Atlantis (1913 film)

Atlantis
1913 film poster by Aage Lund
Directed by	August Blom
Written by	Karl Ludwig Schröder Axel Garde Gerhart Hauptmann (book)
Starring	Olaf Fønss Ida Orloff
Cinematography	Johan Ankerstjerne
Edited by	August Blom
Distributed by	Nordisk Film Kompagni
Release date	26 December 1913 (1913-12-26)
Running time	113 minutes
Country	Denmark
Languages	silent film Danish intertitles

Atlantis is a 1913 Danish silent film directed by August Blom, the head of production at the Nordisk Film company, and was based upon the 1912 novel by Gerhart Hauptmann. It starred an international cast headlined by Danish matinée actor Olaf Fønss and Austrian opera diva Ida Orloff. The film tells the tale of a doctor who travels to the United States in search of a cure for his ailing wife and of the tragic sinking of an ocean liner after it strikes an object at sea. Released only one year after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the film drew considerable attention as well as criticism due to similarities to the actual tragedy.

The high production costs for Atlantis were not equaled by box office returns at that time. However, the film went on to become the most watched film for Nordisk Film and has been hailed by film historian Erik Ulrichsen as a Danish masterpiece and "one of the first modern films."^[1]