Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer's Day of Wrath (Vredens Dag) is essential viewing for any serious film student, even though it is almost unbearable to watch. The story is set in the 17th century, where the second wife of a Danish parson confesses her love for the parson's son, whereupon her husband drops dead of a stroke. She is accused by the townspeople of witchcraft, a charge taken quite seriously and with horrible results if "proven," as shown in an excruciating opening sequence involving the burning of an old woman. Certain that logic will prevail, the parson's widow goes on trial, but gradually the fear that she will be found guilty overwhelms her. By the time her ordeal has peaked, the audience's horror and hopelessness match those of the protagonist. Even allowing for the aura of raw terror, Dreyer never loses sight of the eroticism inherent in the concept of witchcraft. Based on a play by Wiers Jensen, Day of Wrath was filmed during the Nazi occupation of Denmark and not released abroad until after the war.