Day of Wrath (Denmark, 1943) October 7, 2008

Filmed during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Carl Dreyer's 'Day of Wrath' (Vredens Dag) is a harrowing account of individual helplessness in the face of growing social repression and paranoia. Anna, the young second wife of a well-respected but much older pastor, falls in love with her stepson when he returns to their small 17th-century village. Stepping outside the bounds of the village's harsh moral code has disastrous results. Generally regarded to be one of Dreyer's greatest works, 'Day of Wrath' presents horrific events with chilling restraint.