“Dreyer's only feature film of the 1950s, Ordet (The Word) represents his efforts to portray on the screen one of his most consistent themes, namely the inherent conflict between organized religion and an individual's personal religious and moral beliefs. In fact, Ordet contains his most superbly achieved instance of what he termed ‘realized mysticism' - a moment of revelation brought on by an individual's perfect belief in and commitment to an idea or a religious credo.
“In Ordet Dreyer places his experimental efforts involving simplification and abstraction of the real world at the forefront of his technical considerations. For him, simplification means excluding any elements which are not basically filmic while at the same time bringing the most important cinematic components clearly into view. It follows therefore, that the sets and decors, the camerawork and editing, and the acting in Ordet are not ‘realistic' but function to suggest a truer psychological realism which is the product of Dreyer's art.” --Joel Weinberg