Benjamin Christensen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benjamin Christensen
Born	(1879-09-28)28 September 1879 Viborg, Denmark
Died	2 April 1959(1959-04-02) (aged 79) Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation	Director, actor
Years active	1911–1942

Benjamin Christensen (born September 28, 1879 – died April 2, 1959) was a talented Danish film director, writer, and actor. He worked in both movies and on stage. He is most famous for directing the 1922 film Häxan, also known as Witchcraft Through the Ages. As an actor, he was highly praised for his role as Claude Zoret in the 1924 film Michael.

Benjamin Christensen's Early Life and Career

Benjamin Christensen was born in Viborg, Denmark. He was the youngest of twelve children. He first studied medicine, but soon became interested in acting. In 1901, he began studying at the Det Kongelige Teater (Royal Danish Theatre) in Copenhagen.

Christensen started his acting career in Aarhus in 1907. However, he did not act for very long. He left the stage to become a wine salesman.

In 1911, Christensen began acting in films. Many of his early films are now lost. This includes Scenens børn (1913), which was the only movie directed by the famous Norwegian writer Bjørn Bjørnson.

Becoming a Film Director

In 1913, Christensen took over a small film company in Hellborg. He renamed it Dansk-Biograf Kompagnie. He made his first movie as a director, Det hemmelighedsfulde X (The Mysterious X, 1914). This was a spy movie. Its camera work, editing, and art style were very new for that time. Christensen also played the main character in this film.

He also starred in his second film, Hævnens nat (Blind Justice, 1916). In this movie, he played a man who was wrongly accused of murder. Even though his first two films were successful, Christensen did not feel accepted in the Danish film industry. After Blind Justice, he went back to working on stage plays.

Häxan and International Success

Between 1918 and 1921, Christensen spent time researching the history of magic and witchcraft. He used this research for his next and most famous film, Häxan (The Witches, or Witchcraft Through the Ages, 1922). Christensen himself played the role of Satan in the movie.

Häxan became a big success around the world, even though some groups tried to censor it. Because of Häxan's popularity, Christensen was invited to direct films in Germany for a company called UFA. He made two movies there. His most memorable work in Germany was as an actor in the film Michael (1924). He played the important role of the painter Claude Zoret. This was Christensen's last time acting in a film.

Working in Hollywood

In 1924, a big American film studio, MGM, hired many talented people from UFA, including Christensen. He left Germany quickly. He started well at MGM with the film The Devil's Circus (1926), which was popular. However, his next film, Mockery (1927), starring Lon Chaney, was not liked by critics.

In 1927, Christensen left MGM and moved to Warner Brothers. There, he made four films. The first was The Hawk's Nest (1928), a crime movie. The next three were horror films that he wrote with Cornell Woolrich. These were The Haunted House (1928), Seven Footprints to Satan (1929), and House of Horror (1929). Even though House of Horror was a hit, Christensen decided he had enough of Hollywood. He returned to Denmark.

Later Career and Legacy

After leaving Hollywood, Christensen went back to directing stage plays. He did not make another film for ten years. In 1939, he wrote and directed Skilsmissens børn (Children of Divorce) for the Nordisk Company. This was a social drama about differences between generations. It was a surprise hit, and it seemed Christensen was back on track.

However, his 1942 spy thriller, Damen med de lyse Handsker (The Lady with the Light Gloves), was not successful. After this, Christensen left the film business for good. He then managed a movie theater in a suburb of Copenhagen. He lived there until he was 79 years old.

Christensen's Lasting Impact

Häxan is still Christensen's most famous film. In 1967, a shorter version was made with jazz music and narration by William S. Burroughs. This version became very popular with young people. A restored version, showing the film as it was originally made, was released in 2001.

His second most famous film is The Mysterious X. It was shown again at the MOMA museum in 1966. In 2004, it was released on DVD with Blind Justice.

Many of Christensen's other films are now lost or hard to find. Some critics believe his American films were not as good artistically. Of his German films, only Seine Frau, die Unbekannte (His Wife, The Unknown, 1923) still exists. From his Warner Brothers films, only a poor copy of Seven Footprints to Satan has been found.

In 1999, the Museum of Modern Art and the Pacific Film Archive held a special showing of Christensen's films. They called it Benjamin Christensen: An International Dane. The famous director Carl Theodor Dreyer once said that Christensen was "a man who knew exactly what he wanted and who pursued his goal with uncompromising stubbornness." After many years, Benjamin Christensen is now seen as one of the best Danish silent film directors ever.

Filmography

Images for kids

• 

  Benjamin Christensen

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin Christensen para niños