Ordet (The Word)(1954-55, 126 min.) is Carl Dreyer’s profound meditation on the place of the spiritual in human life, and a landmark of world cinema. Based on a play by Kaj Munk, Ordet tells a simple but compelling story of religious belief and dogma in a rural Danish town. Dreyer keeps the theatrical chamber staging intact but creates an intricate weave of camera movements (shots lasting as long as 8 minutes) through which time becomes the invisible but dominating character. “I made Ordet in order to show myself that I could make a miracle people would believe in.” (CD) Peter Herwitz’ Winter Dream Lieder (1993) is a haunting evocation of mysteries underlying forms of everyday life.