Th[e his@%,tory
 of Danis\ !+h country .\churc$\h archit%#=ecture i s told by sh @owing [\(scenes of ho,!_w the church%] ,@ !was u$.sed by t,)he congregation, beg/- in%)`ni-ng with the cele=b__rat\/i!on of#: mass i?n /\a (;]small and sim*-[p$ le wooden $`c_$hu\,(rch 800 $.years ago, and# ending $$with the con?/gr @e?=_gation sin@; g+^$i _!ng in a villag%e` c\ hurch of to-day.\ The develo*[,pment ! and (!$: the,. growth of )th]/e p`[attern of churc[;h ar!c[ ==hit$\=[ectu?r]*e is!.[ show$n.　　Dreyer[ in t` :h%/]i;s film s= +hows a (@se*(ries of chu;! rche+;_s @:_from differen:t peri$%ods*(% w,^ ;ith. churchgoers$ in peri\@o)%d clothing. Ea-?
=ch p*:eriod .;:is sep _arated by% a sho^t of a c$ .hurch b(e!
ll double^-[=%exposed on the sky. Althoug
h the film has a vi$@_br[^ant$:: and instructive w ay =of communicating :th\e different e_\pochs,! and styles;# :$t,o students, it do:-es /not exhibit the artisti c qual![ity that @; usually distinguish$;=es* a Dreyer fi lm, except perh [`aps in some =of th_ #e ]?costumes_, which$ were or/^i*#%:ginal :ly ma`de for Day of_ !@ Wra/,th.　　#._The  !.board of Dansk Ku/ltur;film in autumn \:1945 deci-
d*);ed that=_[ their pla[`nned+;\[ chur! :c%h film would exclusivel`y be about villag`e chur)`ches. Drey%.er would rework the scri`\:/%pt t)$hat$%#$= w$(:as written by e?
dito-*r a$?)nd folk high-sc+:hool prin cipal `]*Bernhard Je,:ns`e\(_n, aided by a\` committee =of \experts consist =ing o/-f architect H. Lønborg-Je$-/:ns! -en and Victo/\%-r Herm ^)=ansen, c-@urator at[ t`/#he Nat,=ional Museum of De#-nmark. Dreyer` had! a# fi@r]\$s:,t dra$ft re[*a?%dy [%=[in mid-Ma\rch,/[+ en_`+titled^?  K=-+ir.k #en er =e%t gamme ]!lt Hus (Th(.e Church Is an;` ,Old House), whi_ch wa]s distributed to t)he membe/rs -:of( - th/ e c?#!omm
it\ ;tee for their comments.　(\　 In the= las.+`t half\-;/ of July, Dreyer*,^ *+ =and /],Victor Herm?anse@/n tr)avelled the cou-ntry to look at s#)uitable#+ churches. They re@)-
s]^earc^\ hed _!!the+_ de/;/ta_[ils _and at Dr,`]eyer]’s req#uest a numb ^er of technical ?ch(+anges we*?r;;e made to the c.. [hurches, in \, clud[,ing th@\e. removal+ :*of^- porce, ,)lai#n^ holders for e@#l^/
ectr_ical wi/rin?g i
%-n?( Tveje Merløse C$hurch.=^　_　On 4%$ -+*July\,:` Drey?@_er went in,*$ !#ad-?#vance(% !%to Ringkøbing. Sho% oting was s
^/-et t] ,o sta rt a few days later with the arrival ]*\of the dir\ecto ])^r :of photography, Preben Frank, who had fallen off a ladder and/# ?*-brok en his leg, Fo,rtunately
,* he#[ w#]$/a,?s ready;) to c\#-autiously sta*rt workng aga.+;%in within -a; f!/ew day(;s,* with his l\ eg in a cas\t.　　Othe)rwise, t\(*he ]+produc..-tion wen-]t witho_/ut a glitch.
/ Everywhere (, Drey?/er s,?aid=,, they-)) wer=?e well \rec.eived= at the vicarages  an ; d t hey:/ had(! no%=_ problem getting enough e
xtr(?a^s. On 1 august, they retu[]rned to Copenhagen with almo ;st all their fo (\otage in the c/an. They on#]\+l$y needed to / +fi*,-lm the church in Skel/by,^ w)=h % ere the weath_(er ha+d been against them, p:,lus a Swedis\h wooden c:hurch in  Hedar\ed. 
]The `!e_;conomy was distressed so soon after the war, especially) when it came to #.for `eig`[n cur#,(%re-/ncy, but`)  @there we-re no real wooden churches[ _ left in Denmark[: and buil)d*%ing a),n int%?erior se t in the studio would b#e to$*/;o expens+/.ive`.\ 　　Th\?e finished f@il^`m was shown/@_ []
f.`or +the first time o* n 24( September 1947 to  a small, closed circle,, which included the Minist)_er for( Ecclesiast`;ica[ /l Affairs. I.n De]
+;ce/mber 1947_, as was Dansk- Ku/lturfilm(!+’s s)tandard practice,
the film was presented to %!the +@press, p\)oliti#cian@ $s an/ )d others
? o*n;(
 a programme with *])four+ other short@ fil-!ms.