Benjamin Christensen
Benjamin Christensen (internationally also as Benjamin Christie ) (born September 28, 1879 in Viborg , Denmark , † April 2, 1959 in Copenhagen ) was a Danish film director .
Life
Christensen had initially studied medicine before he trained as a singer and actor, and in 1901 was engaged at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. He interrupted his stage career due to a serious illness and then became a champagne and wine wholesaler. In 1913 he took over the Dansk Biografkompagni in Hellerup , for which he had worked as a screenwriter and actor from 1911.
His debut film " Det hemmelighedsfulde X " (Eng. The mysterious X ), shot by Nordisk Filmgesellschaft in 1913 , for which he also wrote the screenplay, is one of the best of the early days of film. The play of light and shadow, the use of backlit photography, and the inclusion of a single lamp in a dark room were unprecedented in its time. The film was a great success not only artistically but also financially. The following film, Revenge! (" Hævnens nat ") from 1916, which he also realized almost entirely by himself. With him he also became known in the USA.
With the 1921/22 created " Häxan " ( Eng . Witches ) Christensen created a forerunner of horror films . The semi-documentary film tries to use the medieval belief in witches to draw an analogy to modern “mental illnesses” such as kleptomania or hysteria . Although the plot of the film is sometimes absurd, it convinces with its imaginative staging. Christensen himself embodied the devil and also wrote the script himself here.
After these three masterpieces Christensen left his homeland Denmark. He initially worked as an actor in several films in Germany, such as in 1923/24 in " Michael ", directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer . In 1923 he made the feature film "His wife, the unknown" with Willy Fritsch in the male lead, followed in 1924/1925 as director and screenwriter "The woman with a bad reputation".
In 1926 he shot his next film in the USA with "The devil's circus", with Norma Shearer in the leading role. "Mockery" with Lon Chaney followed just a year later in 1927 , but the film itself was less convincing. With the three Thelma Todd films "The haunted house", "Seven footsteps to Satan" and "House of horror" made in 1928/29, the series of historically significant works by Christensen ended. He returned to Denmark in the early thirties. After bad reviews, he ended his career as director of a suburban cinema in Copenhagen in 1942.
Movies
- 1914: The mysterious X (Det hemmelighedsfulde X)
- 1916: revenge! (Hævnens nat)
- 1922: Witches (Häxan)
- 1923: His wife, the stranger
- 1924: Michael
- 1925: The woman with the bad reputation
- 1926: The Devil's Circus
- 1927: Mockery
- 1928: The Haunted House
- 1928: The Hawk's Nest
- 1929: The Mysterious Island
- 1929: House of Horror
- 1929: Seven Footprints to Satan
- 1939: Skilsmissens børn
- 1940: Barnet
- 1941: Gå med mig hjem
- 1942: Ladies med de lyse Handsker
Web links
- Benjamin Christensen in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Benjamin Christensen on danskefilm.dk in the Dansk Film Database (Danish)
- Benjamin Christensen on dfi.dk in the Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish)
- Benjamin Christensen's grave site on gravsted.dk (Danish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article at edition-filmmuseum.com
- ↑ Article at filmtagebuch.de
- ^ Benjamin Christensen at filmportal.de
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Christensen, Benjamin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Benjamin Christie (nickname); Christensen, Richard Benjamin (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Danish film director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 28, 1879 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Viborg , Denmark |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 2, 1959 |
| Place of death | Copenhagen |