''A Carmen of the North'' ( nl, Een Carmen van het Noorden) is a 1919 Dutch silent romantic drama film directed by

Maurits Binger Maurits Binger (5 April 1868 – 9 April 1923) was a Dutch film director, producer and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 39 films between 1913 and 1922 and is considered one of the pioneers of fictional films in the Netherlands. ...

Plot

Jozef (

Adelqui Migliar Adelqui Migliar (5 August 1891 – 6 August 1956), also known as Adelqui Millar, was a Chilean film actor, director, writer and producer. He appeared in 31 silent films between 1916 and 1928. He also directed 24 films between 1922 and 1954. ...

) is a young farmer who has been ordered to leave his mother ( Paula de Waart) and childhood sweetheart Mareike ( Jeanne van der Pers), in order to join the army during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Carmen ( Annie Bos) is a fatally attractive

coquette A coquette is a flirtatious woman. It may refer to: * ''The Coquette'' (film), a 1917 German silent comedy film * ''Coquette'' (film), an Academy Award-winning 1929 film starring Mary Pickford * ''Coqueta '' (1949 film), a Mexican musical film * ' ...

living in the poor quarters, and working in a cigarette factory. One day, she plays a practical joke on one of her co-workers. The girl can't appreciate this and starts a fight; to which Carmen responds by stabbing her with a knife. Stationed in the factory, Jozef is ordered to hold Carmen. While being guarded, Carmen successfully seduces Jozef and convinces him to undo her from her handcuffs: ''"For Carmen's heart was fickle. Her passions wild and bold. Proud of every conquest. And fond of foolish gold."'' She gratefully thanks him and then escapes through the window. While she joins her confederates - a group of bandits - Jozef feels guilty not for having released her, but for having fallen in love with her. He is arrested for having helped a fugitive, and is imprisoned. One day, Jozef receives a letter from Carmen: ''"Come to me Jozef, and I shall show you the way to freedom, where none shall be afraid of their past – no loss or trouble to either of us again."'' He is able to distract his guards and flees to the bar where Carmen is staying. He feels guilty for kissing her, but then starts a fight with another man who seduces her. Afterward, the guards arrive at the bar to search for Jozef, and he is convinced by Carmen to join her as a fugitive. They become part of an organised crime, which includes Carmen entertaining a group of soldiers, while the other men, among them Jozef, get the stuff over the border. Meanwhile, Mareike has left her home to search for Jozef on the cold streets. She is satisfied to find him, but Jozef orders her to leave. He then returns to Carmen, and demands that she will never love another man. Carmen, aware that she can't live up to Jozef's expectations, finds refuge in a bar. Jozef follows her and blames her for having ruined his life. He then leaves, as he realizes that his love for Carmen is gone. The same night, Carmen falls for Dalboni (

Jan van Dommelen Jan van Dommelen (28 April 1878 – 26 October 1942) was a Dutch film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 44 films between 1911 and 1939. Filmography * '' Boefje'' (1939) * '' De Big van het Regiment'' (1935) * '' De Familie van mijn ...

), a celebrated

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. She seduces him, and he in turn is impressed with her. Several nights later, Dalboni reads from ''

The Bohemian Girl ''The Bohemian Girl'' is an Irish Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La Gitanilla''. The best-known aria from the piece is " I Dreamt I Dwe ...

''. Carmen, realizing that she has fallen in love with Dalboni, writes to Jozef that she no longer can see him. A year later, she is a happily married woman living in extreme wealth, while Jozef wanders through the streets. At the premiere of an opera, Dalboni is praised by the audience, and he calls Carmen his inspiration. ''"But the shadow returned again. The man forsaken came out of her past."'' Jozef finds Carmen backstage and confronts her with all that she has caused in his life. When he asks her if she still loves him, she responds by describing her love for Dalboni: "He is everything to me. Now, at last, I know what real love is. I shall live for him alone." In a rage, Jozef condemns Carmen and stabs her to death.

Cast

* Annie Bos as Carmen *

as Jozef *

as Dalboni * Paula de Waart as Jozef's moeder * Jeanne van der Pers as Mareike *

Ernst Winar Ernst Winar (3 September 1894 – 28 June 1978) was a Dutch actor and film director. He appeared in 34 films between 1916 and 1955. He also directed 14 films between 1922 and 1955. In 1920 he published ''Peccavi...???'', a then-scandalous n ...

Fred Homann Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

Leni Marcus Leni is a ''comune'' (municipality) and one of the main towns on Salina, one of the Aeolian Islands, in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of ...

Alternative ending

In the copies that surfaced in America, Jozef, while trying to kill Carmen, was overpowered by Dalboni. He was sent to prison, where he spent two years of his life: ''"Back to the depths – the end of a fool's paradise."'' Mareike and his mother visited him in prison, and Jozef begged them for forgiveness. After his release, he returned to Mareike, who had decided to forgive him: ''"Then the gold returned to the sun and every day was bright with the joy of living."''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmen of the North, A 1919 films Dutch black-and-white films Films based on Carmen Films directed by Maurits Binger Dutch silent feature films 1919 romantic drama films Dutch romantic drama films Silent romantic drama films