Blade af Satans bog (Leaves Out of the Book of Satan) (Leaves from Satan's Book) poster & wallpaper

Ebon Strandin, Erling Hansson, Hallander Helleman

Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic silent film tells the tale of Satan's (Helge Nissen) banishment from heaven. In order to return, Satan must perform acts of temptation upon humanity with the stipulation ...( read more  read more... )that for every soul who yields, 100 years will be added to his time on Earth. For every soul who resists, 1000 years will be commuted from his judgment. The film follows Satan's path through the ages as an instigator during times of conflict.

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62% liked it

338 ratings

Unrated, 121 minutes

Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Release Date: January 24, 1921

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DVD Release Date: April 5, 2005

Stats: 23 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (23)

  • Hellshocked
    October 27, 2007
    Hellshocked
    A stunning epic. Not at the same level as Dreyer's subsequent "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (but then, nothing is) but still an incredibly rewarding film. The lighting is not only exquisite, but experimental at times. The shot composition, the editing, the imagery... many of the c...( read more)haracteristics of modern cinema are already present here.

    One of the more interesting aspects is how the film manages to convey, visually, what it cannot through audio. There is a sequence where a woman is playing a harp and singing a song and the film, through images, illustrates what the song is about. There is another sequence where a flagelating monk sees the cross transformed into the object of his desire and guilt. The rest of the film is laden with imagery and symbolism, some more subtle than others.

    Helge Nissen is unforgettable as Satan, the thematic link between the four stories that comprise the film. He embodies each of his guises well, refusing to overact, and generating true pathos for his predicament. For each soul he turns away from god he has 100 years added to his sentence. For each soul he is unable to sway, he has 1000 years removed. Forced to tempt, he goes through the motions but gets no pleasure from it, feeling heartbroken at his successes.



    The film may not be a transcendental experience, but it is a great work of art nonetheless. Carl Theodor Dreyer is that rarest of breeds: a director who managed to make timless films both in silent and spoken format, as evidenced here.
  • FlyingSolo2009
    August 27, 2009
    FlyingSolo2009
    I doubt that I will be watching this one.
  • SadisticMinister
    July 15, 2009
    SadisticMinister
    It would be interesting
  • daakmore
    February 2, 2009
    daakmore
    A unique characterization of Satan as an angel forced to tempt man as punishment for defying God. It;s just interesting to see a more sympathetic version of Satan and his role as the tempter of man.
  • carlosnatalio1
    May 16, 2008
    carlosnatalio1
    Muito se tem escrito acerca da leveza com que Carl Dreyer teria, à época, encarado Blade af Satans Bog. Parte de The Sorrows of Satan de Marie Corelli e estrutura-se em quarto partes como Intolerance de DW Griffith (1916). A aparente composição em quadros, a falta de desenvolvim...( read more)ento das personagens traduziu-se no desalento de Dreyer face ao resultado final.
    Embora não se esteja certamente perante o melhor Dreyer, o tema da religiosidade aqui colado a uma reconstituição histórica estruturante (que o seu passado jornalístico adensa) traz-nos já para o que viria a ser o seu universo em que a crença forte subjaz à essência do real.
    Como em Prastankan, a crença religiosa surge cum grano salis. Ali é a tradição que se ataca, aqui a legenda inicial explica que Satã, o anjo caido terá de caminhar entre os homens para diminuir o seu tempo de perdição porque não quis o que Deus quis. Sem mais explicações. E encerra o diabo no paradoxo dos homens que se perpetua na relação daquele com o sublime: Satã fazendo o mal procura o seu bem, como se Satã não pudesse evitar agir desta forma. Só tentando o homem e esperando que este resista poderá diminuir o seu tempo de perdição. E há também um Deus distante, quase cruel na forma como, na passagem de história a história, ordena sem delongas a lúcifer que continue a sua obra maléfica. Há uma verdade em Deus contra Deus.
    Em Blade af Satans Bog sucedem-se as micro tragédias que culminam em traição e morte. Fraquezas que têm presente o olhar humano de baixo para cima. Nos dois primeiros segmentos é pela pureza de uma imagem de Deus que se sucumbe. Judas pela palavra do fariseu trai Jesus. Um monge, novo funcionário da inquisição, pela obediência e medo às normas inquisitivas tortura e deixa morrer o seu amor e seu pai. Numa espécie de circulação da religiosidade por entre as instituições avançam-se uns séculos e estão agora em cheque a causa política e a ambição profissional e social. Um jovem servo recém promovido no interior dos jacobinos trai o seu amor perante a confissão de mera amizade dela.
    O acrescento de Dreyer, o episódio finlandês, que lhe trás luminosidade do presente, tem no famoso sacrifício de Clara Pontopidou (que se apunhala no coração) uma primeira mulher resistente, das muitas que Dreyer `acolheria`. Capaz de defender a virtude até ao fim, numa manifestação de santidade. Como Gertrud, como Joana D?arc. Pela primeira vez, Satã falha (na sua tentação) e triunfa (poupando mil anos ao seu périplo, que tem no final do filme ordem de continuar).
    Da obra resultariam os mais variados ecos: o sucesso a nível internacional do dinamarquês; a vontade do autor de reconstituir a vida de Jesus de Nazaré com maior detalhe (algo que nunca chegaria a suceder); a possibilidade de repegar na figura de Maria Antonieta num novo projecto com dinheiro francês. Mais tarde, Dreyer preferiria Joana D?Arc, como se sabe, mais herdeira da força de Pontopidou.
    Retenha-se da composição em quadros a instalação da dúvida pelo mal associado ao fumo exalado do grupo de fariseus, de inquisidores, de jacobinos e do exército vermelho. Neste são pouco frequentes os grandes planos e a montagem é serena. A serenidade surge a espaços do ambiente de sofrimento em perda, algo que teria continuidade assim como o seu expoente na obra sobre a heroína francesa. Há já em Blade af Satans Bog uma vontade de agitar o histórico e de mesclar a fraqueza/convicção religiosa ao cerne das instituições humanas.
  • capkronos
    October 3, 2007
    capkronos
    BLADE AF SATANS BOG (titled LEAVES FROM SATAN'S BOOK on the DVD cover but LEAVES OUT OF THE BOOK OF SATAN on the print) is a lurching silent film epic, running over two hours in length, that hypothesizes Satan's influence on weak-willed men and altering certain historic events. T...( read more)he film is divided into four highly variable sections, all taking place at different time periods, with the impressive Helge Nissen appearing as various guises as Satan in each segment. All are tinted a variety of different colors, from black-and-white to monochrome to lighter hues (blue, green, pink, etc.) and the cinematography, lighting, art direction, costumes and editing are often striking, just not often enough to completely overcome the uneven writing and a very slow pace.

