Viggo Larsen in Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe (1919).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 626/4. Photo: Viggo Larsen Tempelhof. Publicity still of Viggo Larsen and Erra Brognar in Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe/The King of Thieves and His Love (Viggo Larsen, 1919).
Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe was a four-part film which premiered in Berlin on November 4, 1919. Scriptwriter was Hans Hyan, photographer Julius Balting. Initially, the state censorship of 1921, completely forbade the film but after cuts, it remained only forbidden for youngsters.
While no content description of the film could be found, it is clear the plot deals with a gentleman criminal, played by Larsen himself. Critic Friedrich Sieburg in 1920 wrote about a terrifying experience he had when viewing this very film when suddenly the musicians stopped playing while the film went on. "In act 3, as Der Fürst der Diebe was roaring along in his car (his shawl fluttering like a flag, wind blowing briskly through the high grass of the passing landscape), the musicians in the small orchestra - violin and piano for lively scenes, organ for deathly scenes - suddenly decided to break for dinner. The music stopped. Silence. The reels whirred. The light hissed. The action sped ahead. I tell you, it was frightening. I felt as if I was six feet under." (Anton Kaes/ Michael Cowan ed., The Promise of Cinema: German Film Theory, 1907–1933).
Viggo Larsen (1880-1957) was a Danish actor, director, scriptwriter and producer. He was one of the pioneers in film history. With Wanda Treumann he directed and produced many German films of the 1910s.
Viggo Larsen in Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe (1919).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 626/4. Photo: Viggo Larsen Tempelhof. Publicity still of Viggo Larsen and Erra Brognar in Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe/The King of Thieves and His Love (Viggo Larsen, 1919).
Der Fürst der Diebe und seine Liebe was a four-part film which premiered in Berlin on November 4, 1919. Scriptwriter was Hans Hyan, photographer Julius Balting. Initially, the state censorship of 1921, completely forbade the film but after cuts, it remained only forbidden for youngsters.
While no content description of the film could be found, it is clear the plot deals with a gentleman criminal, played by Larsen himself. Critic Friedrich Sieburg in 1920 wrote about a terrifying experience he had when viewing this very film when suddenly the musicians stopped playing while the film went on. "In act 3, as Der Fürst der Diebe was roaring along in his car (his shawl fluttering like a flag, wind blowing briskly through the high grass of the passing landscape), the musicians in the small orchestra - violin and piano for lively scenes, organ for deathly scenes - suddenly decided to break for dinner. The music stopped. Silence. The reels whirred. The light hissed. The action sped ahead. I tell you, it was frightening. I felt as if I was six feet under." (Anton Kaes/ Michael Cowan ed., The Promise of Cinema: German Film Theory, 1907–1933).
Viggo Larsen (1880-1957) was a Danish actor, director, scriptwriter and producer. He was one of the pioneers in film history. With Wanda Treumann he directed and produced many German films of the 1910s.