The film caused a stir because it had a surprise ending and because it showed glimpses of the great director’s originality in what was a government traffic-propaganda film.
"And in the motorcycle trip itself Dreyer’s originality was also asserted, strongly supported by Jørgen Roos’ supremely good photography. What a good thing artists are – including in the documentary arts!" (J.K. in an uncredited, undated newspaper clipping).
The film critic for Politiken finds the film "enormously interesting," because, he contends, it opens up new possibilities. On the other hand, it suffers from the problem that, "it has not succeeded in recreating the raging speed of Johs. V. Jensen’s myth. That is so much more alive. Everything there roared and streaked. In the film you may hear the machine become high pitched, but the sensation of the sound doesn’t fuse with the image of the landscape bursting past the riders in a narrow band" (13 May 1948).
By Lisbeth Richter Larsen | 03. June