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Rediscovered Version Of Hamlet To Screen At Berlin Fest By Rich Drees
Although several black and white copies of the film starring European silent film star Asta Nielsen as a cross-dressing prince of Denmark exist, it was only recently that a full color version of the film had been uncovered. This version has not been seen since its initial release over 85 years ago. Directed by Sven Gade & Heinz Schall, the film draws its inspiration from Dr. Edward P. Vining's book The Mystery of Hamlet, in which Hamlet was born a female and disguised as a male to protect the royal family’s lineage.
Hamlet had its original premier on February 4, 1921 in the Mozartsall, Berlin. The film was produced by the production company Art Film, which was founded by Nielsen and her husband in Berlin in 1920. A second version of the film was shot simultaneously with the first by a second camera placed off to the side of the first. It was this version that premiered in New York City in November of the same year.
The restoration of Hamlet was a joint project between the German Film Institute and the German public service television channel ZDF in cooperation with the Franco-German network ARTE. The original color print of Hamlet is a one-of-a-kind copy of the German-language distributor’s version. The film was originally shot in black-and-white and the distribution prints were later colored.
Hamlet will have its premiere on February 10 and will be accompanied by a new score from composer and clarinetist Michael Riessler. The screening is part of the festival’s Retrospective this year, which focuses on the women of the silent film era. In conjunction with this theme, the festival will also be screening the recently rediscovered silent film Cabiria.
The film will be broadcast on ARTE in June 2007. There is no word on any American distribution set for the film. |
January 18, 2007- A restored
color version of the 1921 silent version of Hamlet is set to
premier at the Berlin International Film Festival next month.