Anna Bloch

Anna Kirstine Bloch

Black and white half-length photo of a woman wearing a straw hat, head in profile looking right

Anna Bloch in 1904
Born Anna Kirstine Lindemann
(1868-02-02)February 2, 1868
Horsens
Died November 25, 1953(1953-11-25) (aged 85)
Copenhagen
Nationality Danish
Occupation Actress

Anna Kirstine Bloch (née Lindemann, 2 February 1868 in Horsens – 25 November 1953 in Copenhagen) was a Danish actress.[1][2]

She was admitted to the Royal Danish Theatre, was a student of Emil Poulsen and debuted in 1885 as Titania in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Between her first two roles she was taught by her husband to be, William Bloch: they were married in 1887. Together they wrote Miss Nelly in 1886, in which Anna Bloch later played the main role. Her breakthrough came in 1888 as Trina in April Fools by Johan Ludvig Heiberg.[1] Another early role was that of Hilde in Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea in 1889.[3]

Bloch was awarded the Ingenio et Arti gold medal in 1910.[4][5] This was the 25th anniversary of her first role, and in a commentary for Politiken, Danish writer Emma Gad says that Bloch could make a normally insignificant role seem important to a play, as with the "brilliant and peculiar humour" of her portrayal of the "noble slut" (Adelstøs)[6] Eugenia[7] in Ludvig Holberg's Don Ranudo de Colibrados. For Gad, her most memorable performance was as the peasant girl Anjutha[7] in Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness, where she was "gripped by a fear so wild" that "her mysterious horror ... rippled down to the auditorium and ran like a shudder from row to row."[6]

Bloch left the Royal Theatre in 1918, although she returned for a season as guest actress and rejoined from 1922–25.[8] She found herself typecast as the young girl or woman, even playing the fourteen-year-old Hedevig in Ibsen's The Wild Duck in 1921 at the age of 53.[9] Only really at home in 19th century theatre and unable to find suitable roles in the new era which began after the First World War, she was overtaken by the naturalism in theatre arts which she had helped pioneer.[1] She did however tour the provinces, and appeared at the Betty Nansen Teatret.[8] She can be heard in a scene from Jens Christian Hostrup's Genboerne (The neighbours across the road) recorded in 1938.[10]

She wrote a one-act comedy Saadan veksler (Such bills). The Royal Theatre presented this in 1923 with Bloch in the leading role and it was published in 1924. She also wrote two radio dramas, Epilog in 1934 and Veni, vidi, vici in 1935.[11][12]

Anna Bloch is buried in Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen.[2]

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 Andersen, Elin (2003). "Anna Bloch". Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon [Danish Encyclopedia of Women's Biography] (in Danish). Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Anna Bloch's grave". Kendtes Gravsted (in Danish). Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  3. ↑ "Det Kongelige Teater: The Lady from the Sea". All About Henrik Ibsen. National Library of Norway. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Includes a picture of Anna Bloch playing Hilde.
  4. ↑ "For videnskab og kunst medaljen Ingenio et arti" [For science and art: the Ingenio et Arti medal]. Litterære priser, medaljer, legater mv [Literary prizes, medals, scholarships, etc] (in Danish). Retrieved 6 September 2010. List of recipients. Self-published, but with references.
  5. ↑ "Denmark". World Orders and Medals (in Danish). ordersandmedals.net. Retrieved 6 September 2010. Provides details including pictures of obverse and reverse with ribbon of Ingenio et Arti medal awarded to Anna Bloch in 1910. Self-published. Navigation in English.
  6. 1 2 Gad, Emma (4 September 1910). "1910 Anna Bloch, 4. sept. 1885–1910". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. ... grebet af en Angst saa vild, saa rædselsfuld i en Mordnat for hende gaadefulde Gru, at den forplantede sig helt ned til Tilskuerpladsen og løb som en Gysen fra Bænk til Bænk.
  7. 1 2 Behrens, C. (1915). "Bloch, Anna". Salmonsens konversationsleksikon III. Copenhagen: Schultz. p. 424.
  8. 1 2 Neiiendam, Robert (1930). "Bloch, A. K.". Salmonsens konversationsleksikon XXVI. Copenhagen: Schultz. p. 137.
  9. ↑ Perrelli, Franco (2007). "Protoregia o della complessità dei processi" (PDF). Prove di Drammaturgia (in Italian) XIII (2): 20.
  10. ↑ Bloch, Anna (1984) [Performed 14 March 1938]. Genboerne – Scene mellem Malle og Rikke. Teaterliv 1923–1957 (LP) (in Danish) (Danica). DLP 8050 1-2.
  11. ↑ Wiingaard, Jytte; Robert, Neiiendam (1979). "Anna Bloch". In Bech, Svend Cedergreen. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (3rd ed.). Gyldendal.
  12. ↑ "Saadan veksler Anna Bloch : Interiør". WorldCat. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
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