Clara Pontoppidan

Documentary on the rise and fall of the Danish silent film industry.

A police lieutenant woman goes undercover into a mansion where a couple maintains a school to teach young women how to catch a man... Especially if they are rich and into marriage. The courses include a number of disciplines, including judo and strip-tease.

No synopsis available yet.

A Chinese diplomat is kidnapped from a conference in Genève and the world peace is at risk. The trail leads to a hiding place in Denmark and the Danish secret service brings in their best agent, agent Smith, who has been in a psychiatric hospital since his last assignment. To accompany Smith they once again turn to novelty and party tricks salesman Frede Hansen, because they need an unrecognizable man to infiltrate the crime syndicate behind the kidnapping.

No synopsis available yet.

A folk comedy for the whole family. The two carefree farm musicians, Poul Otto Madsen and Bernhard Iversen, along with the dog Hannibal, move into the garden houses Nokken on Amager. Shortly afterwards, Bernhard's two children, Anne and Peter, show up after living with his sister in the United States. The children thrive among Nokken's free spirits and helpful people, but the social services want to take them away because the environment is not in the children's best interests (!) - Of course, everything ends as it should. The feisty Olga, owner of the Faldgruben pub, suddenly becomes a mother of two – initially to please the authorities and the children.

In the vicinity of Copenhagen, a group of pensioners live in a very large villa. The owner, Doctor Bach, has invited a colleague, the young master Peter Park , to visit him. They have a common interest that they could discuss during his stay. When he arrives, it is at a most inconvenient time. He is greeted by the doctor's sister, the almost deaf Camilla, who does not understand much of what is going on around her. The doctor has completely forgotten that he invited Park, but he settles him into the villa nonetheless. Here, Park meets the doctor's granddaughter, the young and beautiful Lise Bach (Henriette Normann), to whom he is immediately attracted. When Lise asks her grandfather if he is going out again, the doctor explains that he is going to the cinema with his good friend Friis.

The young sailor Morten returns home from his travels in the midst of the general strike of 1944, where he is confronted with the occupation. He joins a resistance group and actively participates in the struggle. There is no time for relaxation. He must always be on guard. Only with the sweet and charming young Lise can he relax a little and be himself. During a factory sabotage, the group is captured by the Germans.

About a man who takes advantage of his friends and one day comes across an extraordinary painting.

In an old Jewish family in Copenhagen, with its loyalty and close-knit community, there are some challenges when they run into the world outside their family circle.

No synopsis available yet.

Outside the large hotel, there is a lot of activity. It is teeming with foreigners, buses arrive and depart, and indoors the air is filled with foreign languages. But if you look more closely, you will discover that the doorman, hotel porter, waitresses, and waiters are not "real" hotel staff at all, but just students who take on extra jobs in the summer to earn money for their studies and who live in the "hotel" themselves in the winter, which is actually a student dormitory called "Egmont."

At Helene Dragstrup's 20th birthday, her grandmother Margrethe decides that it is time that Helene learns something about life outside the protective walls of the estate.

Six people—three couples—meet by chance at a dance restaurant in Copenhagen's nightlife scene. A marriage swindler and former actress, an elderly Supreme Court lawyer and his wife, and a young couple with equal parts courage and erotic repression. As the evening progresses, the empty champagne bottles pile up. Old inhibitions are cast aside and new connections are formed – and none of the six leave as they arrived.

Since her husband's death, Mrs. Tang has lived and worked exclusively for her two children, Erik and Ester. They are her whole world; her entire existence revolves around them, even though they have long since grown up and now want to live their own lives. Her son is a journalist, and her daughter works at a law firm.

"Parassiterne" is a 1958 TV film based on Carl Erik Soya's 1929 play. The story follows a group of con artists who live parasitically off others, hiding their true nature behind a facade of normalcy. The film is a stark caricature that exposes human nature and the hidden sides of society. Known for its sharp dialogue and in-depth character portraits, DR's 1958 TV adaptation has contributed to its enduring popularity in Danish culture.

It's a warm summer evening in North Zealand. Black clouds are rising over the horizon and threatening thunder. Margit is cycling from the small guesthouse where she has settled down for her summer vacation to a party at a friend's house, which lives a few kilometers away. Margit is wearing a black dress and looks quite stunning, coming there on a bicycle - but it's necessary, because the landlady has decreed that all her guests must wear black - "it looks so good on her white terrace".

The film depicts a series of events that take place in a Copenhagen apartment building while the gate is closed, specifically between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and we encounter a number of human destinies, happy and unhappy, just as in real life.

A satire on movie newsreels combines with humorous narration of silent screen footage in this one reel comedy short.

Grethi Birger is 17 years old - and now stands all alone in the world. Her mother, the great singer, has died in Paris and she has never known his father.

