Directing

Benjamin Christensen

Born September 28, 1879 · Viborg, Denmark

Died April 2, 1959 · aged 79

Benjamin Christensen (28 September 1879 - 2 April 1959) was a Danish film director, screenwriter and an actor both in film and on the stage. As a director he is most well known for the 1922 film Häxan and as an actor, he is best known for his performance in the film Michael (1924), in which he plays Claude Zoret, the jilted lover of the film's title character.

Known For

Häxan

MovieDocumentaryHorror

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.

Seven Footprints to Satan

Seven Footprints to Satan · 1929

Seven Footprints to Satan

MovieCrimeComedy

Before a planned African expedition, Jim's fiancée Eve worries her father's guest plans to steal one of her father's rubies. The couple are kidnapped and held prisoner at a mysterious, creepy house, where strange things are afoot.

The Devil's Circus

The Devil's Circus · 1926

The Devil's Circus

In 1913, Carl is released from prison, where he served a sentence for stealing. Spurned by his circumstance, Carl rejects God and resumes his fast life of crime. Before long, his fate intersects with that of Mary, a devout orphan, prompting a romance and a reevaluation.

Michael

Michael · 1924

MovieDramaRomance

A mature and visually elegant period romance that remains one of the earliest and most compassionate overtly gay-themed films in movie history. Based upon Herman Bang's 1902 novel, Dreyer's Michael refashions the classical Greek myth of Jupiter and Ganymede into a love triangle between an aging artist, Zoret, his protagonist Michael, and Princess Zamikoff, an aristocratic femme fatale as entranced by Michael’s youthful beauty as Zoret is.

Witchcraft Through the Ages

Witchcraft Through the Ages · 1968

Witchcraft Through the Ages

MovieHistoryHorror

Narrated by Beat Generation icon William S. Burroughs, this re-edited and revamped American version of the 1922 Danish classic Häxan features a jazz score and soundtrack featuring violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.

The Mysterious Island

The Mysterious Island · 1929

The Mysterious Island

MovieAdventureScience Fiction

In the peaceful kingdom of Hetvia, Count Dakkar prepares two high-tech submarines to explore the ocean depths. Jealous of Hetvia's bounty and eager for war, the wicked Baron Hubert Falon attempts to steal the two submersibles for nefarious use. An undersea chase ensues, which leads the two rivals, along with Dakkar's daughter and her lover, into a secret world ruled by a race of strange aquatic creatures.

Lady with the Light Gloves

Lady with the Light Gloves · 1942

Lady with the Light Gloves

During World War I, the engineer Torben returns home with secret papers from the Russian Tsar to the courier Tuschin, Torben's best friend. Tuschin is found murdered, however, and to solve the murder, Torben stays at his hotel. Here he meets several mysterious people, not least the breathtaking stenographer Inge. But in the hotel, no one is who they pretend to be.

The Hawk's Nest

The Hawk's Nest · 1928

The Hawk's Nest

Lost 1928 film by Benjamin Benjamin Christensen

Filmography

Sort

Häxan

MovieDocumentaryHorror

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.

Director

Seven Footprints to Satan

Seven Footprints to Satan · 1929

Seven Footprints to Satan

MovieCrimeComedy

Before a planned African expedition, Jim's fiancée Eve worries her father's guest plans to steal one of her father's rubies. The couple are kidnapped and held prisoner at a mysterious, creepy house, where strange things are afoot.

Director

The Devil's Circus

The Devil's Circus · 1926

The Devil's Circus

In 1913, Carl is released from prison, where he served a sentence for stealing. Spurned by his circumstance, Carl rejects God and resumes his fast life of crime. Before long, his fate intersects with that of Mary, a devout orphan, prompting a romance and a reevaluation.

Director

Michael

Michael · 1924

MovieDramaRomance

A mature and visually elegant period romance that remains one of the earliest and most compassionate overtly gay-themed films in movie history. Based upon Herman Bang's 1902 novel, Dreyer's Michael refashions the classical Greek myth of Jupiter and Ganymede into a love triangle between an aging artist, Zoret, his protagonist Michael, and Princess Zamikoff, an aristocratic femme fatale as entranced by Michael’s youthful beauty as Zoret is.

Claude Zoret

Witchcraft Through the Ages

Witchcraft Through the Ages · 1968

Witchcraft Through the Ages

MovieHistoryHorror

Narrated by Beat Generation icon William S. Burroughs, this re-edited and revamped American version of the 1922 Danish classic Häxan features a jazz score and soundtrack featuring violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.

