Philip Bech

FRAGMENT | In the cellars of Kronborg, a fully armed Holger the Dane sits quietly sleeping when he is suddenly called into action. Princess Gloriant has fallen into the clutches of the heathen giant Burmand, so Holger must act swiftly. Fortunately, he arrives in time to prevent the abductor from harming his intended victim. Only a fragment of the film has been preserved. In its entirety, it told the tales related in the two legends about ‘Holger Danske and Didrik the Strong’ and ‘Holger Danske and Burmand’. (stumfilm.dk)

The navy captain Avanti Planetaros is inspired by his astronomer-father to travel through outer space to reach other worlds. He becomes an aviator and, along with the young scientist Dr. Krafft, the driving force behind the construction of a space-ship. Despite oppostion from the mocking Professor Dubius, Planetaros gathers a crew of fearless men and takes off. During the long voyage, the crew becomes restless; a mutiny is narrowly avoided. Finally, they reach Mars and discover that the planet is inhabited by people who have reached a higher stage of development, free of diseases, sorrow, violence, sexual urges, and the fear of death. Avanti falls in love with Marya, daughter of the Prince of Wisdom, the head of the Martians. Marya shares his feelings and decides to return with him in order to bring the wisdom of the Martians to the backward Earthlings. (stumfilm.dk)

While on an excursion in the mountains, aging natural scientist, Professor Karker, discovers an idyllic valley. Here, he meets a farmer’s wife, Aase, and her two adult children: the kind-hearted Kavli and his sister Kari, who is a breath of fresh air. Back home, Karker sends his own two spoiled and self-indulgent representatives of modern youth, Thor and Synnøve, on a re-education trip to visit his new friends in Sunshine Valley. (Stumfilm.dk)

Ambrosius Stub is elated when he gets the position as a writer, working for the Baron. This means a steady income and new experiences, as well as various new acquaintances. Among the latter lurks a dangerous infatuation that has fatal consequences for Ambrosius. The film is an adaptation of Chr. K. F. Molbech’s 1877 play of the same name. (stumfilm.dk)

Karen Wang and her beloved Kai Ørn live happily together. However, just as he’s about to propose, a serpent slithers into the paradise: Viggo Eibye, who’s a bad man, also wants to marry Karen. For financial reasons, she says yes to the marriage, but before the wedding day, Viggo Eibye dies in mysterious circumstances. Wang and Ørn are suspected, and two men are put on the case – the brusque detective Engberg and a cunning reporter, who may be able to explain how these cases are actually intertwined. (stumfilm.dk)

The manufacturer Laroque stops at nothing when trying to destroy his enemies, and this time Fréderic Nessières, one of his competitors, is in the line of fire. With his diabolical, hypnotic power, Laroque has snared Nessières’s wife, Madeleine, in his evil web, and she will now do anything to help her husband’s enemy. But even though Laroque’s first plan to ruin Nessières fails, he does not give up. Once he has selected a victim, he will quite literally fight to the death to vanquish them. (stumfilm.dk)

Martha, a war widow, finds a new zest for life when she meets the noble Captain von Tilling. They marry, but before long he, too, is called to war. In his absence, Martha falls into a depression and is hospitalised. Sick with longing and learning that her banking firm has gone belly-up, she leaves the hospital and takes a train to the battlefield to find her husband. (stumfilm.dk)

Young hothead Billy, quick to speak and drifting into a life of crime, has many encounters the community's lay preacher, John Redmond. Billy's conscience stirs as Redmond recounts his life's story. Holger-Madsen supplied three different endings for the film's various releases.

It’s the spring of 1793 and the French Revolution is raging. King Louis XVI had been beheaded in Paris a few months earlier, and the whole of Europe is teetering on the brink of war. Austrian troops move across the country’s northern border, and among many other members of the French nobility who emigrated, Erneste des Tressailles also serves as an officer in the enemy ranks. Although he risks the death penalty for treason, he rides to Trionville Castle to marry his young bride Alaine. The revolutionary troops arrive quickly and storm the castle, but Alaine is determined to save her groom. (Stumfilm.dk)

A detective is hired to watch over the fortune of a rich lady because there have been a lot of thefts in the area lately. A hypnotizing villain is at large!

