
Acting
Valdemar Einar Psilander was a Danish actor hugely prevalent in early 20th century cinema, dubbed a popular world star of his time, achieving great success among many European audiences. He notably appeared in 83 films while working with Nordisk Film, whereof only 27 have survived, before his untimely death at the height of his career in 1917.

Miss Vibeke takes no pleasure in hearing of her fiancé’s imminent arrival. For she is in fact in love with a handsome forester, Poul, and now the two lovers will only be able to meet in secret. But one night when Poul visits Vibeke in her room, things do not go as planned. (stumfilm.dk)

The young Englishman Cecil Brown lives and works on a tea plantation in India. When he is about to set off to London on leave, his Indian girlfriend Profula wants to go with him. He refuses even though she begs him. Only when she threatens to take her own life if they do not immediately get married and travel together to London does he give in. Their early days together as a married couple in London are pure happiness, but soon problems arise. (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)

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

FRAGMENT | These recordings were part of Valdemar Psilander’s live performance at the Royal Orfeum in Budapest, in February and March 1914. Psilander financed the show himself, and it was a mixture of film and theatre under the title Count Dahlborg’s Secret. The film footage, which unfortunately hasn’t been preserved in its entirety, opened the performance, after which Psilander himself rode onto the stage and continued the action. (stumfilm.dk)

Stella, a circus princess, has two suitors: young, handsome Count Waldberg and the greying, hidebound jeweller Hirsch. Stella’s love for Waldberg drives Hirsch mad with jealousy. He will stop at nothing to be near the woman of his dreams. When the count loses a staggering sum to the jeweller in a gambling duel, Stella embarks on a fateful mission to save her beloved’s honour. (Stumfilm.dk)

The circus clown Joe Higgins is scouted by a world famous artist agent, who promises him fame and fortune. Joe takes the offer on one condition: His fiancèe Daisy and her parents are coming with him. Soon, Joe finds himself performing on the biggest stages in the city, enthralling his audience night after night. But the glamorous life in the big city is no fairy tale after all.

19-year-old Melitta von Windheim is profoundly fascinated by the famous actor Ludvig Romay. That’s why she can hardly believe her own good fortune, as it turns out that her cousin Rudolf is an old friend of Romay and wants to introduce them. Romay and Melitta hit it off straight away, and before poor Rudolf can look twice, the woman he’s in love with is married off to someone else. Over the years, the marriage crumbles, and a tragic accident hits Melitta so hard that she has to leave for warmer climes. Romay continues his career and the wild social life that comes with it, but his past suddenly catches up with him. (Stumfilm.dk)

The popular artist Frank Harvey has been offered a job in America. On the voyage across the Atlantic, Harvey catches sight of the captain’s beautiful daughter, and the two quickly become good friends. However, a fire breaks out in the ship’s hold, and while the crew struggles to put out the flames, Harvey has to keep the passengers calm with his very best performances, and pray for his and the lives of others. (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)

