Wgtn Film Society: The Ballet Dancer / Towards the Light

Sorry, this event’s been and gone

When:

Mon 8 Nov ’10, 6:15pm–7:45pm

Where: The Paramount Theatre, 25 Courtenay Place, Wellington Show map

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information:

Members only. 12-month memberships available at the door: $90.00
Booking fees may apply

Websites:

Favourites:

Wellington Film Society

August Blom, Denmark 1911 / Forest Holger-Madsen, Denmark 1919

Accompanied by Simon O'Rorke and Peter Daly.

Danish silent movie actress Asta Nielsen is arguably the earliest movie star, and was an incredibly dominant figure in the European movies of the 1910s and early 1920s.

In The Ballet Dancer, she plays Camille, a pretty girl who has more than one job in the arts world (she is an occasional actress and a ballerina) and a very complicated love life.

In Towards the Light (pictured), Asta portrays the flirtatious daughter of a countess whose escapades are contrasted with a parallel plot about a priest dedicated to helping the poor. She too flirts with the poor – literally, causing the suicide of a would-be suitor from the lower classes. Perhaps only Asta Nielsen could pull off this type of melodrama with dignity; indeed, the film is of interest precisely for her refined performance.