Blind Justice (1916)
"Hævnens Nat" (original title)

A simple-minded circus strongman, John Sikes, has been wrongly accused of a crime committed by Wilken. On the run with his infant son, he enters an affluent house and seeks help from Ann, ... See full summary »

Director:

Benjamin Christensen

Writer:

Benjamin Christensen

Stars:

Benjamin Christensen, Karen Caspersen, Peter Fjelstrup

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benjamin Christensen	...	Strong Henry / Strong John Sikes (US version) (as Benjmain Christie)
Karen Caspersen	...	Ann (as Karen Sandberg)
Peter Fjelstrup	...	Dr. Richard West (US version) (?)
Charles Wilken	...	Prof. Wilken, elephant trainer (US version) (?)
Ulla Johansen
Jon Iversen
Aage Schmidt
Mathilde Nielsen
Carl Gottschalksen
Grethe Brandes
Elith Pio
Fritz Lamprecht
Osvald Helmuth
Otto Reinwald
Jørgen Lund

Storyline

A simple-minded circus strongman, John Sikes, has been wrongly accused of a crime committed by Wilken. On the run with his infant son, he enters an affluent house and seeks help from Ann, but is taken captive and imprisoned. Fourteen years pass. Ann has married Dr. Richard West. John, a broken man, is released early for good behaviour. He goes to find his son Robert at the orphanage, but the boy was adopted years before. A flashback shows the baby being adopted by Ann. "Slim" Sam Morton runs a ring of thieves specializing in dog-napping. John knows one of them from prison. One of the gang sells a dog to Dr. West. He also steals the keys to West's country house, The Lindens. The thieves burgle the house. In the sack of loot, John finds a box belonging to Ann, the woman he believes betrayed him years before...

---

Plot Keywords:

circus | dog | false accusation | fugitive | written and directed by cast member | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

Denmark

Release Date:

29 January 1917 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night of Revenge

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dansk Biograf Compagni

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One copy with English inter-titles survives.

---

Connections

Edited into Eventyret om dansk film 3: Danske filmstjerner og kometer - 1913-1923 (1996)

User Reviews

Danish Mastery

The second film directed by the Danish film-maker Herr Benjamin Christensen is the story of a circus acrobat, Strong John, wrongly accused of having committed a murder. When he and his child go looking for shelter in a Villa for the night, Ann, a girl who lives there, tries to help him but finally her good intentions are discovered and Strong John is captured. Thinking that the girl has betrayed him, Strong John swears to take revenge on her, namely, to put it in the ordinary Strong John words: "I'll tie a rope around her neck" As happened with his first film, this German Count is again astonished to see how Herr Christensen has mastered film narrative using innovative and unusual techniques for that time ( "Haevnens Nat" ( Blind Justice ) is a 1916 film production )and camera movements full of cinematic invention ( Strong John spying on Damen Anne through the keyhole ) all in the service of a crime melodrama film. The film has a long running time-100 minutes- but Christensen maintains the suspense and the pace in an extraordinary way. The misfortune of Strong John ( Herr Christensen himself )is as masterfully directed as his earlier film. The film has a number of different locations, but the most important one is the Villa. Herr Christensen uses the scenery in a dynamic way, never falling into the error of making a static oeuvre like the filmed theater that was common in many early productions of that time. The villa is where the story begins and where finally this tragic tale of misunderstandings and misfortunes will be brought to an end.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must take a quick look at the Schlöss in order to check that there are not uninvited guests at home.