Independent Films, Film Profiles

Verdens Undergang

The End of the World (Danish: Verdens Undergang), (1916), is a Danish science fiction thriller silent film directed by August Blom and written by Otto Rung. It stars Danish matinee idol Olaf Fønss and Ebba Thomsen. The science fiction film depicts a worldwide catastrophe when an errant comet passes by Earth and causes natural disasters and social unrest. Despite the lack of special effects technology, Blom and his crew created the comet disaster using showers of fiery sparks and shrouds of smoke. The film attracted a huge audience because of fears generated during the passing of Halley's comet six years earlier, as well as the ongoing turbulence and unrest of World War I.[2]The End of the World was restored by The Danish Film Institute (Det Danske Filminstitut) and rereleased on DVD in 2006.