Asta Nielsen | WatchedThis
Asta Nielsen
Acting
Biography
Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (1881–1972) is considered one of the most influential figures in early film history. Born on September 11, 1881, in Copenhagen, she grew up in modest circumstances. Her father died when she was young, and the family had to move frequently. Despite these difficult circumstances, Nielsen developed a strong affinity for the stage even as a young girl. She took acting lessons and gained her first experience at small theaters before becoming a mother to a daughter in 1901. The decisive turning point in her career came in 1910 with the Danish film “Afgrunden” (The Abyss). Her passionate, modern performance made her internationally famous overnight. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Nielsen did not act in an overly theatrical manner, but relied on subtle facial expressions and psychologically rich body language. This new style of acting made her one of the first major international stars of silent film. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Germany, where she became one of the most sought-after actresses between 1911 and the early 1920s. Together with director Urban Gad, to whom she was married for a time, she starred in a series of successful films. Nielsen often portrayed strong, independent female characters who challenged social norms—an approach that was both unusual and courageous at the time. Among her best-known works are Die arme Jenny (1912), Engelein (1914), and especially her extraordinary portrayal of Hamlet (1921), in which the title character is raised as a woman. With the advent of sound film, Nielsen increasingly withdrew from the cinema. She was convinced that her expressiveness was better showcased in silent film and later focused on theater work, art, and writing. In 1946, she published her memoirs, “The Silent Muse,” in which she reflected openly on her life and work. Asta Nielsen remained a cultural icon into her old age. She spent her final years living a secluded life in Denmark and died on May 25, 1972, in Frederiksberg. Her influence on the art of film is still felt today: she is regarded as a pioneer of a modern, natural acting style and as one of the first women to possess true star power in the international film industry.
Filmography Movies
Acting
Den talende muse - samtaler med Asta Nielsen
Documentary feature about film diva Asta Nielsen based in part on previously unseen material from private archives of Frede Smith.
Joyless Street
In 1921, we follow two women - Marie and Grete - from the same poor Viennese neighborhood, as they try to better the lives of themselves and their families during the period of Austrian postwar hyperinflation.
Mata Hari
Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer, is accused of spying for Germany during the First World War.
Asta Nielsen
A conversation with Poul Reumert recorded in the spring of 1968, Asta Nielsen is interviewed by actor Axel Strøbye in his home in Copenhagen . She tells him about her career as the first world star of the film up to the 1920s and about the time that followed, partly in the theater and partly in anonymous retreat in Denmark.
The Abyss
Magda, a piano teacher, meets Knud, a parson’s son, who invites her to spend the summer at his parents’ parsonage. When a travelling circus stops in the village, Magda leaves the meek Knud for the dashing circus rider Rudolf. But circus life with Rudolf quickly turns out to be anything but happy, and Magda comes to a tragic end.
Asta Nielsen - Europas erste Filmikone
Asta Nielsen: pioneer of cinema and first European film star, tragedienne and comedienne, writer and artist. As a working-class child and single parent, she works her way up from the bottom - and consciously stages herself as the first role model for independent women and queers. We retell the story of this singular phenomenon with her own words and film clips.
The Queen of the Stock Exchange
Mine owner Helene has a crush on the manager. He is however, enamored with Helene's cousin Lina.
Little Angel
Engelein is a comedy of deliberately mistaken identity. If Jesta, a 17-year-old, can play the part of a 12-year-old, her family will gain a large inheritance from a rich uncle from Chicago. Her unruly “play-acting” for the uncle is preceded by an earlier incident in the film that results in Jesta being evicted from her girl’s school. Wearing a long, woman’s skirt, she climbs up a ladder and onto a thatched roof. She reaches over the top of the wall to kiss her boyfriend, who appears from the other side. However, Jesta is caught by the headmistress, and her forced descent is precipitous. Pulled downward, she reveals a great deal of a black-stockinged leg. She looks distinctly sexual as she falls into the matrimonly arms of the law, whose duty is to enforce the rules of female decorum.
Towards the Light
Countess Ysabel is a young and rich woman with many suitors. An elegant and adventurous baron has managed to win her heart, but she anyway continues to play with other men’s feelings. Nemesis hits her when a young man with a broken heart kills himself, and the baron at the same time reveals a horrible secret. Ysabe'ls world seems to fall apart.
The Film Prima Donna
Film star Ruth Breton has a habit of falling in love. When dating Walter she meets Von Zornhorst. When Zornhorst discards her, she pines away. As a last token of his love for Ruth, Walter writes a play for her, but during the final act of "Pierrot's Death", Ruth expires.
Production
Asta Nielsen
A conversation with Poul Reumert recorded in the spring of 1968, Asta Nielsen is interviewed by actor Axel Strøbye in his home in Copenhagen . She tells him about her career as the first world star of the film up to the 1920s and about the time that followed, partly in the theater and partly in anonymous retreat in Denmark.
Hamlet
A free adaptation of Shakespeare′s drama. The Danish queen masquerades her daughter as a boy, and thus, the girl lives her life as 'Prince' Hamlet. Her father poisoned by a venomous snake placed by the treacherous Claudius, Hamlet fakes madness to investigate without suspicion.
Gallery