We are in a Zealand village in the years before the reading of the staves. Jacob, the son of alderman Jeppe, goes from farm to farm and blows for the town meeting. Today the farmers are to meet to discuss when to start the rye harvest. The young farmer, who is eager to get started, does not have much confidence that they will be able to agree. When he gets home, he asks his father why they cannot harvest right away. Maybe it will be like last time, when the rye was rotting in the field. He does not understand that they always have to wait for the others. The old farmer gives him a sharp rebuke: "Don't pretend to be smarter than you are!“

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 beautiful but imperious princess refuses all offers of marriage, often condemning her suitors to death. The prince of Denmark comes seeking her hand and, aided by magic objects given to him by a mysterious spirit, seeks to win her love.

The power of Satan is highlighted in four historical tales: the betrayal and subsequent arrest of Jesus, the Spanish Inquisition, the French Revolution and the execution of Marie Antoinette, and the Finnish War of Independence in 1918.

The carefree Countess Evelyn lives a life of luxury at her people’s expense. Even her 25th birthday must be celebrated with a bang, even though the coffers are empty and the people are waiting for their paychecks. The estate’s main creditor, Mr. Darnley, sends an agent to get a grip on the failing finances, but the pressure eventually becomes too much for Evelyn, so she chooses to declare bankruptcy. As the people storm the castle, she and the agent must flee to a hunting lodge in the forest, where Evelyn – in primitive conditions and without a maid – discovers the joy of manual labour. Meanwhile, some romance crops up between Evelyn and the agent, who turns out not to be who he claimed. (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

Hrafnildur, also known as “Hadda Padda", and her sister Kristrun are spending the summer in scenic Breidabol with Hadda Padda’s fiancé, Ingolf. A pleasant time is had by all, until Kristrun and Ingolf can deny their love no longer and Ingolf breaks up with Hadda Padda. Deeply wounded, she plots her revenge. (Stumfilm.dk)

The billionaire Hogan Ford, a modern day Prometheus, is driven to rebellion and revolt against the almighty Creator by his bitter experiences of life.

Director Cordt is in love with the chancellor's daughter Wilda, who unfortunately has a crush on the actor Frits. But Cordt knows: The only way to convince Wilda that Frits isn't the right one for her is to let her find out about the actor's debauchery and financial irresponsibility for herself. Step by step Cordt executes his cunning plan.

A romantic couple's happiness is threatened when the girl's father, a forester, decide to marry her off to a much older man, a valet.

Brothers Paul and Georg Williams' latest invention is of great military importance, and a foreign nation enlist it's most deadly spy, Mylady, to get information about it.

Director Saxilds believes that his son, Gunnar (played by Carlo Wieth), is a splendid young man who stays away from women and temptations, but Saxild is surprised one day when he finds his son in the company of women. Gunnar is then employed in his father's office, where he meets the young girl Tove (played by Clara Wieth). The two initially develop innocent feelings for each other, but one day Gunnar seeks out Tove while he is drunk. She rejects him and he ends up in a seedy pub, where he gets into a fight with other drunks and ends up in the police station. When his father hears about it, he slaps him. But Tove takes care of Gunnar, comforts him, and Gunnar applies for the rescue corps.

Hedvig Rehmer, a widow with a young daughter, marries bank manager Wilhelm Hagberg. But her character is put in question when her daughter's father shows up alive.

No synopsis available yet.

The man-hungry “vampire,” later to be popularized by America’s Theda Bara, made her screen debut in this Danish melodrama directed by August Blom. Clara Wieth starred in the title role of the Vampire Dancer, which is just what she was: a dancer performing her seductions on-stage. Off-stage, the young girl is kindhearted and a bit naïve. The lustful dance, during which Robert Dinesen succumbs to the dancer’s fatal charms, remained the centerpiece of the film, which was a popular success and made Wieth an international star.

Ruth has had a happy childhood until her family falls on hard time. Not wishing to be a burden she decides to get a job but she's having a hard time getting one until she gets the idea to dress up as a boy and get a job as a milkman.

Maria lives with her alcoholic father in a cabin the forest. One day she is seduced by the local land owner after he gives her a ring. Shortly afterwards he decides to leave the area and travel to Stockholm.

On her way to her aunt's house, motherless young Edith is kidnapped by a white slave trader and put in a brothel. Luckily Mr. Faith, Edith's travel acquaintance, senses that something is wrong.

Things are going well for the young ship’s mate Willy. He has just completed his exams with excellent results and, what is more, he has become engaged to his great love, Lilly, a shipowner’s daughter. Her scorned suitor, Mr Bang, a merchant, whose proposal to Lilly was rejected shortly before, is incandescent with rage and hatches a malicious plan to get his rival out of the way. One evening, he lures Willy out to gamble and drink in an obscure harbour pub to get him shanghaied. The plan is to get Willy drunk, make him accept a loan from the pub landlord and sign a receipt which is actually a blank contract committing him to service on board a ship. Bang’s dastardly scheme succeeds, and before Willy realises what is happening, he has become a slave on a half-rotten wreck of a ship, ‘The Octopus’. (Stumfilm.dk)

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).

