"Dear Mr. Wrigley,

In the month of May 1954 I was in full swing shooting Denmark's first colour motion picture for Palladium Film. It was a Danish/American production entitled Edge of Tomorrow starring Jackie Coogan. We could, at the time, not develop colour stock in Denmark, so every evening we had to drive to the airport with the exposed film to have it developed in London. Shortly after this production Palladium was to produce Carl Th. Dreyer's Ordet. There was another photographer besides me that was to audition for Dreyer, and he would decide afterwards which photographer to hire. I was so busy with the colour film mess that in the end I had to inform Palladium and Dreyer that I, unfortunately, could not make it to a late evening audition as I was so tied up with the colour film work. The result was - fortunately for me - that Dreyer did choose me in the end anyway. It turned out to be a very harmonious collaboration between us. We quickly connected with each other, both as professionals and as humans. We quickly got into a routine: while the actors got dressed and were prepped, Dreyer and I went to the set to prepare the activities of the day, especially with respect to camerawork. I had noticed that Dreyer had prepared everything ahead of time, at home, in his screenplay. So I just couldn't help it, I had to ask him why he had prepared so much ahead of time considering he was always so willing to scrap everything once we were in the studio the next day. To this he responded that if he some day should for whatever reason feel uninspired or out of it, he could just use what he had prepared at home. I then directed the setup of the lighting and after breakfast we all went on the set and could start the rehearsals and start shooting the action.

When Dreyer, 10 years later, was to make Gertrud in 1964 it went without saying that I was to be his photographer again. In the meantime there had been much talk about Dreyer possibly making his film about Jesus Christ. I think it was Technicolor in London that was to produce it and I was referred to a lawyer here in town to draft up a contract regarding the film. But due to the Suez Canal crisis at the time the project was abandoned. I was not to be the chief photographer on that project but rather camera operator, the way it is done abroad, and this task I had accepted. I remember while shooting Gertrud that I asked Dreyer who he had in mind for the role of Jesus Christ. Dreyer responded that it wouldn't be a problem, as once we arrived in Egypt he would undoubtedly find the correct person there.

My collaboration with Dreyer always stands before me as the most valuable collaboration I have experienced within my profession. So, it was heartwarming to me when his son called me after his death in 1968 to ask if I was willing to help carry his coffin.

In earlier times in Denmark we had a licensing system that didn't just permit anyone to open a cinema. It is quite correct that Dreyer was given a license to open a cinema, i.e. "Dagmar Bio", right in the center of Copenhagen. This happened while in the middle of shooting Ordet, so of course the film premiered there.

I remember the names of three excellent photographers, they are: Jack Cardiff, Freddy Young, and Jack Hillyard." ---

Thanks to: Jonah Horwitz, Simon Staho, and Andrew Utterson for additional questions - and of course to Mr. Bendtsen for his lovely letter.
(Please let me know if I've forgotten anyone.)