Christensen, Benjamin

Christensen, Benjamin

▪ Danish director
Christensen also spelled  Christiansen, or Christianson  
born Sept. 28, 1879, Viborg, Den.
died April 3, 1959, Copenhagen

      Danish motion-picture director known for his exploration of the macabre.

      Christensen began his career as an opera singer in 1902 but later became an actor and then a director. By 1913 he was known as the writer, star, and director of a film exploring the unknown, Det Hemmeligheds fulde X (The Mysterious X), his first investigation of the horror of the macabre. In Sweden between 1919 and 1922 he directed the film Häxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages), for which he became famous. In the film he portrayed Satan, the central character in a screenplay that gave a graphic description of the continuum of satanic practices from medieval to modern times. The film, although widely acknowledged for its craftsmanship and the source of his acclaim as a director, was banned in many countries for its scenes of cruelty and sadism. As a result of his growing reputation in the cinema, he was invited to work in Berlin in 1924, directing three films and acting the lead in Carl Dreyer's Mikaël (1924; Chained).

      The years 1926–29 were spent in Hollywood, directing such comedy-mysteries as The Haunted House (1928) and The House of Horrors (1929) with Chester Conklin. Before World War II he returned to Denmark, where he directed three films about social problems, as well as a thriller. He was the manager of a Copenhagen motion-picture theatre for the last 17 years of his life.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Christensen, Benjamin — • КРИ СТЕНСЕН (Christensen) Беньямин (28.9.1879 1.4.1959)    дат. режиссёр, сценарист, актёр. Учился в Копенгагенском ун те, в театр. школе. В кино с 1911 (сц., актёр). В 1913 снял новаторский антимилитаристский ф. Таинственный Икс , оказавший… …   Кино: Энциклопедический словарь

  • Benjamin Christensen — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Christensen. Benjamin Christensen est un réalisateur danois, né le 28 septembre 1879 à Viborg et décédé le 2 avril 1959 à Copenhague. Considéré avec Carl Theodor Dreyer comme le maître du cinéma muet danois, il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Benjamin Christensen — (* 28. September 1879 in Viborg , Dänemark; † 2. April 1959, Kopenhagen) war ein dänischer Filmregisseur. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Filme 3 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Christensen (surname) — Christensen Danish pronunciation: [ˈkʁɛstn̩sn̩], is a Danish (and Norwegian) patronymic surname, literally meaning son of Christen, a sideform of Christian. The spelling variant Kristensen has identical pronunciation. Christensen is the… …   Wikipedia

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  • Benjamin Christensen — Benjamin Christensen, also known as Benjmain Christie and Richard Bee, was a Danish film and stage actor as well as a film director.As an actor, he is most known for his last film, Michael (1924), in which he plays Claude Zoret, the jilted lover… …   Wikipedia

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  • Mads Christensen (cycliste) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Mads Christensen et Christensen. Mads Christensen …   Wikipédia en Français

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