The Danish Village Church was favourably received by the Danish press.
"A very lovely film, though it did seem a bit static" (Information, 17 Dec. 1947). "A sober piece of information work […] an exemplary school film" (Land og Folk, 17 Dec. 1947). "A true culture film with a clear, if slightly schematic, manuscript, though compellingly brought to life by Preben Frank’s photography – behind which one discerned the old master Carl Th. Dreyer’s excellent eye for images" (Berlingske Tidende, 17 Dec. 1947).
Social-Demokraten calls the film "the most captivating" of the films shown, though the writer has a minor complaint: "were one to criticise ever so slightly, one would gripe that the film has a whiff of the dilettantish – poor makeup and costumes." Politiken, too, criticises the film for its "too many staged tableaux in the folk-comedy style."
In January 1948, Albert Mertz, an artist active in the short and experimental film milieu, wrote a review of the film: "An audience member very aptly said about Carl Th. Dreyer’s The Danish Village Church that it smells like a corpse. And it does. Rarely has Dreyer, as in this film, wallowed in death-drive. Preben Frank’s Sunday-scrubbed photography and the ludicrously inserted carnival scenes made the film a complete misunderstanding. A slideshow, eminently suited as a sleeping powder."
By Lisbeth Richter Larsen | 03. June