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)

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)

Alice, the seventeen-year-old daughter of millionaire John Payne, is dying. Doctor Sheldon, deep in grief due to the very recent loss of his wife, reluctantly agrees to help and saves Alice’s life at the very last minute. While he was treating his patient, a fire has broken out in his home, and upon his return the sight of the flames consuming the flower-covered coffin still laid out in the living room takes a heavy toll on his psyche. He is admitted to a mental hospital, where Payne and Alice’s frequent visits help him get back on his feet. But darkness still lurks in a corner of his mind. (Stumfilm.dk)

The poor child Inger must endure trials of an almost biblical nature before her heart can be saved by true love. First, Inger is rejected by the love of her youth, Hans, who chooses a rich man’s daughter instead. Because of this, she gets thrown out into the street by her own mother but finds refuge with an acrobat in a travelling circus. When the circus performer dies in an accident, Inger gives birth to a fatherless child who doesn’t survive the night, for which she is even accused of infanticide. Guilt overwhelms Hans as he hears about Inger’s tragedies. Can Hans’ repentance save the lost Inger? (Stumfilm.dk)

FRAGMENT |The beautiful Margrethe is engaged to the seminarian Bengt Darre, but oh, he’s such a bore. He’s a bit of a dreamer and very pious. She’s cheerful, happy and ready for wild adventures. When he blames her for killing a swan, Margrethe has had enough. She leaves him and finds herself a new man. Bengt becomes a monk and devotes himself to God. However, none of them manage to find happiness. (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)

Jørgen wants to propose to Marie as soon as he has been promoted and can offer her a proper home. Indeed, his future looks promising until his father, who is a bookkeeper in the town bank, tells Jørgen that he has embezzled and spent money from the bank. In order to uphold his father’s honour, Jørgen must raise the missing amount, and the only one he knows with that much ready money is his uncle, the canny merchant Ole Konge, whom his father detests. Ole Konge will only help if Jørgen marries his daughter Amalie, who has long pined for her cousin from afar. Sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of his family, Jørgen enters into a loveless marriage. He thinks about Marie every day until a dramatic incident makes him see Amalie in a new light. (Stumfilm.dk)

FRAGMENT | Karl of Riise must say goodbye to his beloved Rigmor when he’s summoned by King Valdemar. He must take a message of reinforcements to the oppressed warriors in Estonia. Shortly after his arrival, Karl is captured by the pagan enemies, and King Valdemar quickly sets off with his best men to free his countryman. (Stumfilm.dk)

Medical student Walter Fahrich has only two goals in life – to become rich and famous. In a dream, he is approached by Mephisto, who offers him exactly those things for ten years. Walther accepts the terms, but later realises that he has made a big mistake. (Stumfilm.dk)

The fragment consists of three scenes from The Old Merchant’s Home. The first scene shows the meeting between a distinguished man (played by Philip Beck), a beautiful young woman, and another man. In the next scene, a train draws up at a platform. A boy is standing in the foreground, looking at the camera. In the last scene, a woman is sitting in a living room, sewing. A man enters and assaults her, but is driven out by someone else, who comes to her rescue. Next, two other people enter the living room. (stumfilm.dk)

Joe, a circus clown, has a chance meeting with a famous French fashion designer, who – enthralled by Joe’s artistic talent – gets him a job in Paris. He quickly becomes the talk of the town, but as we know, wealth and happiness do not always go hand in hand, as opulent big-city living tragically seals the poor clown’s fate. (Stumfilm.dk)

The student Jonas "Luntis" Lundström accepts a position as an informant with trustee Borg at the Högvalla estate. He will teach Borg's son Börje. On his way to the estate, he runs into Harald Mannberg, who is on his way to a maid, Signe Borg. Mannberg tries to buy his way into the estate by assuming the role of informant. Lost.

Musical Magda has three suitors – the insidious bank clerk Hilmer, the kind-hearted Dr. Dyring and the nice supreme court attorney Hatting. Much to Dyring’s annoyance, Hatting is the first to pluck up the courage and propose, and Magda soon becomes Mrs. Hatting. After a few years, she becomes bored of the marriage and decides to leave her husband, children and home in favour of the dishonest Hilmer. However, it doesn’t take long before she takes off her rose-tinted glasses and sees Hilmer for who he really is. (Stumfilm.dk)

A priest's daughter becomes enamoured with an actor, and theatre itself.

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.

In Iceland, the pride and honour of one’s family mean everything. Ørlygur á Borg is the most powerful man in the parish, and his son Ormarr is a man of action with a firm sense of justice, predestined to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, Ormarr has other plans for his life, and when one day he sets out for Copenhagen to study, his tyrannical brother takes advantage of the situation, seizing the farm and the role of ruler in the parish. (Stumfilm.dk)

Shipowner Holm’s young wife Grete has a head full of romantic ideas. Holm is particularly irritated by her interest in the poet Lorens Bøllemose, who has almost moved in with the couple. With the help of a friend, he plots a shipwreck during an excursion on the Øresund. Stranded on a deserted island with both men, Grete comes to realise that she prefers her manly spouse to the romantic poet. (stumfilm.dk)

