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Master of the House (1925) - a Silent Film Review


When a man begins to behave tyrannically to his family, the women in the household decide to teach him a lesson.


This description made me curious. But I think that this interesting subject is not used to a sufficient extent and 'Master of the House' is taking a long time to sit with it’s one hour and 51 minutes.
This Danish film opens with the announcement that this is a story about a very spoiled man, a foreign man, because in Denmark, this kind of men no longer existed, if we have to believe the title card. The Danish women got voting rights in 1917 and were determined to implement equal rights also on other fronts. Even so, this kind of men did not belong in Danish society anymore.


In a good movie there is always some tension. This can be expressed in the dialogues, but it can also be seen in the way the story is portrayed. On both sides, this movie is disappointing. It starts by calling the father a "spoiled man"on the first title card. That weakens the contrast between the father and the women in the house. It gives him an excuse for his rude behavior, because it is finally his wife's fault because she has always spoiled him.


It would also make the film more interesting if the differences between the father and the mother were greater. He behaves like a jerk, but apart from giving his son a slap, he does not do anything really bad. The mother rests in her sorrow and does whatever he wants. This lasts about half an hour and every time I wonder why I'm looking at it. Film-technical this film is also not really interesting because the changes between totals and dramatic close-ups are hardly used and action can not be seen at all, apart from a confrontation between the father and his former nanny. She is therefore the most interesting character in the film. She is a bossy and clever woman who knows how to handle such an unpleasant character. Mathilde Nielsen, who plays nanny Mads, proves with this part to be a good actress. She shows at least some emotion, all other actors seem to play the auto pilot.


Originally this was a play of the popular writer and actor Svend Rindom. Rindom has edited the story together with director Carl Theodor Dreyer into a movie scenario. 'Master of the House' was Dreyer's first major international success. This success made it possible to make his biggest masterpiece 'La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc' three years later. This became a totally different kind of film that was not successful in 1928, but now it is seen as one of the best films ever made.


Although I find the story of 'Master of the House' predictable it will always be a mystery to me why it became such a succes in 1925. But the Danes thought it was good for a remake in 1942, entitled 'Tyrannes Fald '. I have not seen this movie, but he will probably be better than the original.
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