Peter Elfelt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Elfelt
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Photographic self-portrait by Peter Elfelt
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| Born | 1 January 1866 |
| Died | 18 February 1931 (aged 65) Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Resting place | Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen |
| Occupation | Photographer Film director |
| Years active | 1893–1907 |
Peter Elfelt (born January 1, 1866 – died February 18, 1931) was a Danish photographer and film director. He is famous for being Denmark's first movie pioneer. He started making documentary films in 1897.
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Peter Elfelt's Life Story
Peter Elfelt was born Peter Lars Petersen in Denmark on January 1, 1866. He later changed his name to Elfelt when he began making films. He learned photography in Hillerød in 1893. His teacher was a photographer named Carl Rathsack. He also studied with a camera maker, Jens Poul Andersen.
In 1893, Elfelt opened his own photography studio in Copenhagen. His two brothers helped him there. His photography skills were very good, and his business grew. By 1901, Elfelt was named "Kongelige Hoffotograf." This means "Royal Court Photographer."
How He Started Making Films
In 1896, Peter Elfelt traveled to Paris. There, he got detailed plans for a film camera called a Cinematographe. He got these plans from a French inventor named Jules Carpentier. Elfelt then had a film camera built by Jens Poul Andersen.
In early 1897, he made Denmark's very first film. It was a short, one-minute video called Driving with Greenland Dogs (Danish: Kørsel med grønlandske hunde). Over the next 15 years, he made many short films. These included nature films and news videos about the Danish royal family. Elfelt made almost 200 short films in total.
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His Only Drama Film
In 1903, Elfelt filmed his only drama movie. This short film was called Henrettelsen (Capital Execution). It was the first fiction film ever made in Denmark. The story was based on a real event about a French woman. She had been executed for harming her two children. The film starred a singer named Francesca Nathansen. It was filmed in the arcade of the Christiansborg Castle.
It is not clear if this film was ever shown to the public. In 1926, Elfelt was asked if he had ever filmed a drama. He remembered feeling unsure about this particular film. He said, "For one to think of showing this murder in living pictures – a horrible idea. I was absolutely not taken by it."
Other Film Work
Elfelt also made the first advertising film. There is an example from 1904. It advertised bock beer for the Svendborg Brewery. In 1901, Elfelt opened a movie theater called "København Kinoptikon."
Even though Elfelt was Denmark's first filmmaking pioneer, he saw film as less important than his photography work. Peter Elfelt passed away on February 18, 1931.
Peter Elfelt's Films
Here is a list of some of the films Peter Elfelt made:
- Kørsel med Grønlandske Hunde (1897)
- Kongelige skal fotograferes (1899)
- Kejserinde Dagmars Ankomst til Helsingør (1900)
- Czar Nikolai II's Ankomst til Helsingør (1901)
- Dronning Alexandras Ankomst til Toldboden (1902)
- Kejserinde Dagmars Ankomst til Bellevue (1902)
- Kong Christian IX modtager Storhertug Friedrich-Franz af Mecklenburg Schwerin (1903)
- Sylfiden (1903)
- Tarantellen af Napoli (1903)
- Kongejagt paa Hveen (1903)
- Prinsesse Marie til Hest (1903)
- De Kongelige paa Cykler i Fredensborg Slotsgaard (1903)
- Henrettelsen (1903)
- Kejser Wilhelms Ankomst til København (1903)
- Ribe Domkirkes indvielse (1904)
- Daniel Dalsgaards Kaffeforretning (1904)
- Zigeunerdans af Troubaduren (1906)
- Skiløb. Holmenkollen (1906)
- Kong Haakons Besøg paa "Herluf Trolle" (1906)
- Orfeus og Eurydike (1906)
- Livjægerne paa Amager (1906)
- Kong Frederik VIII's Proklamation (1906)
- Islands Altings Besøg i København (1906)
- Kong Frederik VIII's Ankomst til Berlin (1907)
Learn More
- Photography in Denmark
- Sophus Juncker-Jensen
