Although his name is not familiar to most 21 st-century Americans, the Danish literary critic Geo... more Although his name is not familiar to most 21 st-century Americans, the Danish literary critic Georg Brandes (1842-1927) was the most internationally-renowned Danish intellectual of the early 19 th century. Aspiring writers from half a dozen countries deluged him with manuscripts to review, while German, English, and American tourists in Copenhagen believed, as Brandes remarked in a letter to Asta Nielsen in October 1920, that "I belong to the sights of Copenhagen as much as the Round Tower." 1 He was in high demand to give lectures all across Europe and his works were published in a dozen languages during his lifetime. Although he was a highly controversial figure in Denmark, the Danish-American expatriate community was intensely proud of this famous Dane, "one of the geniuses of which each century only produces one, … a Danish man whose intellectual equal has never been produced by our small country," 2 and finally succeeded in persuading him to come to America to lecture in May 1914. Brandes only spent a few weeks in the United States, but his momentous, successful visit on the eve of World War I illuminates a pivotal moment in the history of Danish-America and its self-perception in relation to Denmark and Danish culture. As an internationally prominent socio-political and literary critic, Brandes occupied a de facto representative position as the voice of Denmark abroad. His professional endeavors, ranging from the cultivation of a realistic literary aesthetic to his critiques of the merits and significance of such towering cultural icons as Napoleon, Shakespeare, Goethe, and Jesus, encompassed a concomitant metacultural component of shaping contemporary public perceptions of Danish culture, particularly outside Denmark. Benjamin Lee, professor of anthropology at The New School for Social Research, defines metaculture as denoting "judgments people make about similarities and differences, [when] they judge token George Brandes in 1919.
selling scandinavia at the ends of the earthjulie k. allen 2 2 Jeremy Tunstall, The Media are Ame... more selling scandinavia at the ends of the earthjulie k. allen 2 2 Jeremy Tunstall, The Media are American (London: Arnold, 1977), 81.
The early Australian cinema market was a lucrative target for exportdependent European film produ... more The early Australian cinema market was a lucrative target for exportdependent European film producers, from the French Pathé Frérès to the Danish Nordisk Films Kompagni. By 1913, cinema attendance was a national pastime in Australia, with approximately 12% of the population going to the pictures every Saturday night. Australian film production was innovative but too limited to meet domestic demand. As a result of this disparity in supply and demand, coupled with the innovative artistry of European silent films, a significant percentage of the films shown in Australia in the pre-World War I years were imported from Europe. Initially, most of these films were advertised simply by their title and occasionally the production company. Despite such minimal branding, many of these films were in continuous circulation on urban and provincial cinema circuits for years at a time. However, with the emergence of the monopoly-distribution system and associated rise of the star culture that sold films on the strength of an actor or actress's name, several European stars began to develop an devoted Australian following. Most of the early European stars who made a name for themselves in Australia were women, notably the Danish actress Asta Nielsen and the Italian actress Francesca Bertini. This article maps the scope of these female European stars' popularity in pre-World War I Australia and explores the circulation conditions that facilitated their stardom, particularly in relation to the transformation of Australian production, distribution, and exhibition systems in the early 1910s, as well as during and after World War I.
Nordic Film Cultures and Cinemas of Elsewhere, 2019
This chapter examines how Nordic silent films circulated as far away from Scandinavia as in Austr... more This chapter examines how Nordic silent films circulated as far away from Scandinavia as in Australia. This far-flung distribution chain was facilitated and hampered by political and economic developments on both sides of the globe. In the 1910s, the Copenhagen-based Nordisk Film Company was the second largest exporter of films in the world. Distributed primarily by Pathé Frérès and Nordisk, Swedish and Danish silent films played to great success all over the continent of Australia. Early Nordic stars, in particular Asta Nielsen and Valdemar Psilander, were beloved. As products of neutral countries, Danish and Swedish films continued to circulate internationally during the war. By the time silent film was rendered obsolete by sound film, the distribution of Nordic film in the Pacific was largely a thing of the past. The chapter reconstructs the circulation of these films from remaining traces including newspapers of the period
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The tendency of 20th century French and German philosophers to claim Soren Kierkegaard as the “Fa... more The tendency of 20th century French and German philosophers to claim Soren Kierkegaard as the “Father of Existentialism” has largely obscured not only Kierkegaard’s Danish identity but also the influential, though oblique, role he played in mid-19th century Danish society and politics. Although many of the pseudonymous texts from his early period offer veiled satirical critiques of particular individuals and institutions in Danish society, Kierkegaard’s final literary accomplishment, the series of articles known collectively as the “Attack on Christendom” (1854-55), presents his most sweeping indictment of Danish society, a critique of the unity of state and church that had been an integral part of Denmark’s political structure for nearly a thousand years. The death and subsequent hagiographic treatment of Bishop J.P. Mynster is generally identified as having provided the impetus for Kierkegaard’s diatribe, but it is no coincidence that his work appeared just a few years after the e...
