Løvejagten
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| Løvejagten | |
|---|---|
 Photo Still from the 1907 Film |
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| Directed by | Viggo Larsen |
| Produced by | Ole Olsen |
| Written by | Armold Richard Nielsen |
| Starring | Viggo Larsen Knud Lumbye |
| Release date(s) | 1907 |
| Running time | 20 mins |
| Country |  Denmark |
| Language | Silent Film Danish intertitles |
| IMDb profile | |
Løvejagten (English Title: Lion Hunting) was a scandalous 1907 silent film by Danish producer Ole Olsen and director Viggo Larsen. The short 20-minute movie caused an enormous public protest in Denmark because it depicted the actual shooting of two captive lions.
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[edit] Synopsis
Two big game hunters are on safari in the jungle with their African guide. They observe zebras, ostrich and a hippopotamus, and catch a small monkey for a pet. During the night they are awakened by a lion which kills a small goat and then the hunters' horse. The hunters shoot the lion as it stands by the water on a beach. They discover another lion and shoot it also. The lions are gutted and skinned. The happy hunters sit and smoke cigarettes afterward.
[edit] Controversy
The twenty-minute "jungle" movie was actually filmed on the small island of Elleore in the Roskilde fjord of Denmark. In the summer of 1907, Ole Olsen decorated Elleore with artificial palms and then bought two elderly lions from an exhibition in Germany.[1] When the Danish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals learned about Olsen's plan, they protested to the Danish Minister of Justice Peter Adler Alberti who banned the filming. Two days later, however, Olsen shot the scenes as planned, then smuggled the film to Sweden where it premiered. Alberti held a court hearing and banned the movie in Denmark.[2]
[edit] Aftermath
Because of the publicity of the protests, Løvejagten was a huge success abroad. In 1908, after one year, charges of animal cruelty were dropped and the ban was rescinded. The film had its Danish premiere on November 11 1908. Nordisk Film Kompagni eventually sold 259 copies of Løvejagten, which earned the company an enormous profit, and ushered in the "golden age" of Danish cinema when Nordisk Film became the most productive film company in Europe.[3]
[edit] Cast and Crew
- Axel Graatkjaer...............A. Sørensen
- Viggo Larsen..................Hunter
- Knud Lumbye.................Hunter
- Viggo Larsen......................Director
- Ole Olsen..........................Producer
- Armold Richard Nielsen.......Writer
[edit] References
- ^ When Nordisk Film killed Lions. Nordisk Film Kompagni Press.
- ^ Kommentar om Løvejagten. Det Danske Film Institute.
- ^ Kommentar om Løvejagten. Det Danske Film Institute.
[edit] External Links
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