Mrs. Hellertz is distraught about her son Aage, who – in spite of a good pay and generous support from home – manages to spend every penny on debauchery in the night life. He indebts himself deeply and falls into the clutches of a malicious loan shark who is out for Mrs. Hellertz's fortune. To complicate things further, Aage starts a relationship with the loan shark's beautiful daughter. (Stumfilm.dk)

While holidaying, the beautiful heiress Grace meets the love of her life. Percy Fancourt is a cowboy and hardly a suitable match for a millionaire’s daughter – at least not if you ask her father. Reluctantly, she returns home. Then, a surprising piece of news reaches heartbroken Percy: a huge estate in London has been willed to him as sole heir. Will his newfound wealth make his marriage to Grace possible? (stumfilm.dk)

Upon suddenly losing his fortune, the young Count Berner sets out for New York to try his luck there. With his winning nature and great drive, he quickly advances from being a stevedore to becoming a chauffeur for a well-known millionaire. But when he embarks on a relationship with the millionaire’s daughter Anny, he gets into trouble: another suitor of hers gets jealous and will stop at nothing to get Berner out of the way.(Stumfilm.dk)

The two young officers Edmond and Clayton both fall in love with Rose – the daughter of the Minister of War. When Rose falls victim to a serious accident, Clayton risks his life to save her whereas Edmond cowardly shrinks from helping. As Rose and Clayton become a couple, Edmond's jealousy gets the better of him. (stumfilm.dk)

Edgar the rich man’s son meets Ebba the waitress, and sparks fly. Ebba quickly becomes pregnant, but when the young lovers want to marry, Edgar’s father will stop at nothing to quash the mismatch. (stumfilm.dk)

On a holiday, the family Gram meets a young, mysterious man who turns out to be a Mormon. In spite of her fiancèe's presence, the daughter Nina is drawn to the stranger. Hypnotized, she soon follows his every step. When she finally awakes from her trance, she finds herself on a ship to Utah, in the clutches of a dangerous man. (Stumfilm.dk)

A ravaging epidemic is fast approaching the world city of Atlantica. In his laboratory, the famous doctor Harold Lister works like a maniac on a serum to counteract the deadly plague. His colleague and competitor Whistler labels Lister’s efforts as pure fantasies and even plants seeds of doubt in the mind of Lister’s fiancée, Julia, the daughter of a millionaire. When the plague comes to town carried by a poor woman, Annie Rawlins, Whistler’s claims are put to shame: the serum works. But while Lister works tirelessly to stop the infection in the city, the jealous Whistler breaks into the laboratory and substitutes the serum for a fake. Soon the citizens of Atlantica believe their medical hero to be a fraud. (Stumfilm.dk)

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)

The creative yet debt-ridden inventor Fred must sell his beloved prototype of an aeroplane. Fred’s wife is ill and needs expensive medicine. The buyer is the usurer Frank, who doesn’t understand technology other than a status symbol. Thus, Frank needs a pilot, and Fred swallows his pride and takes the job. On the day of the test flight, a violent storm is brewing. Will Fred’s own invention seal his fate? (Stumfilm.dk)

A handsome young man trades his soul so that his portrait ages while he stays eternally young.

A boy from a poor family grows up to become a successful scientist. The demanding work costs him the love of his life which he bitterly regrets, lying on his death bed. The film was found on four reels in a collection from the local history archive in Aalborg. They were registered as four separate films, but both the style of the intertitles and the actors indicate that the reels belong together. The film's program has not been found, which makes it difficult to identify whether there are parts missing. (stumfilm.dk)

When Eve Vange regains her sight after a successful operation, she falls in love with her saviour – the young ophthalmologist Juel. Her fiancé Ernst, who is both her cousin and a teacher at the school for the blind, sets her free so she can marry the man she loves. However, it doesn’t take long before the marital bliss crumbles and darkness descends on Eve’s life again. (Stumfilm.dk)

At a seaside resort, the artist Armand, the widow Gaspard and her daughter Estelle, as well as the disguised abbot Prevost, trying to get Armand to go to the monastery. Based on the novel Lourdes by Émile Zola.

The son of a poor fisherman and the daughter of a wealthy landlord fall in love, but meet with obstacles to being together. Their happiness meets with objection by her father, who intends to permanently separate them.

Nina turns in a wanted criminal, Carl Weldon, to get the reward and save her ailing mother, who sadly expires before Nina has time to return. Visiting his father in jail, Weldon’s son Victor learns that his father is innocent of the murder for which he has been convicted. Victor rages at the anonymous informer but cannot prove his father’s innocence. A few years later, Nina and Victor accidentally meet, and love blossoms between them. But Nina is racked by guilt. What if Victor learns that it was she who informed on his father? (stumfilm.dk)

A joyful Pas de Deux, performed by Clara Rasmussen and Margrethe Andersen. Clara Rasmussen/Wieth/Pontoppidan (1883-1975) was to become one of the most famous actresses of Danish silent cinema; one of her most notable performances is in Dreyer’s 'Leaves from Satan’s Book' (1921), in which she plays Siri in the last of the four sections. (Stumfilm.DK)