You can't necessarily use literature to solve a murder. That’s what the avid reader of detective novels, Astrid, will realise when she tries to imitate her novel heroes in a creepy murder mystery. Although her skills as a private detective fall short, she still learns a lot from her attempts. Such as that a charming policeman can be as good as any Sherlock Holmes, both in crime and in love. (Stumfilm.dk)

Everything is peace and quiet at the family Kemp's house in Sønderborg, but danger is lurking outside their doors. The war has just begun, and the young Valdemar Kemp goes away to fight for his mother country. The Danish soldiers put up a brave fight on the battlefield, but the German army is to strong. One after the other, Valdemar's friends are slaughtered, and his hopes of reuniting with his girlfriend and family slowly fade. (stumfilm.dk)

The year is 1820 and a young, promising artist, Olaf Malm, has settled in Rome, Europe’s centre of art at the time. He is in love with Sigrid, but class differences make their love impossible. Olaf Malm dies in a tragic accident; he allegedly drowns in the Tiber, but his body is never found. Sigrid gives birth to their lovechild, and twenty years later history repeats itself: their son, Henry, who has never known his real parents, loves a woman who is far above him in social rank. Fate brings him back to Rome, where his parents loved and lost each other many years before. (stumfilm.dk)

The film is the second 1910 film adaptation of Heiberg’s classic about foundling children, superstitions and star-crossed lovers. Near Elves’ Hill (Elverhøjen) lives Karen, a superstitious farmer’s wife, with her daughter Agnete. Agnete and the noble Sir Ebbesen are very much in love, but to their great sorrow Ebbesen is betrothed to the noble-born Elisabeth Munk. But not everything is as it seems. For Karen is not Agnete’s real mother: she found the baby girl on Elves’ Hill the very same night that the infant Elisabeth Munk, goddaughter of King Christian IV, disappeared from her parents’ home. When King Christian arrives in the area where his goddaughter’s wedding is to take place, he becomes something of a detective and sets out to untangle the entire mystery. (stumfilm.dk)

This film was plagiarized - almost scene by scene - by Nordisk Film Kompagni who released their version only a few months later (2. August, 1910) with the exact same title!.

Michael von Straeten is an unscrupulous financier whose harshness and cynicism have earned him the nickname ‘The Tiger’. He destroys his enemies with no mercy and no regrets, watching calmly when his victims come close to starving to death. Will von Straeten see the error of his ways when he is brought face to face with all the evil deeds of his life? Or is it too late for von Straeten to make amends for the lives he has ruined, escaping the ultimate punishment on Judgement Day? (stumfilm.dk)

A spectacular theatre event will take place when the famous actor Axel Steiner will stage the opera "Tosca" with his favorite pupil Magda Irving in the title-role. But there is a dark cloud hanging over the opera house.

When the rich man’s son Egil falls in love with the poor showgirl Rigi, his family is sceptical. They think that she’s not a good match for him, and perhaps they’re right. Just as the young couple’s fortunes are on the up, the bride-to-be disappears without a trace, and Egil is plagued by doubt: Was Rigi his true love, or was he just blinded by her beautiful yet mysterious maiden eyes? (Stumfilm.dk)

Hans and Elinor are in love, but have to meet clandestinely to avoid the keen eyes of the headmistress at the home for girls where Elinor lives. When they are discovered, they seek refuge in a Chinese gazebo used by the vagabonds Pat and Patachon as a cheap summer residence. However, the two vagabonds quickly vacate the premises to let the young couple stay there. As a thank you, Hans, who is a sailor, enrols Long and Short as part of the crew on his rich uncle’s boat and invites the entire girls’ institute and its headmistress on a sailing trip. In disguise, Hans hopes to spend some time with Elinor, but once again they fail to deceive the headmistress. Long and Short now come upon the idea of hiring a brickworks, whose owner turns out to be Elinor’s uncle. But mysterious things happen at the factory, which does not make entirely ordinary bricks, and Long and Short find themselves caught up in yet another heady drama. (stumfilm.dk)

The old Italian Guido Bruzzio and his granddaughter Mona have ended up in one of the big cities in the Nordic countries, where he runs a plaster business. He has found a couple of tenacious helpers who go to work with life and desire.

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!

When Consul Bjørn is unexpectedly summoned to a meeting in town, he leaves his wife home alone in their luxury villa. At the same time, a cunning criminal has escaped his pursuers. His gang of robbers overpower the consul, steal his clothes, and the ‘Face Thief’ impersonates the consul so that he can rob the family. But justice is served in the end, and the identity theft is revealed. (Stumfilm.dk).

The rental barracks ‘The Seventh Heaven’ is a small world in itself. Strong Ole, Red Lotte and Lise Holm, who works at the chocolate factory, live here. In a tiny room up under the attic the two tramps reside. Pat and Patachon. And when Lise gets into trouble with her brutal ex-husband, the two friends are ready to help. (Stumfilm.dk).