Director

The Mysterious Island

The Mysterious Island · 1929

The Mysterious Island

MovieAdventureScience Fiction

In the peaceful kingdom of Hetvia, Count Dakkar prepares two high-tech submarines to explore the ocean depths. Jealous of Hetvia's bounty and eager for war, the wicked Baron Hubert Falon attempts to steal the two submersibles for nefarious use. An undersea chase ensues, which leads the two rivals, along with Dakkar's daughter and her lover, into a secret world ruled by a race of strange aquatic creatures.

Director

Lady with the Light Gloves

Lady with the Light Gloves · 1942

Lady with the Light Gloves

During World War I, the engineer Torben returns home with secret papers from the Russian Tsar to the courier Tuschin, Torben's best friend. Tuschin is found murdered, however, and to solve the murder, Torben stays at his hotel. Here he meets several mysterious people, not least the breathtaking stenographer Inge. But in the hotel, no one is who they pretend to be.

Director

The Hawk's Nest

The Hawk's Nest · 1928

The Hawk's Nest

Lost 1928 film by Benjamin Benjamin Christensen

Director

His Wife, the Unknown

His Wife, the Unknown · 1923

His Wife, the Unknown

MovieDramaRomance

A war blind painter marries his nurse. But after he can see again through an operation, he does not recognize her. Then she decides to leave him in order to return to his service under a different name. Only when the painter falls in love with her as a stranger to him, she reveal herself.

Director

Blind Justice

Blind Justice · 1916

MovieDramaThriller

On New Year's Eve, convicted murderer Strong Henry escapes from prison and collects his son from the orphanage. When he breaks into a local manor to get some milk for his child, he's surprised by a young woman, Eva. Out of pity, she decides to help the stranger, but unfortunately some of the other occupants contact the police. Fourteen years later, Henry is released from prison. Convinced that Eva betrayed him, he sets out to take revenge and find his son.

Director

Come Home with Me

Come Home with Me · 1941

Come Home with Me

MovieDramaFamily

Attorney Helene Hannøe forms close relationships with her troubled clients while trying to solve their problems.

Director

Mockery

Mockery · 1927

During the tumultuous days of the Russian Revolution, Countess Tatiana Alexandrova must leave Siberia and travel to Novokursk in disguise, for fear of being attacked by Bolsheviks. She enlists the help of the peasant Sergei to get her there safely. They bond, and when they finally arrive at the palace, she reveals herself. Sergei is given work there, but influence from the Bolsheviks makes him contemplate turning Tatiana over to the revolutionaries.

Director

House of Horror

House of Horror · 1929

House of Horror

MovieMysteryComedy

House of Horror is a 1929 American comedy-horror mystery film directed by Benjamin Christensen. The film stars Louise Fazenda and Chester Conklin and was released in both a silent and sound version which featured a Vitaphone soundtrack with talking sequences, music and sound effects. Both the silent and sound versions of House of Horror are now presumed lost.

Director

The Haunted House

The Haunted House · 1928

The Haunted House

MovieHorrorComedy

Four heirs to a family fortune are summoned to appear at the family estate for the reading of the will, where they meet the estate's staff, which includes a nurse, a crazed doctor, and a sinister handyman.

Writer

The Mysterious X

The Mysterious X · 1914

The Mysterious X

MovieMysteryDrama

Not long before marine officer Lieutenant van Hauen goes off to war and heavy-heartedly leaves his family, he coincidentally discovers that his wife has a secret liaison with the dubious Count Spinelli. However, what the van Hauens don't yet know is that the sleazy Spinelli has a hidden agenda.

Director

Children of Divorce

Children of Divorce · 1939

Children of Divorce

We are in New York. A young Danish girl has a conversation with the Danish-American Mr. Lang. It is understood that she loves his son and that he has sent the young man to London because he thinks they are both too young. Furthermore, it is clear from the conversation that he is about to file for divorce. The young girl is worried about how his little daughter will fare - despite her youth, she has had bitter experiences herself, and she tells Mr. Lang her story.

Writer

Helgeninderne

Helgeninderne · 1921

Danish horror movie from 1921

Director

The Child

The Child · 1940

MovieFamilyDrama

A young couple face a crisis when they experience an unexpected, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, touching on themes of unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortion.

Director