    The first story is one we're all pretty familiar with - Jesus' betrayal by Judas, with Judas here being influenced by a turbaned and bearded Satan. Familiarity with this biblical tale takes the edge off and best can be said about this segment is in regards to a few moments of clever lighting (the "last supper" shot, especially). The second story, set during the Spanish Inquisition, is an improvement. This is also the most horrific of the segments, with scenes set inside a torture chamber and Nissen's heavily-rouged face and intense, sneaky glares instantly bringing to mind Lugosi's classic Dracula character. Here, Satan plays Grand Inquisitor, leading astray a very nubile young love-struck priest who uses self-flagellation to rid his body of sin. One interesting scene features the priest whipping his back while envisioning the object of his desire draped below a cross (a shot I've seen used many times since).

    The third, and by far best, segment takes place during the French Revolution and opens with a striking shot of a guillotine sitting alone atop a hillside right as the sun is setting. This is also the strongest tale from a narrative standpoint as it cuts back and forth between two separate story lines but brings everything together at the end. A young man named Joseph helps a noblewoman and her daughter flee the city when authorities show up to execute the entire family for aiding the escape of a queen sentenced to death. When Joseph's advances are rejected by the daughter, Satan shows up to convince him to turn his back on both the mother/daughter, and later Marie Antoinette herself. The fourth segment, set in "modern times" (1918!) is about the Russian occupation of Finland and only has moments of occasional interest, both visually and thematically.

    There are a few memorable performances in this movie. Nissen is truly fascinating as all four visions of Satan; alternately creepy, clever, vengeful and weary. Also worth mentioning are Tenna Frederiksen Kraft, who is a graceful and sympathetic Marie Antoinette, and Elith Pio as Joseph, a man seriously torn between doing the right thing when lives hang in the balance... or just the right thing to advance himself.

    All in all, it's very slow and very uneven, but worth checking out if you are either a Dreyer completist or into silent pictures. But truth be told, the director has seen much better days; MICHAEL (1924), THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928), VAMPYR (1932), VREDEN'S DAG (1943), etc.

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