The best

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2005)

I have read all the other comments and agree with all of the favorable ones. This is the best film I have ever seen. There is not much I can add to what has been said.
I was surprised, however, that there wasn't more mention in the comments of the connection of this movie with at least two of Sergei Eisenstein's.
The last portion of the movie shows that Dreyer must have seen Potemkin. The similarity to the Odessa steps scene is striking. This is not to take any thing away from Dreyer.
I had always thought the Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible has the most amazing closeups and interesting faces. Having seen this film, I think that Eisenstein must have seen this.
Thus, I see a two fold connection between Dreyer and Eisenstein. Dreyer taking from Eisenstein's Potemkin and Eisenstein using Dreyer in Ivan the Terrible.
Of course, since both directors are in my cinematic pantheon, it just could be that genius often expresses itself in similar ways.