Another Danish circus movie from 1912. Valdemar Psilander radiates star quality as a wealthy man who finds himself reduced to performing horseback stunts under the big top to make ends meet. Very similar to Alfred Lind's Pride of the Circus from earlier in the year in that both feature a fire and an attempted tightrope walk (or telegraph wire walk in this case) escape. Plenty of action, but it doen't make a lot of sense - particularly with no English subtitles...
2 Reviews
Sensational
Cineanalyst7 May 2005
Denmark's premiere actor of the day, Valdemar Psilander, stars in this early "sensational" picture--a fine example of one of the more popular types of films made during the height of Denmark's film industry (Nordisk primarily being that industry). Films became longer, darker (in themes and lighting), and more sensationalistic, influencing especially the great periods in Swedish and German cinema. Sensational films are said to have begun with "Den hvide slavehandel" (The White Slave Trade) of 1910. Another example is Urban Gad's "The Abyss" released the same year. Their story-lines are lurid, often sexual, with exciting action and all that superficially intriguing jazz. In this film, as was common, there is little attention given to story or plot. Of what story there is serves merely to loosely connect pulpy episodes such as an escape from a burning hotel, a liaison with a promiscuous woman and a dangerous circus act with a horse.
It doesn't have the sort of desired effect anymore; I wasn't thrilled, enthralled or shocked. I wasn't expecting to be, of course; this is now a relic. The filming of a few scenes is interesting. There is one with low-key lighting (the cheating scene). As well, the rather quick editing in the fire scene is somewhat unusual, appropriately, and perhaps unavoidably, diverging from the general practice of long takes. Viewing this within the context of film history, I was, at least, not bored.
It doesn't have the sort of desired effect anymore; I wasn't thrilled, enthralled or shocked. I wasn't expecting to be, of course; this is now a relic. The filming of a few scenes is interesting. There is one with low-key lighting (the cheating scene). As well, the rather quick editing in the fire scene is somewhat unusual, appropriately, and perhaps unavoidably, diverging from the general practice of long takes. Viewing this within the context of film history, I was, at least, not bored.
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