The defining life experience of the Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917–1976) was domestic trauma,... more The defining life experience of the Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917–1976) was domestic trauma, both externally- and self-inflicted. Born at the end of the first World War amid an economic depression, Ditlevsen grew up in a hardscrabble working-class neighborhood of Copenhagen, lived through the Nazi occupation of her country during World War II, cycled through unhealthy sexual relationships, underwent illegal abortions and unnecessary surgeries, suffered from depression and prescription drug addiction, and died by suicide at the age of fifty-eight. Instead of repressing or denying her traumatic experiences, however, Ditlevsen chose to confront, reinscribe, and transform them in her literary texts, finding and offering hope that exposing secrets to public scrutiny can lead to acceptance and healing. In her searingly candid poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs, Ditlevsen exemplifies the efficacy of working through trauma: she confronts the fraught choices and abusive relationships ...
Although his name is not familiar to most 21 st-century Americans, the Danish literary critic Geo... more Although his name is not familiar to most 21 st-century Americans, the Danish literary critic Georg Brandes (1842-1927) was the most internationally-renowned Danish intellectual of the early 19 th century. Aspiring writers from half a dozen countries deluged him with manuscripts to review, while German, English, and American tourists in Copenhagen believed, as Brandes remarked in a letter to Asta Nielsen in October 1920, that "I belong to the sights of Copenhagen as much as the Round Tower." 1 He was in high demand to give lectures all across Europe and his works were published in a dozen languages during his lifetime. Although he was a highly controversial figure in Denmark, the Danish-American expatriate community was intensely proud of this famous Dane, "one of the geniuses of which each century only produces one, … a Danish man whose intellectual equal has never been produced by our small country," 2 and finally succeeded in persuading him to come to America to lecture in May 1914. Brandes only spent a few weeks in the United States, but his momentous, successful visit on the eve of World War I illuminates a pivotal moment in the history of Danish-America and its self-perception in relation to Denmark and Danish culture. As an internationally prominent socio-political and literary critic, Brandes occupied a de facto representative position as the voice of Denmark abroad. His professional endeavors, ranging from the cultivation of a realistic literary aesthetic to his critiques of the merits and significance of such towering cultural icons as Napoleon, Shakespeare, Goethe, and Jesus, encompassed a concomitant metacultural component of shaping contemporary public perceptions of Danish culture, particularly outside Denmark. Benjamin Lee, professor of anthropology at The New School for Social Research, defines metaculture as denoting "judgments people make about similarities and differences, [when] they judge token George Brandes in 1919.
selling scandinavia at the ends of the earthjulie k. allen 2 2 Jeremy Tunstall, The Media are Ame... more selling scandinavia at the ends of the earthjulie k. allen 2 2 Jeremy Tunstall, The Media are American (London: Arnold, 1977), 81.
The early Australian cinema market was a lucrative target for exportdependent European film produ... more The early Australian cinema market was a lucrative target for exportdependent European film producers, from the French Pathé Frérès to the Danish Nordisk Films Kompagni. By 1913, cinema attendance was a national pastime in Australia, with approximately 12% of the population going to the pictures every Saturday night. Australian film production was innovative but too limited to meet domestic demand. As a result of this disparity in supply and demand, coupled with the innovative artistry of European silent films, a significant percentage of the films shown in Australia in the pre-World War I years were imported from Europe. Initially, most of these films were advertised simply by their title and occasionally the production company. Despite such minimal branding, many of these films were in continuous circulation on urban and provincial cinema circuits for years at a time. However, with the emergence of the monopoly-distribution system and associated rise of the star culture that sold films on the strength of an actor or actress's name, several European stars began to develop an devoted Australian following. Most of the early European stars who made a name for themselves in Australia were women, notably the Danish actress Asta Nielsen and the Italian actress Francesca Bertini. This article maps the scope of these female European stars' popularity in pre-World War I Australia and explores the circulation conditions that facilitated their stardom, particularly in relation to the transformation of Australian production, distribution, and exhibition systems in the early 1910s, as well as during and after World War I.
