Master of the House [Criterion Collection]

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer

Overview

Originally titled Du Skal Aere Din Hustru, Master of the House was also released as Thou Shalt Honor Thy Wife. By any title, the film was arguably the most successful Scandinavian film of the silent era, playing to turn-away business throughout Europe. Based on a play by Sven Rindon, the film centers upon Johannes Meyer, an insensitive bully who browbeats his wife and children beyond all reason. The big jerk is taught a lesson by his own nanny, now an aging crone, who begins giving him a dose of his own medicine. This humiliating experience enables Meyer to stage a warm reunion with his wife, who had previously walked out on him. It may seem like basic sitcom material, but Master of the House apparently struck a nerve in the chauvinistically inclined Europe and Denmark of 1925.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/22/2014
UPC:	0715515117913
Original Release:	1925
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:47:00
Sales rank:	45,383

Special Features

New Interview with Carl Theodor Dreyer historian Casper Tybjerg; New visual essay on Dreyer's innovations by film historian David Bordwell; Plus: an essay by film scholar Mark LeFanu

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Johannes Meyer	Viktor
Astrid Holm	Ida Frandsen
Karin Nellemose	Karen
Mathilde Nielsen	Miss Madsen,The Doctor
Clara Schonfeld	Ida's Mother
Aage Hoffman	The Boy
Petrine Sonne	The Washerwoman
Byril Harvig	Actor

Technical Credits

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Carl Theodor Dreyer	Director,Screenwriter
Peter Becker	Executive Producer
Abbey Lustgarten	Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Master of the House
1. The Fransen Household [5:25]
2. Breakfast for Father [6:57]
3. Mads's Visit [5:51]
4. Viktor's Foul Mood [6:03]
5. Mads Can't Take It Anymore [5:57]
6. Another Watchful Eye [5:56]
7. Ida Defends Her Husband [4:31]
8. "What is a Tyrant?" [6:04]
9. A Reprieve [4:36]
10. "Where is Ida?" [6:08]
11. Karen Shares a Secret [5:31]
12. Doctor's Orders [3:29]
13. Like a Schoolboy [6:39]
14. A Little Bribery [6:21]
15. Clean Laundry and Diapers [6:41]
16. Viktor Repents [5:52]
17. Apologies Attempted [3:18]
18. "Foolish, Stubborn, Vain" [5:18]
19. Harmony Restored [6:17]
1. Color Bars

Menu

Disc #1 -- Master of the House
   Play The Movie
   Interview With Casper Tybjerg
      Play
   Chapters
   Visual Essay by David Bordwell
      Play