The Danes apparently had quite a fixation with the circus. 'The Flying Circus (1912)' was only one of many such-themed films that were released in the early years of the 1910s, and the film itself spawned a sequel, also directed by Alfred Lind, called 'The Bear Tamer (1912).' Indeed, circuses were a popular cinematic theme in film-making for many years. With their extraordinary collection of the weird and wonderful high-wire acts, performing animals, clowns and strong-men such a setting was prime material for exciting movie viewing {notably, the most entertaining example of all is probably Chaplin's 'The Circus (1927)'}. This particular Danish effort starts a bit slow, almost as a documentary of circus life, but eventually draws on its characters to provide an interesting and intermittently exciting slice of melodrama and escapism. Behind the sparkle and glamour of circus life lurks the scourge of lust, passion, jealousy and treachery, personified in the sleazy, cigar-smoking snake-charmer, Ula Kiri-Maja (Lili Bech), who fires up the screen with her smoldering sexual domination.
Though I had been expecting more of a straight documentary, the dramatisation and character development in 'The Flying Circus' was a welcome deviation. Borgmester Strøm (Rasmus Ottesen) is purportedly the circus' greatest tight-rope walker. His first effort does little to convince us of this it's a completely lame three-metre trot along a rope that's about three metres above the stage, but the audience in the film seemed impressed enough, as did the mayor's daughter, Erna (Emilie Otterdahl). Considerably more impressive is a later feat, when Borgmester utilises his tight-rope skills to rescue Erna from the window of a burning building {even if I clearly noticed a crewman's head crop up where there ought to have been nothing but thin air}. Though he soon wants to marry Erna, his request is declined by her father, who is adamant that no daughter of his will ever marry a performing peasant. To secure enough money to ensure a respectable marriage, Borgmester decides to tight-rope walk a long rope to the top of a church tower.
Offering to perform a dangerous stunt to acquire much-needed marital funds sounds a bit like Harold Lloyd's 'Safety Last! (1923),' even if this Danish version is only mildly exciting in comparison. The performances are more understated than might be expected there's certainly nothing that would be called naturalistic, but, as far as silent cinema goes, the main cast members manage to keep their exaggerated gestures to an acceptable minimum. Lili Bech, calling to mind the vampiric French actress Musidora (of Louis Feuillade's serials), totally steals the show, her every action leading me to curse her unfettered nastiness. The film's running-time of 46 minutes was around average for features of the time, though the cinematic techniques used are still relatively primitive, especially compared to the excellent work that D.W. Griffith during those same years. Alfred Lind's 'The Flying Circus' deserves at least a single viewing, as a historical curiosity, a Danish curiosity and as a pleasant-enough circus melodrama a beautifully-restored print is available on DVD from the Danish Film Institute.