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| Denmark 1910-1919 |
Asta Nielsen is probably the greatest Danish film star. However, she only starred in four Danish films 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. In the Danish films she starred with the greatest Danish male protagonists of the period: Poul Reumert, Valdemar Psilander and Alf Blütecher. The Abyss is regarded by many 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. “In terms of… expression and versatility I am nothing compared to her.” Greta Garbo “Asta Nielsen is the only female artist in film who can be considered outright as a genius and whose artistic achievements have the unforced quality of natural events. Everyone who has ever enjoyed the pleasure of her friendship knows that she, like all the other real greats in the world of art, is also a significant human being whose exceptional sense of humor and deep wisdom about life are without parallel.” – Paul Wegener The Abyss (Afgrunden). A landmark for
being the film that made Asta Nielsen internationally known, simultaneously
promoting the idea of film as art. It was shot under the most primitive
conditions on sets constructed in a prison yard. She plays a young music
teacher who is lured into the nomadic life of the circus by a performing
cowboy with a roving eye. In an extraordinary scene, she literally lassos
him, then in the scandalously erotic “gaucho dance” expresses
her passion and desperation. “Her style was in direct opposition
to the reigning technique of exaggerated gesticulation – a restrained,
naturalistic style riveting attention on her expressive face.”
– Robert C Allen. The Black Dream (Den sorte Drøm). Nielsen’s second Danish film again displays both a screenplay and acting style surprisingly mature in comparison with other films of the time. She plays a circus star who is blackmailed by a wealthy jeweler. Towards the Light (Mød Lyset )
Asta portrays the flirtatious daughter of a countess whose escapades
are contrasted with a parallel plot about a priest dedicated to helping
the poor. She too flirts with the poor – literally, causing the
suicide of a would-be suitor from the lower classes. Following a conversion
at her mother's deathbed she becomes a lay priest. Short of a Carl Dreyer
at the helm, perhaps only Asta Nielsen could pull off this type of melodrama
with dignity; indeed, the film is of interest precisely for her refined
performance. |
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