The End of the World (1916 film)

The End of the World (Danish: Verdens Undergang) is a 1916 Danish science fiction drama film directed by August Blom and written by Otto Rung, starring Olaf Fønss and Ebba Thomsen. The film depicts a worldwide catastrophe when an errant comet passes by Earth and causes natural disasters and social unrest. Blom and his crew created special effects for the comet disaster using showers of fiery sparks and shrouds of smoke. The film attracted a huge audience because of fears generated during the passing of Halley's comet six years earlier, as well as the ongoing turbulence and unrest of World War I.[1] The film is also known as The Flaming Sword. It was restored by the Danish Film Institute and released on DVD in 2006.

The End of the World
Poster of the film The End of the World
Directed byAugust Blom
Written byOtto Rung
StarringOlaf Fønss
Carl Lauritzen
Ebba Thomsen
Johanne Fritz-Petersen
CinematographyLouis Larsen
Distributed byFotorama
Release date
  • 1 April 1916 (1916-04-01)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryDenmark
LanguagesSilent film
Danish intertitles
The film.

Cast

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Critical Reception

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Moving Picture World reported the following in their review following the U.S. release:

As a spectacle this production scores emphatically, and the impression left by the overwhelming calamity depicted in reels five and six is made stronger by reason of the preparation in earlier scenes... Although the spectacular scenes are of paramount importance in this picture, it should not be supposed that the production lacks other attractive qualities, in the charm of Norwegian settings and the interest aroused by a very passable story, ably acted, especially by Emma Thomsen [sic] and Olaf Fonss in the leading roles.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Verdens undergang". Det Danske Filminstitut. Archived from the original on 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
  2. ^ Chalmers Publishing Company (1916). Moving Picture World (May 1916). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company.
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