Birgitte Federspiel gives Ordet the human warmth its religious arguments need. Her poised, sympathetic acting is a considerable pleasure, even when the writing seems more interested in what her character gives other people than in the woman herself.
Fi1m perspective
In Ordet (1955), Birgitte Federspiel gives us someone to watch when the religious conversation grows heavy. As Inger Borgen, she brings warmth into Carl Theodor Dreyer's religious drama. We were moved by her because she made Inger worth caring about while the speeches were testing our patience. It is a fine performance in a film we recommend, provided there is an appetite for those long conversations.
Her casting often favoured refined or aristocratic women whose coolness carried an erotic charge. Ordet was her screen breakthrough, and En fremmed banker på (1959) followed with another lead, the grieving widow Vibeke. Those parts help explain her reputation for sympathetic portrayals of grieving or searching women, though the solemnity is not the whole story. Her work across stage and screen also included comedy. Supporting parts, including Hunger (1966), followed the dramatic leads, while a substantial stage career continued alongside the screen work.
As Martine in Babette's Feast (1987), she later put that capacity for warmth to work in a supporting role. She can keep the composure of the women she plays and still let us feel close to them. That is especially valuable in Ordet: a breezier performance would sit awkwardly among Dreyer's measured conversations. She suits his pace, even when we struggle with it.
The limit is how much room Inger has to exist beyond what she gives the other characters. Federspiel makes her worth watching, but the writing does not give her equivalent freedom, and we wanted more of the woman herself. Her sympathetic playing makes the restriction noticeable: once she has made Inger matter, we want the film to stay interested in her. Begin with Ordet for her, but do not expect her to turn it into an undemanding evening.
Biography
Birgitte Federspiel was a Danish actress who worked in film, theatre and television. Born Karen Birgitte Federspiel in Copenhagen on 6 September 1925, she trained at Frederiksberg Teaters Elevskole from 1943 to 1945 and began her career with seasons at Odense Teater before joining Folketeatret in Copenhagen from 1947 to 1962.
She received Bodil Awards for best actress for her performances in Ordet (1955) and En fremmed banker på (1959). Her film roles include Martine in Babette's Feast (1987) and appearances in For frihed og ret (1949), Hunger (1966) and The Olsen Gang Runs Amok (1973). On television she played Baroness von Rydtger in three episodes of Matador. She died in Odense on 2 February 2005.
