Løvejagten
Encyclopedia
Løvejagten was a controversial 1907
silent film by Danish
producer Ole Olsen
and director Viggo Larsen
. The short ten-minute movie caused an enormous public protest in Denmark
because it depicted the actual shooting of two captive lions.
in Denmark. Scenes of the hunters in the forest were shot in Jægersborg Dyrehave
park near Copenhagen. The animals were filmed at the Copenhagen Zoo with the camera aimed downward to avoid any view of the enclosures. The controversial shooting of two lions took place on the small island of Elleore in the Roskilde
fjord.
In the summer of 1907, Ole Olsen decorated Elleore with palm fronds and artificial plants to simulate a tropical savanna. He then bought two elderly lions from the Hagenbeck Zoo
in Hamburg
, Germany for the large sum of 5000 deutschmarks.
When the Danish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
learned about Olsen's plan to shoot the lions for his movie, they protested to the Danish Minister of Justice Peter Adler Alberti. Alberti banned the filming. Two days later, however, Olsen defiantly shot the scenes as planned, then smuggled the film to Sweden. Olsen's cinematographer, Axel Graatkjær
, was arrested and spent a day in jail. At a court hearing, Alberti banned the movie in Denmark and revoked Olsen's license for his Biograf Theater.
eventually sold 259 prints of Løvejagten, which earned the company an enormous profit. It ushered in the "golden age
" of Danish cinema when Nordisk Film became the most productive film company in Europe.
A sequel to the film, Bear Hunting in Russia, was shot in 1909 and was also a profitable movie, eventually selling 118 prints.
directed the filming as well as acted as one of the hunters. Knud Lumbye portrayed the second hunter and William Thomsen played the African guide. Axel Graatkjaer, who later became a favorite cinematographer of August Blom
and Urban Gad
, shot the film, credited under his actual name of A. Sørensen.
1907 in film
The year 1907 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 19 - Variety publishes its first film review.* May 7 - Seattle film maker William Harbeck sets up a camera at the front of a B.C. Electric streetcar and films the downtown streets of Vancouver, British Columbia...
silent film by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
producer Ole Olsen
Ole Olsen (filmmaker)
Ole Olsen was a Danish film producer and the 1906 founder of Nordisk Film.Olsen was born in Tangemose, Denmark.- External links :...
and director Viggo Larsen
Viggo Larsen
Viggo Larsen was a Danish film actor, director and producer. He appeared in 75 films between 1906 and 1942. He also directed 60 films between 1906 and 1921.He was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark....
. The short ten-minute movie caused an enormous public protest in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
because it depicted the actual shooting of two captive lions.
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.Production and controversy
The ten-minute "jungle" movie (215 meters of 35mm film) was actually filmed on locationOn location
On location can refer to:*Filming location, a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced*On Location , a name of an HBO special series*Adobe OnLocation, computer software for direct to disk recording....
in Denmark. Scenes of the hunters in the forest were shot in Jægersborg Dyrehave
Jægersborg Dyrehave
Dyrehaven , officially Jægersborg Dyrehave, is a forest park north of Copenhagen. It covers around 11 square kilometres...
park near Copenhagen. The animals were filmed at the Copenhagen Zoo with the camera aimed downward to avoid any view of the enclosures. The controversial shooting of two lions took place on the small island of Elleore in the Roskilde
Roskilde
Roskilde is the main city in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark on the island of Zealand. It is an ancient city, dating from the Viking Age and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network....
fjord.
In the summer of 1907, Ole Olsen decorated Elleore with palm fronds and artificial plants to simulate a tropical savanna. He then bought two elderly lions from the Hagenbeck Zoo
Tierpark Hagenbeck
The Tierpark Hagenbeck is a zoo in Stellingen, now a quarter in Hamburg, Germany. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. , a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. in 1907...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany for the large sum of 5000 deutschmarks.
When the Danish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
learned about Olsen's plan to shoot the lions for his movie, they protested to the Danish Minister of Justice Peter Adler Alberti. Alberti banned the filming. Two days later, however, Olsen defiantly shot the scenes as planned, then smuggled the film to Sweden. Olsen's cinematographer, Axel Graatkjær
Axel Graatkjær
Axel Graatkjær was a Danish cinematographer noted for his work on silent films during the Golden Age of Danish cinema. Graatkjær was the favorite cinematographer of film director August Blom as well as silent film star Asta Nielsen and her husband, director Urban Gad...
, was arrested and spent a day in jail. At a court hearing, Alberti banned the movie in Denmark and revoked Olsen's license for his Biograf Theater.
Aftermath
In 1907, Olsen premiered The Lion Hunt in Sweden. Because of the publicity from the protests, Løvejagten was a huge success abroad. The following year, after the charges of animal cruelty were dropped and the Danish ban was rescinded, the film had its homeland premiere on November 11, 1908. Nordisk Film KompagniNordisk Film
Nordisk Film , established in Denmark in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen, is the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world. Olsen started his company in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby under the name "Ole Olsen's Film Factory" but soon changed it to the Nordisk Film Kompagni...
eventually sold 259 prints of Løvejagten, which earned the company an enormous profit. It ushered in the "golden age
Cinema of Denmark
Denmark has been producing films since 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of product due largely to funding by the state-supported Danish Film Institute. Historically, Danish films have been noted for their realism, religious and moral themes, sexual frankness and technical...
" of Danish cinema when Nordisk Film became the most productive film company in Europe.
A sequel to the film, Bear Hunting in Russia, was shot in 1909 and was also a profitable movie, eventually selling 118 prints.
Cast and crew
Viggo LarsenViggo Larsen
Viggo Larsen was a Danish film actor, director and producer. He appeared in 75 films between 1906 and 1942. He also directed 60 films between 1906 and 1921.He was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark....
directed the filming as well as acted as one of the hunters. Knud Lumbye portrayed the second hunter and William Thomsen played the African guide. Axel Graatkjaer, who later became a favorite cinematographer of August Blom
August Blom
August Blom was a Danish film director, production leader and pioneer of silent films during the "golden age" of Danish filmmaking from 1910 to 1914.-Career:...
and Urban Gad
Urban Gad
Peter Urban Gad was a Danish film director. He directed 40 film between 1910 and 1927. His wife Asta Nielsen starred in 30 of his films. Also in his debut the famous movie Afgrunden from 1910. They moved to Germany in 1911 where Gad worked until 1922.His uncle was Paul Gauguin...
, shot the film, credited under his actual name of A. Sørensen.
External links
- Løvejagten at the The Danish Film Institute (in Danish)