Jokeren
(Jokeren)
dir. Georg Jacoby, Denmark/Germany, 1928
cast: Henry Edwards, Elga Brink, Renée Héribel, Miles Mander and others.
DCP, 101'
source: Det Danske Filminstitut
Peter Carstairs is an invincible card player. During a carnival ball he meets a girl being stalked by a blackmailer and decides to help her. Jokeren escapes the usual classification: it combines romantic comedy, melodrama and even crime fiction. The script was based on the popular British play The Joker, while the title role was played by British actor Henry Edwards. The action was moved from London to Nice, which provided an excuse to include monumental scenes of outdoor carnival fun.
The film, although shot on a grand scale, failed to make the expected profit. Shortly after its release, its producer, the Nordisk label, found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. The era of sound cinema soon followed, and silent films began to lose their audience. As a result, until recently Jokeren was a completely forgotten film.
The talk before the film will be given by Thomas Christensen, curator and head of the archives of the Copenhagen Film Library (Det Danske Filminstitut).
section: Treasures of Silent Cinema
introduction to the film: Thomas Christensen (Det Danske Filminstitut)
live music: MOTION TRIO – Janusz Wojtarowicz, Paweł Baranek, Marcin Gałażyn
SATURDAY | OCTOBER 22 | 20:30 | screening room: STOLICA
