Dreyer's third feature is a rare demonstration of his abilities as a director of ribald comedy--and at the same time is “probably the Dreyer film in which the theme of female supremacy is most clearly stated...rarely has more ferocious malice at the expense of the male been exercised in the cinema” (Sylvia Pierre).
In his book, “The Cinema of Carl Dreyer,” Tom Milne describes The Parson's Widow, which was filmed in Norway and based on a true seventeenth-century story:
“This enchanting film tells the story of a young parson who preaches an electrifying sermon to rout his rivals and win his first living in a country village, only to discover that he also inherits the previous incumbent's widow, Dame Margaret, an ancient lady who has already buried three parson-husbands. Reluctantly he agrees to the marriage, but consoles himself by persuading Dame Margaret to hire his girlfriend, whom he introduces as his sister, as a maid in the parsonage. Frustrated by the constant vigilance of Dame Margaret, the young lovers set about doing away with her, but eventually realize with bitter regret that they have misjudged her.”