A Brief History: Kejser Wilhelms Ankomst til København

Peter Elfelt (1866-1931) was above all a photographer. And yet he left his mark on film history as the pioneer of Danish film.

His interest in the cinematograph dates back to 1896, when he attended the Frères Lumière’s first projection at the Grand Café de Paris. He then tried to purchase a cinematograph, in vain. A fine connoisseur and keen observer, Elfelt worked out a detailed plan of the camera and projector, which he entrusted to the brilliant Jens Poul Andersen (1844-1935). Andersen succeeded in reconstructing a machine.

In 1890, Elfelt opened a studio with his brothers Karl and Axel, who where accomplished art photographers. In 1897, he shot the first Danish film, a 30-second sequence called Driving with Greenland Dogs (Kørsel Med Grønlandske Hunde).  Despite its title, Elfelt shot the film in a Copenhagen park.

In 1899, Elfelt began filming the Royal Family and became the official court photographer. For more than ten years, he alone was responsible for all Danish film production. 

He made over 200 films, focussing on nature films, documentaries and newsreels that featured military parades, royal visits, official funerals and baptisms. He also produced and directed the very first Danish fiction film, Capital Execution (Henrettelsen), based upon the actual execution of a French woman who murdered her 10 children, starring singer Francesca Nathansen.

Elfelt also dabbled in advertising films and made biographies of political, academic and artistic figures in Copenhagen with Alexander Christian, who would become a major film-maker.

Most of his films are held at the Danske Filminstitut.

The original music for this film was composed by Antonio Coppola in 2008.