Aage Hertel

Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious-- instead it's a witches' brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous.

A peace-loving prince and his followers dream of eternal peace – pax aeterna. So far, they have been successful only within the realm. When the neighbouring state declares war, the prince’s heart stops beating. Is the vision of global peace just a naive dream, or will his followers be able to see it through? (stumfilm.dk)

The opium smoker Hugo is the youngest son of Baron von Kaufmann, who also is a victim of the drug habit. Hugo is insanely jealous of his older brother Ernest. When Ernst's engagement with beautiful Henny is announced at a costume ball Hugo he gets furious. Observed by his valet he is calmed down. Hugo's valet see's his opportunity to strengthen his position. The film was banned in Denmark. Instead it opened in Finland.

The circus clown Joe Higgins is scouted by a world famous artist agent, who promises him fame and fortune. Joe takes the offer on one condition: His fiancèe Daisy and her parents are coming with him. Soon, Joe finds himself performing on the biggest stages in the city, enthralling his audience night after night. But the glamorous life in the big city is no fairy tale after all.

The first of the Danish crime films about a master criminal with 9 fingers.

Boarding school friends Edith and Yvonne's intimate friendship is put to the test by fate in this tragic love triangle. Their paths diverge when Edith's father dies and she has to move back home to her mother. Years pass, Edith marries a handsome officer, while Yvonne pursues an artistic career. Time and again she declines Edith's invitations to come and live with her and her officer, Kai Hornung. When she finally comes to rest for a few weeks, sparks fly between Yvonne and Kai – and the drama ends with bloodshed. (Stumfilm.dk).

The old, rich eccentric James Richard dies and leaves his fortune to his son Walther. But when the deceased’s nephew Philip learns that in the event of Walther’s death, he will inherit the entire fortune, a tragic family drama begins to brew. (Stumfilm.dk)

Georg Jacoby’s Jokeren is a light-hearted entertainment picture set during the carnival in Nice, a romantic comedy with a touch of melodrama. A young artist, fatally injured in a car accident, foolishly entrusts a batch of compromising love letters to Borwick, a crooked and unscrupulous lawyer, instructing him to destroy them. Instead, Borwick proceeds to blackmail the woman who sent the letters, Lady Cecilie Powder, married to the straight-arrow Sir Herbert Powder. Lady Cecilie gets help from her spunky younger sister Gill. In turn, she draws in Peter Carstairs, a debonair adventurer known to all as “the Joker” – the card that trumps all others. When the Joker repeatedly foils Borwick’s schemes, the crooked lawyer ups the ante, trying to incriminate his adversary Carstairs and expanding his demands to include marriage to Gill. But as the characters converge at yet another lavish carnival celebration party, it becomes clear that one card does indeed trump all the others: the Joker!

Family man Poul Berg is tempted by a questionable investement offer and indebts himself to a point where suicide seems like the only way out. His widow struggles to maintain even a simple standard of living for herself and their three children, who are fatally marked by their fathers deed. (stumfilm.dk)

The artistic cyclist Gaumont, his girlfriend Baptista, and their partner Rosa arrive in town with their travelling circus. Rosa is secretly in love with Gaumont, and to her great delight, she gets the opportunity to travel alone with him when Baptista gets injured and is bedridden. The two of them grow closer in secret, but the clown Pierre, who has set his sights on Baptista, gossips about the lovebirds for his own gain, thus igniting a fatal thirst for revenge in the betrayed. Stumfilm.dk

A Danish crime film about a master criminal with 9 fingers.

When the robber Friedrich Blaske is pardoned after thirty years behind bars, he steps into a new and unfamiliar world. Although the former criminal has become an old and good-natured man, he encounters only disgust and fear from those he meets. He seeks out his sister Anna and her family, but they want nothing to do with him. Shunned and lonely, he flees to the forest to find peace. (Stumfilm.dk)

Sir William's daughter Polly and the forest warden’s son George are best friends and quite inseparable. As they mature beyond the carefree days of childhood, their disparity in rank and status looms larger between them, and George puts aside his dreams of sharing the rest of his life with Polly. Instead, he meets a dancer, Stella, who moves with him when he himself is employed as a forest warden at Carlton Manor, the count’s estate. The solitude of the forest is a far cry from the bright lights and gaudy spectacle of the theatre, and when Stella meets some acquaintances from her old life, she is torn between who she really is and who her loved one thinks she should be. At the same time, Polly discovers that her feelings for George are more than friendly. (stumfilm.dk)

A curse by ancient spirits haunts the living in ‘The House of Fatal Love’. In spite of his young age, Count Eric Denton is very angry and jealous, which frightens his beautiful wife. Eric is to inherit a castle from his dying uncle. On his deathbed, the uncle tells Eric of the terrible misdeeds of their ancestors, which brought a curse upon the family. After a restless night, Eric wakes up to a true nightmare: he discovers his wife’s lifeless body. Could it be that she’s died by his own accursed hand? The film appears heavily fragmented. Read the full plot in the cinema programme below. -stumfilm.dk

Danish horror movie from 1921

Countess von Würzen is of a certain age, but she still captivates the men she meets on her way. When her daughter Elsa announces her engagement to the young, handsome Leopold von Raven, the countess suddenly feels the years creeping up on her. So she cannot help herself when, at the engagement party, she finds Leopold suddenly leaning in towards her. (Stumfilm.dk)

Of the films that Psilander made at Nordisk during the first two years it is the film Dødsspring til Hest fra Cirkuskuplen (The Great Circus Catastrophe), that is worth noting. Maybe not so much for Psilander's acting, but for the sensational, action-packed storylines that he was in. This film shows the other side of Psilander's fame: his daring. He was an excellent rider and looked fantastic in long riding boots and elegant riding jackets and this skill was exploited in his films.

Rowly's is one of London's largest stores. Thousands of customers throng the store's stairs and elevators day after day. The gold stream flows incessantly through all the store's offices and rooms, finally ending up in the Rowlys' bank. But the Rowly family has become poor in members - there is only one left, twelve-year-old John. Despite his wealth, he has no control over his person. He has to obey Aunt Fanny.

A Nordisk crime short film.