Original subtitles

This reconstruction of Carl Th. Dreyer's movie Water from the land from 1946

is made on the basis of a gallery of stills and unedited audio recordings.

Water from the land

- Tell me, Mr engineer, where do water come from? - From the sky.

- I thought it came from the ground. - No. Water comes from the sky.

- But how? - Water soaks down into the ground and is later pumped back up.

- Sorry, I do not get it. - It is not so difficult.

- Water soaks into the ground until it reaches an impermeable layer of soil.

Here it remains. This layer of water is called the groundwater.

- I see. But then the water must be very dirty after soaking through the soil?

- I figured you would not understand. Groundwater is very pure and germ-free.

- I do not get it. - I will explain.

As rainwater soaks down it is filtered such that it contains no germs.

- You whistle every time you understand something? - Precisely.

- So wells are made to bring up the groundwater? - Exactly.

- That is great. - I could be, but it is not.

- Why not? - The doctor will explain that.

- Hello Mr Doctor. - Hello.

*Scene missing* - Countryside wells are in poor shape.

- Is that so? - Yes. Today one half of the countrymen drink insanitary water.

- Please repeat. - Half the countrymen drink insanitary water on a daily basis.

- That sounds scary. - It is.

- But why is this so? - Most places the wells are in a wretched state.

- What is that? - That is Ole Hansen's farm in Kvieb�k.

- Why do we go there? - I want to show you a poor well.

- That sounds interesting? - It will be. I promise.

- Let us lift the well cover.

- That is disgusting. - Exactly. Look at the wood-louses.

- I hope they do not fall into the well. - They probably will.

- There is an earthworm. - It might also fall into the well.

But you will see much worse sights. - Let us close the well again.

- Yes. Let us look at the cover itself.

- It is a little worn. - I would rather say rotten.

And it is covered in dirt. - Where do the dirt come from?

- You will see.

- Oh, the cat is cute. - Look at the mans feet instead.

- He put his foot in it. - Yes. Now he goes to the well.

- Is she washing diapers? - Yes.

- Now she steps in the dirty water. - She is probably heading for the well.

- Probably.

- Oh, he is in dire straights.

- Or a sick person transmitting his germs to the well.

- Yes.

A heartwarming room.

- There is a bucket. It has to be emptied.

- Where does he take it? - Probably to the dung heap as usual.

Trouble arises if there is a sick person on the farm.

Because sooner or later the germs of the sick person will go to the well.

- May I see inside the well? - Certainly.

- Crikey! - That is just a dead rat.

- Yikes. It does look sick as a dog. - You should rather say sick as a rat.

- And what is that? - A toad.

It will probably fall down to the rat. - They would make a nice couple.

- Do you see the slimy walls? - Where do all that moisture come from?

- It seeps in from the surroundings. The engineer knows more about this.

- The dung heap lies near the well.

This is pictures of the real dung heap.

- What is on the other side of the well?

- That is a sewage pipe. - Is there anything wrong with it?

- You will see. - Perhaps the pipes do not seal tightly?

- Bravo. You are starting to catch up. - Thank you.

- See how filth seeps in from both sides. Do you know why?

- Because the walls are not water-tight? - Correct. You get top marks.

- But the water from the faucet is clear. - Do not be fooled.

Clear water can contain many germs. Many illnesses can spread through water.

Typhoid, paratyphoid, Weil's disease, dysentery, even infantile paralysis.

- Yikes!

- Is she washing strawberries? - Yes. In water from the dung heap.

- She is not aware of that. - No. Fortunately for her.

She does not know either, that she brushes teeth in sewage water. - No.

- It is washing day. - If he just knew about the dead rat.

- Yikes!

"Cleanliness is a good thing", ... - the woman thinks, while she cools...

...the bathing water with dirty water.

Watch this.

The germ-filled sponge goes into the mouth. - Yikes!

- How do you know, that the water is full of the germs?

- That can be seen with a microscope. Do you want to see? - Yes please.

That is a funny chap. - That is the rotifer.

- I see. - That is the rotifer's wife.

- I see, the small one.

- In a moment a nasty fellow will turn up. Watch.

There he is. It is the sludge worm. - He would be nice to have in your cup?

- Indeed. The water contains germs, when these three animals are present.

- The danger is imminent. - Countless dangers exist, when germs are present.

- Are you not exaggerating? - Absolutely not.

- Suppose the water is used to clean milk cans, then...

...typhoid germs will get into the milk.

- Then what will happen? - In ten hours a single typhoid germ...

...can multiply into a million.

- Blimey! - Yes.

Here you see the result. An epidemic breaks out.

*Typhoid in Kvieb�k*

*The epidemic in Kvieb�k grows* *167 cases last week*

*Source of infection in Kvieb�k found* *Typhoid germs in the milk from Ole Hansen's farm*

- Something should be done. - Of course.

*The milk epidemic in Kvieb�k* *Typhoid germs came from well water* - But what? - It is best to build small waterworks.

- Is that not very expensive?

- No. A waterworks for 20 farms costs 15000 Kr.

- How do you get such a waterworks? - The community can seek help from...

...the country commission. Then a well driller and a suitable spot is found.

- What is the tube used for? - The tube is stuck into the ground.

Inside the tube a chisel hammers the earth loose.

Afterwards a pump is lead into the tube and the loose earth is sucked up.

- What happens when the good groundwater is found?

- Then a waterworks is built on top of the hole.

- What is happening? - The water is aerated and iron is removed.

- Here it is filtered and pumped out to the farms. - I see.

- It is my turn! Owing to waterworks countrymen now have running water,...

...bathrooms and showers just like city-dwellers. - That is right.

- The kitchen has hot and cold water.

- Even the cows are serviced. - Then it is not difficult to be a cow?

- No. Exactly.

- Why do we return here? - I will tell you.

Ole Hansen is getting a new well. His farm lies too secluded to receive...

...water from the waterworks. He builds his well properly this time.

He uses water-tight concrete collars instead of bricks.

- Why is the new well not built in the same place as the old?

- So filth from the dung heap and the sewage pipe can not flow into it.

- Now it is my turn again! Do you want to know more?

- Yes. Why do you show this movie to me? It is for the countrymen.

- It is also for city-dwellers. You need to inspect wells when you rent a dacha.

Did you not think of that? - Honestly, no.

- Do you know why he puts mortar between the collars?

- Of course. To seal the furrows so filth can not enter. - Bravo.

- The top of the well must be above the ground so surface water can not enter.

- He is on a roll. - The cover must be of durable concrete.

- Bravo. - The cover must also be sealed to avoid filth coming in.

- He is brilliant. - The well must be placed slightly elevated,...

...so surface water flows from the well. - My hat is off to you.

- Mine is off too.

- Yes, that is water! Real water as we learnt about in school.

Consisting of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.

- Yes. Not like the water from the old well,...

...which consisted of two parts rotifer and one part sludge worm.

The End

Reconstructed by KimerFilm for Det Danske Filminstitut