Once Upon a Time

In this comedic medieval fantasy, the Prince of Denmark (Svend Methling) proposes marriage to the Princess of Illyria (Clara Pontoppidan). After being rejected, he’s given a magic kettle that reflects the image of himself and the princess living in a forest hut, and so contrives to make this a reality.

Based on a nationalistic 1887 play by Holger Drachmann, itself a blend of Hans Christian Andersen’s 'The Swineherd' and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the film features a tantalising blend of fantastical elements with historically accurate Northern/Central European costumes and sets, as directed by soon-to-be cinema master, Dreyer.

Those only familiar with Dreyer’s austere sound films (Day of Wrath, Ordet) will likely be surprised by the light-hearted nature of this early work. Funny and mysterious, this partially-lost film gives crucial insight into Dreyer’s beginnings within his home country’s film industry, and was released just four years before his 1926 move to France where he would direct the landmark La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928).

– Andréas Giannopoulos, Melbourne Cinémathèque committee member