Asta Nielsen is probably the greatest Danish film star. However, she only starred in four Danish films, all of which are on this DVD: From her breathtaking appearance in The Abyss (1910) to Holger-Madsen's moral tale Towards the Light (1919). Most of Asta Nielsen's career took place in Germany where she starred in almost seventy films in the period 1911-1932, of which only forty are known to survive either complete or in fragments. Obviously the fact that very few of Asta Nielsen's films are available on video or dvd makes it difficult for historians to study the films, but also the fact that many films survive in fragmented form or in different versions adds to the trouble. In the Danish films she starred with the greatest Danish male protagonists of the period: Poul Reumert, Valdemar Psilander and Alf Blütecher, as she was also to star with the greatest German stars in her German production. The Abyss is by many regarded as not only the important debut of Asta Nielsen, but also the film that marks the early 1910's as the golden age of Danish cinema, with its feature length erotically charged melodramas. The Abyss is here presented in a digitally restored version with the inclusion of the Swedish censorship outtakes, dramatically improving the quality of the central erotic dance sequence.
The Films
Afgrunden / The Abyss - Denmark 1910 - Directed and written by: Urban Gad - Cinematographed by: Alfred Lind - Cast: Asta Nielsen, Poul Reumert, Hans Neergaard, Robert Dinesen, Emilie Sannom, Oscar Stribolt - Produced by: Kosmorama - Premiere: September 12, 1910
Balletdanserinden / The Ballet Dancer - Denmark 1911 - Directed by: August Blom - Written by: Alfred Kjerulf - Cinematographed by: Axel Graatkjær - Cast: Asta Nielsen, Valdemar Psilander, Johannes Poulsen, Valdemar Møller, Karen Lund, Emilie Sannom - Produced by: Nordisk Films Kompagni - Premiere: November 16, 1911
Den Sorte Drøm / The Black Dream - Denmark 1911 - Directed and written by: Urban Gad - Cinematographed by: Adam Johansen - Cast: Asta Nielsen, Valdemar Psilander, Gunnar Helsengren, Ellen Holm, Peter Fjelstrup, Ellen Feldmann - Production Company: Fotorama - Premiere: August 19, 1911
Mod Lyset / Towards The Light - Denmark 1919 - Directed and written by: Holger-Madsen - Cinematographed by: Sophus Wangøe - Cast: Asta Nielsen, Augusta Blad, Alf Blütecher, Frederik Jacobsen, Anton de Verdier, Nicolai Neiiendam, Elith Pio, Astrid Holm - Produced by: Nordisk Films Kompagni - Premiere: August 21, 1919
DVD Features
- Afgrunden 1910, 35'
- Balletdanserunden 1911, 45'
- Den sorte Drøm 1911, 56'
- Mod lyset 1919, 55'
- Piano scores by Ronen Thalmay
- Chapter selection
Edited by: Danish Film Institute & Cinematheque
DVD Authoring: Angel DVD
DVD Supervision: Thomas Christensen
