Klovnen (1917)

Mr. Bunding (Peter Fjelstrup) is the director of Bunding’s Circus. His daughter, Daisy (Gudrun Houlberg), and the circus clown, Joe Higgins (Valdemar Psilander), have grown up together in the circus, and it is understood that the two will one day become a couple. One day, the world-famous impresario Wilson (Erik Holberg) happens to see a performance at the circus and is greatly impressed by Joe’s interpretation of Pierrot. He therefore offers him an exciting—and, not least, lucrative—position. Joe Higgins accepts, but only on the condition that the three people who matter most in his life—the circus director, his wife, and his daughter—can come too. Two years later, Joe is a successful clown performing at fine music halls in the big city, with the same act he used to tour with in various small villages. Joe and Daisy are happily married, but Daisy finds it difficult to adjust to their new, more affluent life. Every evening she faithfully follows her husband to work and waits in the wings until he has finished performing. In the midst of all life’s difficult upheavals, she finds some comfort in Count Henri (Robert Schmidt), a real man-about-town who visits her at the music hall every evening and courts her while her husband is onstage. Unaccustomed to city ways, Daisy takes his advances for genuine feelings rather than the efforts of a womanizer. One thing leads to another, and soon Joe catches his wife in another man’s arms. Daisy is beside herself over her infidelity. She cannot bear having hurt her husband. Joe is devastated, too: Daisy has been the love of his life. Even though separating from her will take the light and warmth from his life and leave him cold and lonely, Joe nevertheless tells Daisy that they must now part. She must go and live with the Count. A year passes, and the Count’s true nature can no longer be concealed. His feelings for Daisy have cooled, and she bitterly regrets leaving her husband. One evening, the Count takes her, some of his friends, and some dissolute young women to a nightclub. There they happen to run into Joe. Daisy reaches out to ask him for forgiveness, but he rejects her contemptuously. That same night, Daisy throws herself into the water to drown. She is taken to the hospital, but her life cannot be saved. As her last request, she asks to be allowed to speak with Joe one final time. With her dying words, she asks for forgiveness and tells him that he has always been her one true love. Joe swears that if he ever meets the man who ruined her life again, he will kill him. Many years later, Joe is an old man. The circus director and his wife have long since died. Life has been hard for Joe. Sitting somewhat strangely, he thinks back on the happiest moments of his life: his time with Daisy. One evening, he suddenly sees Count Henri among the audience. He remembers his old oath and is overcome by madness and frenzy. When it is time for him to perform his act, he takes a revolver onto the stage. He has never performed as a clown so well. The audience applauds enthusiastically. Just as he is about to perform his finale, Joe aims the revolver at the Count and shoots. He has now completed his mission and allows himself to be led away without resistance. He turns his prayers to heaven: “Daisy, let me come to you.” And at once he collapses and dies of a heart attack.