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Carl Theodor Dreyer is best remembered for films like The Passion of Joan of Arc and Ordet, but one of his most ambitious projects never made it to the screen—a realist depiction of the life of Jesus.
According to an article by Alex Barrett on the BFI website, Dreyer’s vision for a Jesus film was deeply shaped by his earlier work and by world events, especially the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II.
Dreyer’s interest in telling the story of Christ began early. In 1920, his film Leaves from Satan’s Book included a segment on Jesus, where Satan—disguised as a Pharisee—tempts others into actions that ultimately lead to the crucifixion.
The structure of that film echoed D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance, which Dreyer credited as a transformative influence. “I went home completely dazed, overwhelmed by a new rhythm and the number of close-ups,” Dreyer said after first seeing Griffith’s work.
Over time, however, Dreyer began to question the traditional narrative of Jesus’s death. He believed the common interpretation—where the Jewish people are blamed—was not only inaccurate but dangerous, as it had fueled centuries of antisemitism.
By the 1940s, Dreyer had developed a new concept. He saw Jesus as a political prisoner executed by the Romans, not a figure betrayed by his own people.
In his vision, the Pharisees were not Jesus’s enemies, but part of the same Jewish community. The real tension came from anti-Roman revolutionaries, who tried to use Jesus for their cause.
According to Dreyer’s manuscript, it was these revolutionaries—not Jesus—who drove the moneylenders from the temple, setting in motion the events that led to the crucifixion.
Dreyer wanted to show Jesus as a devout Jew. His script included moments such as touching the mezuzah on doorways, observing Jewish customs, and celebrating Passover with a traditional Seder meal.
The Last Supper was to be shown as part of a wider community observance, moving from house to house and deepening the cultural and spiritual context of the moment.
To bring this vision to life, Dreyer hoped to film in Hebrew, in color, and in widescreen—unusual choices for the time, especially for a religious epic.
Despite the depth of research and planning, the film was never made. One reason was Dreyer’s commitment to American producer Blevins Davis, whose support proved unreliable.
Some suggest Dreyer may have also hesitated out of fear—concerned that the film would not match the grand scale of his own imagination.
Though unrealized, the project lived on in Dreyer’s later films. Ordet explored the power of faith and miracles, while Gertrud experimented with the kind of stillness and weight he wanted in the Jesus film.
His ideas for this unmade work informed his approach to both. The themes, the reverence, and the stripped-down intensity all echo the direction he had hoped to take.
While the Jesus film was never shot, its spirit is woven through the rest of Dreyer’s body of work.
Article updated 11 hours ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
