Peace on Earth
About Peace on Earth
King Elin XII of a European country spends his reign on a project he calls pax aeterna, with Professor Baron Claudius writing and lecturing beside him. Claudius's daughter Bianca loves Crown Prince Alexis, and a student from the next country, Malcus, loves her without hope. The neighbor wants war. The war minister tells the king to strike first. Elin refuses, then dies of a heart attack. War starts at his funeral. Claudius and Bianca flee to the capital and join the Red Cross. On the field, Malcus kills his friend Gregor, Claudius's son, and is killed in the same battle. Bianca finds both bodies. Alexis, now king, wins and then sends a peace mission instead of pressing the victory. Claudius, broken by Gregor's death, refuses to lead it until Bianca talks him back. The congress holds. Alexis asks his people to let him marry Bianca, who is not royal, and they agree.
Cast & crew
More about Peace on Earth
Holger-Madsen directed. Otto Rung and Ole Olsen wrote it. Marius Clausen photographed it. Nordisk negative number 1562. The Danish premiere was February 16, 1917, at the Palads. Fotorama distributed it. The negative is listed at 1,825 meters. A prologue was written by Sophus Michaëlis. English Wikipedia credits Franz Eber with the music.
Themes
Background
Nordisk opened it at the Palads on February 16, 1917, while Denmark was still neutral and the war that the plot imagines was in its third year.
Making
Nordisk built the film as a wartime plea: a king who will not strike first, a battle that kills both friends, and a congress standing in for a league. Michaëlis's prologue framed the story before the first scene.
Look
Marius Clausen shot the 35mm film, including the lecture scenes, the battle, and the peace congress.
Music
English Wikipedia lists Franz Eber as composer. The citation is a British Library music-blog note for an August 29, 2014 screening.
Preservation
The Danish Film Institute holds the title in its database at 1,825 meters. A Wikimedia Commons file of Pax æterna (1917) is online.
Notes
- The Danish title is Pax æterna. English titles include Peace on Earth. Other titles on the Danish Film Institute record are Den evige Fred and Den hvide Race.
- Frederik Jacobsen plays King Elin XII. Carlo Wieth is Crown Prince Alexis. Zanny Petersen is Bianca. Philip Bech is Baron Claudius. Carl Lauritzen is War Minister Wilmer. Marius Egeskov is Gregor. Anton de Verdier is Malcus.
- Claudius's book has the same title as the film.
- English Wikipedia gives a running time of 99 minutes. The institute's listing is 82 minutes for the 1,825-meter negative.
- The British Library screened it on August 29, 2014, which is the note Wikipedia uses for the Eber music credit.
Scenes
- Elin refuses his war minister's plan to attack first, then dies.
- Malcus kills Gregor on the battlefield and dies in the same fight.
- Bianca finds her brother and Malcus among the dead.
- The crowd gives Alexis leave to marry Bianca.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Pax æterna (1917).webm)
