''Leaves from Satan's Book'', also known as ''Leaves Out of the Book of Satan'' ( da, Blade af Satans bog), is a 1920 Danish

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

and starring

Helge Nissen Helge Nissen (5 September 1871 in Rydhave ved Holstebro – 5 October 1926 in Copenhagen) was a Danish operatic bass-baritone, conducting, conductor, voice teacher, and film actor who was associated with the Royal Danish Theatre from 1897 until his ...

as Satan. This was only the third film directed by Dreyer, who later went on to create such classics as ''

Vampyr ''Vampyr'' (german: Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Gray, lit=Vampyr: The Dream of Allan Gray) is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheri ...

'' (1932) and ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne F ...

'' (1928). The film is structured much like D.W. Griffith's ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...

'' (1916) with its episodic nature while evoking F. W. Murnau's ''

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

'' (1920). The film ran 157 minutes, but sources list the DVD's running time at 121 minutes. Troy Howarth states "If not for the presence of Satan, (this film) wouldn't warrant inclusion in a study of the horror genre; in truth it's more of a quaint pageant play than a horror film....The cast emotes to a degree too theatrical for even silent cinema."Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 239. 978-1936168-68-2.

Plot

Satan has been cast out of Hell and banished to Earth under decree of Heaven. He can return only after overseeing a series of temptations. However, for every soul who gives in to his tempting, one hundred years are added to his sentence. For every soul who resists, one thousand years are subtracted from his sentence. The film follows Satan throughout much of recorded history, focusing mainly on four short episodes. First he tempts Judas to betray Jesus, then he goes on to influence the Spanish Inquisition, spark the French Revolution and finally he causes the Finnish Civil War of 1918 to occur.

Cast

as Satan / The Grand Inquisitor / Erneste / Ivan *

Halvard Hoff Halvard or Hallvard is a Norwegian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Halvard Angaard (1898–1967), Norwegian sport shooter *Halvard Bjørkvik (born 1924), Norwegian historian *Jens-Halvard Bratz (1920–2005), Norwegian businessm ...

as Jesus (first sequence) * Jacob Texiere as Judas (first sequence) (as Jacob Texière) *

Erling Hanson Erling Georg Stefan Hanson (May 1, 1888 – August 16, 1978) was a Norwegian stage and film actor. Life Erling Hanson was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, the son of the physician Alfred Hanson (1844–1819) and Emmy Amalie Hanson (née J ...

as John (first sequence) * Hallander Helleman as Don Gomez de Castro (second sequence) * Ebon Strandin as Isabel, Castro's daughter (second sequence) * Johannes Meyer as Don Fernandez (second sequence) *

Nalle Halden Nalle may refer to: People Given name: —Note: Nalle (a Finnish word meaning "bear") is often a Finnish nickname for persons with the given name Björn (a Swedish word meaning "bear"). *"Nalle" Wahlroos, Björn Wahlroos (born 1952), Finnish banke ...

as The Majordomo (second sequence) (as Nalle Haldén) *

Tenna Kraft Hortensia (Tenna) Kristine Sofie Erogine Kraft née Frederiksen (1885–1954) was a Danish operatic soprano. One of the Royal Danish Theatre's outstanding sopranos in the early 20th century, she sang in operas by Wagner, Verdi, Puccini and Richar ...

as Marie Antoinette (third sequence) (as Tenna Frederiksen Kraft) *

Viggo Wiehe Viggo Hjalmar Wiehe (23 December 1874 - 30 November 1956) was a Danish stage and film actor whose career spanned over five decades. Career Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, he was the son of actor and opera singer Johan Henrik Wiehe and Fanny Wiehe ...

as Count de Chambord (third sequence) *

Emma Wiehe Emma may refer to: * Emma (given name) Film * ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown * ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Emma'' (1996 TV film), a British television film starring Kate Be ...

as The Countess of Chambord (third sequence) * Jeanne Tramcourt as Lady Genevive de Chambord (third sequence) *

Hugo Bruun Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

as Count Manuel (third sequence) *

Elith Pio Viggo Elith William Pio (3 July 1887 – 10 February 1983) was a Danish actor of stage, screen, radio and television. He is most noted for starring roles in films such as Carl Theodor Dreyer's '' Leaves from Satan's Book'', Johan Jacobsen's '' J ...

as Joseph (third sequence) *

Emil Helsengreen Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *'' Emil and the Detecti ...

as The People's Commissar (third sequence) *

Viggo Lindstrøm Viggo Lindstrøm (12 January 1858 – 17 June 1926) was a Danish actor and theatre director, founder of Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen. He was married to the actress Vera Lindstrøm. Biography Lindstrøm was born on 12 January 1858 in Copenhag ...

as Old Pitou (third sequence) *

Clara Pontoppidan Clara Pontoppidan (23 April 1883 – 22 January 1975), also known as Clara Wieth, was a Danish actress. She worked mainly in Swedish and Danish silent films, including ''A Victim of the Mormons'' (Denmark, 1911). Personal life Clara Pontop ...

as Siri (fourth sequence) *

Carlo Wieth Carlo Rossini Wieth (born Carl Andersen; 11 December 1885 – 30 June 1943) was a Danish stage and film actor whose career began at the turn of the 20th-century and lasted until his death in 1943. Early life and stage career Wieth was born a ...

as Paavo (fourth sequence)

References

External links

*
''Leaves Out of the Book of Satan''
on Edition Filmmuseum {{DEFAULTSORT:Leaves From Satan's Book 1920 films 1920 drama films Danish black-and-white films Danish drama films 1920s Danish-language films Danish silent films Films based on works by Marie Corelli Films directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer Portrayals of Jesus in film The Devil in film Silent drama films