The Woman Always Pays

This film, "The Abyss", was, reportedly, very popular--sort of inaugurating an important, although often overlooked, period in film history--that of Danish sensational melodramas, which was at its height during the early 1910s. What I consider the best qualities of this era and genre are not really evident in this particular picture: that is, interesting lighting effects, use of mirrors as a self-referential device and impressive mise-en-scène. In "The Abyss", the framing is standard and extremely dated. There's one shot of an approaching train arriving at a station, a la the Lumière brothers' short, which I like to note only because there seem to be many such shots resembling those first films scattered throughout the early silent film era.

What "The Abyss" does have is sensationalism. The sex, including the dance, is part of this, as is "the bad woman" played by Asta Nielsen. And, as with most other such films I've seen, a circus must be involved. Alfred Lind, listed as the cinematographer of this picture, helped further create the sensational circus film genre with "The Flying Circus" (Den Flyvende cirkus) (1912). Moreover, the plotting in these types of films is nearly identical.

Besides being a notably early entry in sensational Danish circus melodramas, "The Abyss" also continues to receive some recognition for launching the screen career of Nielsen, who was an exceptionally popular international star, especially among German audiences. Her acting seems, compared to contemporaries, rather restrained, I suppose-- thankfully forgoing much of the usual theatrics. Overall, "The Abyss" might be worth seeing if you're interested in Nielsen or early Danish cinema.

(Note: Even in the restored Danish Film Institute print, there is considerable deterioration in some scenes.)