Nordic Film Cultures and Cinemas of Elsewhere, 2019
This chapter examines how Nordic silent films circulated as far away from Scandinavia as in Austr... more This chapter examines how Nordic silent films circulated as far away from Scandinavia as in Australia. This far-flung distribution chain was facilitated and hampered by political and economic developments on both sides of the globe. In the 1910s, the Copenhagen-based Nordisk Film Company was the second largest exporter of films in the world. Distributed primarily by Pathé Frérès and Nordisk, Swedish and Danish silent films played to great success all over the continent of Australia. Early Nordic stars, in particular Asta Nielsen and Valdemar Psilander, were beloved. As products of neutral countries, Danish and Swedish films continued to circulate internationally during the war. By the time silent film was rendered obsolete by sound film, the distribution of Nordic film in the Pacific was largely a thing of the past. The chapter reconstructs the circulation of these films from remaining traces including newspapers of the period
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The tendency of 20th century French and German philosophers to claim Soren Kierkegaard as the “Fa... more The tendency of 20th century French and German philosophers to claim Soren Kierkegaard as the “Father of Existentialism” has largely obscured not only Kierkegaard’s Danish identity but also the influential, though oblique, role he played in mid-19th century Danish society and politics. Although many of the pseudonymous texts from his early period offer veiled satirical critiques of particular individuals and institutions in Danish society, Kierkegaard’s final literary accomplishment, the series of articles known collectively as the “Attack on Christendom” (1854-55), presents his most sweeping indictment of Danish society, a critique of the unity of state and church that had been an integral part of Denmark’s political structure for nearly a thousand years. The death and subsequent hagiographic treatment of Bishop J.P. Mynster is generally identified as having provided the impetus for Kierkegaard’s diatribe, but it is no coincidence that his work appeared just a few years after the e...
The defining life experience of the Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917–1976) was domestic trauma,... more The defining life experience of the Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917–1976) was domestic trauma, both externally- and self-inflicted. Born at the end of the first World War amid an economic depression, Ditlevsen grew up in a hardscrabble working-class neighborhood of Copenhagen, lived through the Nazi occupation of her country during World War II, cycled through unhealthy sexual relationships, underwent illegal abortions and unnecessary surgeries, suffered from depression and prescription drug addiction, and died by suicide at the age of fifty-eight. Instead of repressing or denying her traumatic experiences, however, Ditlevsen chose to confront, reinscribe, and transform them in her literary texts, finding and offering hope that exposing secrets to public scrutiny can lead to acceptance and healing. In her searingly candid poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs, Ditlevsen exemplifies the efficacy of working through trauma: she confronts the fraught choices and abusive relationships ...
This book challenges the historical myopia that treats Hollywood films as always having dominated... more This book challenges the historical myopia that treats Hollywood films as always having dominated global film culture through a detailed study of the circulation of European silent film in Australasia in the early twentieth century. Before World War I, European silent feature films were ubiquitous in Australia and New Zealand, teaching Antipodean audiences about Continental cultures and familiarizing them with glamorous European stars, from Asta Nielsen to Emil Jannings. After the rise of Hollywood and then the shift to sound film, this history—and its implications for cross-cultural exchange—was lost. Julie K. Allen recovers that history, with its flamboyant participants, transnational currents, innovative genres, and geopolitical complications, and brings it vividly to life. She reveals the complexity and competitiveness of the early cinema market, in a region with high consumer demand and low domestic production, and frames the dramatic shift to almost exclusively American cinema...
Through a detailed study of the circulation of European silent film in Australasia in the early t... more Through a detailed study of the circulation of European silent film in Australasia in the early twentieth century, this book challenges the historical myopia that treats Hollywood films as having always dominated global film culture. Before World War I, European silent feature films were ubiquitous in Australia and New Zealand, teaching Antipodean audiences about Continental cultures and familiarizing them with glamorous European stars, from Asta Nielsen to Emil Jannings. After the rise of Hollywood and then the shift to sound film, this history—and its implications for cross-cultural exchange—was lost. Julie K. Allen recovers that history, with its flamboyant participants, transnational currents, innovative genres, and geopolitical complications, bringing it all vividly to life.
Making ground-breaking use of digitized Australian and New Zealand newspapers, the author reconstructs the distribution and exhibition of European silent films in the Antipodes, along the way incorporating compelling biographical sketches of the ambitious pioneers of the Australasian cinema industry. She reveals the complexity and competitiveness of the early cinema market, in a region with high consumer demand and low domestic production, and frames the dramatic shift to almost exclusively American cinema programming during World War I, contextualizing the rise of the art film in the 1920s in competition with mainstream Hollywood productions. This book’s treatment of the extensive circulation of European silent features and stars in Australasia reveals the vibrant transnationalism of silent film before the rise of Hollywood, and frames the emergence of art house cinema in the 1920s.
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Making ground-breaking use of digitized Australian and New Zealand newspapers, the author reconstructs the distribution and exhibition of European silent films in the Antipodes, along the way incorporating compelling biographical sketches of the ambitious pioneers of the Australasian cinema industry. She reveals the complexity and competitiveness of the early cinema market, in a region with high consumer demand and low domestic production, and frames the dramatic shift to almost exclusively American cinema programming during World War I, contextualizing the rise of the art film in the 1920s in competition with mainstream Hollywood productions. This book’s treatment of the extensive circulation of European silent features and stars in Australasia reveals the vibrant transnationalism of silent film before the rise of Hollywood, and frames the emergence of art house cinema in the 1920s.