Abstract
Ten years ago, in my review of Martin Loiperdinger and Uli Jung's volume Importing Asta Nielsen in Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film, I wrote: Indeed, this would be my only comment, or rather plea: while local and national research into Nielsen's films is both fundamental and fascinating, a transnational comparison is now the next necessary step. Following this volume by Loiperdinger and Jung, we might now combine an aesthetic and socio-economic approach to Nielsen and her films. In other words, we might today explore how exceptional or normative the connection is between Nielsen as a new film actress and an emergent (and later institutionalised) business model for film. The Importing Asta Nielsen Database seems an excellent starting point for this.
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In her introduction, Grimm states that she wishes to focus on the beginnings of the star system and the creation of feature films, arguing that it was not Hollywood in the mid-1910s, but rather the three series of exclusive German films (Monopolfilme in German) starring Asta Nielsen released in 1911–1914 that were the first to establish a star system based on an economic strategy. The aim was to introduce feature films that also benefited from exclusive distribution and exploitation, linking exhibitors to a block booking system, obliging them to rent a whole series of films rather than just one. All this was achieved thanks to the appeal of a popular and recognisable film star, created by distributors rather than by demand from the public, exhibitors or producers, as Grimm provocatively asserts. Personally, I think she goes a little too far in her assertion, as several explanations can coexist to explain the reasons for a historical change: there may be more than one reason. Nevertheless, her reasoning offers us a refreshing perspective on what happened in the early 1910s, at least for the countries she studied.
This is not entirely new, however, as Corinna Müller had already presented an in-depth analysis of the introduction and institutionalisation of feature films and the exclusivity system in Germany in her 1994 study Frühe deutsche Kinematographie, also emphasising the importance of the Asta Nielsen series as an innovative element in the new commercial strategy and its cultural consequences. Here, too, the economic perspective was the main focus. It should be noted, however, that in her first chapter, Grimm is more generous towards Müller than in her introduction. It is true that since 1994, film history has evolved considerably, not only in general terms with the attention given to distribution and in particular to exhibition and reception, for example, by New Film History (‘circulation and consumption of cinema’, as Richard Maltby writes) and the creation of the HOMER network. More specifically, as Grimm also points out, recent studies such as those by Loiperdinger and Jung, Heide Schlüpmann, and Yvonne Zimmermann have shown the considerable importance, on a global scale, of the close link between Nielsen, a rising star, and the introduction of feature films and exclusive contracts. Although not explicitly mentioned by Grimm, the 2004 Domitor conference on early distribution, Networks of Entertainment: Early Film Distribution 1895–1915, published in 2007, clearly showed that early film distribution had been painfully neglected or downplayed in previous research on film history.
In her study, Grimm enriches the existing bibliography with a major thesis based on the existing Importing Asta Nielsen database and other digitally available sources, but she does not stop there. Highlighting the gaps and pitfalls of digital sources, as well as those of previous researchers, she and her students conducted extensive research in the local press to establish the scope and intensity of Nielsen's early film series, and to compensate for previous research that was limited to trade journals or was strictly qualitative. She explains her local research in detail and presents both quantitative and qualitative results. Grimm conducted this meticulous research not only for Germany, but also for Austria–Hungary. In this context, Grimm highlights the misconception that Vienna was too important a model for Hungarian cinema during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and therefore strives to restore balance, treating Austria and Hungary on their own merits.
It is suggestive to read that previous research has sometimes omitted certain film advertisements due to the irregularity of their publication in newspapers or because digital systems such as OCR do not recognise them as such – a source of frustration for modern researchers. Research on original documents can therefore fill in the gaps created in the digital age, although, of course, gaps may also exist in paper sources – a fact that Grimm could perhaps emphasise more. Newspapers or trade papers may have come down to us incomplete, and only further research elsewhere can then fill in these gaps. Finally, Grimm makes some interesting remarks that are important for the rest of the book. It is revealing to note that the PAGU cinema chain was much smaller than it claimed to be (only 1 per cent of all cinemas in Germany at the time, to be exact), thus contradicting previous conclusions about the strength of PAGU in terms of vertical integration. However, thanks to their early block booking system, screenings of Nielsen films in other cinemas were guaranteed, Grimm concludes.
It is also interesting to note the order of events: distributor Christoph Mülleneisen first approached Gad and Nielsen, then convinced producer Paul Davidson to start producing his first series of Nielsen films. Mülleneisen even bought some of Nielsen's Danish films and placed them under the same exclusive contract he had for Nielsen's German films. The richness of Grimm's work is also evident in her chapter on the creation of a star through advertising, including posters (based in part on the same photos used for postcards), newspaper and magazine advertisements, local advertising strategies in newspapers, local musical accompaniment, and the star-building in PAGU's own magazine.
On a sidenote, I'd like to mention that systems may vary from one country to another, which explains why the Importing Asta Nielsen database and Grimm's study are so important for making comparisons between countries. In the Netherlands at least, Asta Nielsen was not yet considered a star by the press when films such as Afgrunden/Abyss (1910) and Heisses Blut/Gypsy Blood (1911) were released. The exclusivity system for Afgrunden analysed by Grimm for Germany may or may not have existed in the Netherlands, while Heisses Blut was not an exclusive film in the Netherlands (nor Germany, as Grimm indicates). The Dutch press only began to discover Nielsen in the autumn of 1911, when the Danish film Den sorte drøm/The Black Dream (1911) was released in that country. In short, sometimes new distribution systems cannot explain everything.
Although the German language may be a handicap for some, I highly recommend this in-depth and innovative study, which sheds new light on the rise of the first film star and its star system, with distribution as the driving force behind historical change.
