The Whisper of Shadows

Vampyr, by Carl Theodor Dreyer

Authors

  • Eduardo A. Russo Instituto de Producción y Enseñanza del Arte Argentino y Latinoamericano (IPEAL), Facultad de Artes, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24215/2525085Xe065

Keywords:

sound, film, experimental, film genres

Abstract

This article examines the radical experimentation of Vampyr, Carl T. Dreyer’s first sound film, as a boundary pushing and experimental work that bridges silent cinema and an innovative treatment of sonic materials— radicalizing the powers of voice, music, and sound effects. Transcending conventional approaches to early sound f ilm and capitalizing on the possibilities opened by formal and technological transition—along with atypical production conditions—Vampyr emerges as a film of extreme exploratory dimension, rendering it a visionary cinematic experience.

References

Autelitano, A. y Cavazza, A. (eds.). (2021). Una esperienza sonora. Vampyr. Cineteca di Bologna. https://cinetecadibologna.it/distribuzione/approfondimento/unesperienza-sonora-vampyr/

Bordwell, D. (1981). The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer. UCLA Press.

Brock, T. (2021). Incontri sul restauro. Restoring Wolfgang Zeller’s score for Vampyr. Cineteca di Bologna. Auditorium DAMSLab. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2uPhEu-3Ww

Chion, M. (2004). La voz en el cine. Cátedra.

Cineteca di Bologna. (2021). Vampyr. Catálogo Il Cinema Ritrovato 2021.

Dreyer, C. T. (2022) [1932]. Vampyr 90th Anniversary. Eureka Entertainment. Masters of Cinema Series [película].

Drouzy, M. y Charles, T. (1983). Carl Th. Dreyer. Œuvres cinématographiques 1926–1934. Cinémathèque Française.

Il catalogo della XXXV edizione del Cinema Ritrovato è un progetto editoriale della Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.

Rosenbaum, J. (1976). Vampyr. Monthly Film Bulletin, nº 511, August. Daily Archives. https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2025/01/10/

Rudkin, D. (2005). Vampyr. BFI Film Classics.

Toop, D. (2013). Resonancia siniestra. El oyente como medium. Caja Negra.

Tybjerg, C. (2021). The psychological horror of Dreyer’s Vampyr. Sight & Sound. BFI.

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Published

2025-12-15

How to Cite

Russo, E. A. . (2025). The Whisper of Shadows : Vampyr, by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Arkadin, (14), e065. https://doi.org/10.24215/2525085Xe065

Issue

No. 14 (2025): Arkadin 14

Section

Tema central

License

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