''Himmelskibet'', ''Excelsior'' / ''A Trip to Mars'' / ''Das Himmelschiff'' is a 1918 Danish film about a trip to
Mars. In 2006, the film was restored and re-released on DVD by the
Danish Film Institute.
Phil Hardy says it is "the film that marked the beginning of the
space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
subgenre of science fiction," but notes that Denmark did not make another science fiction film until ''
Reptilicus'' in 1961.
[Phil Hardy. The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction. New York: The Overlook Press, 1994, pp. 56-57]
Cast
*
Gunnar Tolnæs
Gunnar Tolnæs (1879–1940) Database (undated)."Gunnar Tolnæs" '' Internet Movie Database''. Accessed 13 January 2010 was a Norwegian-born film actor who worked for most of his career in Denmark.
Early life
He was born in Oslo, Nor ...
as Avanti Planetaros - Captain of the Space Ship
*Zanny Petersen as Corona, Avanti's Sister
*Nicolai Neiiendam as Professor Planetaros, Astronomer
*
Alf Blütecher as Dr. Krafft, Avanti's Friend
*
Svend Kornbeck
Svend Kornbeck (3 July 1869 – 30 October 1933) was a Danish stage and film actor.
Early life and career
Kornbeck was born in Copenhagen, the son of painter Johan Peter Kornbeck (1837–1894) and his wife Anna Nathalie Kornbeck (''née'' Trolle) ...
as David Dane, American
*Philip Bech as Martian leader - Wise Man
*Lilly Jacobson as Marya, Martian Leader's Daughter
*
Frederik Jacobsen as Professor Dubius
Production crew
*Production Design by Carlo Jacobsen
*Art Direction by Axel Bruun
See also
*
List of films set on Mars
*
Human mission to Mars
References
External links
*
''Himmelskibet''on
YouTubePlot summary
Programme in Danish with pictures
Himmelskibet
1918 films
1910s science fiction films
Danish black-and-white films
Danish science fiction films
Danish silent films
Films about extraterrestrial life
Mars in film
Films directed by Holger-Madsen
Silent science fiction films
{{Denmark-silent-film-stub