1906 was a pivotal year for Danish cinema. In the first decade of film, 1896- 1905, it was only royal court photographer Peter Elfelt who had filmed consistently in the country. He shot predominantly street scenes, famous people and actors, as well as the royal family. With the establishment of more permanent cinemas, it became obvious that there was an eager market for increased and stable film production. Cinema owner and entrepreneur Ole Olsen realised this and founded the Nordisk Films Company in 1906. Nordisk was soon to become a global filmmaking powerhouse, which would create one of the first vertically integrated film companies, based on a consistent output of high-quality films. The company was to transcend and manage the shift from documentary to fiction film, as well pioneering the early and full adoption of the feature film format five years later. The five films shown in the series, range from documentary scenes and unique recordings of the Royal Danish Ballet, to early playful and innovative fiction films. Already in these first films, it is visible that Nordisk Film displayed high technical quality, as well as a solid balance between artful direction and popular taste.

Thomas Christensen