistance with educational orders, please contact us at:
Phone:212-629-6880
Fax: 212-714-0871
email: edu@kinolorber.com
