Nu kommer vi igen. Ett litet preludium till kommande aftnars glädje / [Here We Come Again. A Little Prelude to the Coming Evening's Joy]

Nu kommer vi igen. Ett litet preludium till kommande aftnars glädje / [Here We Come Again. A Little Prelude to the Coming Evening's Joy] (SE 1922) with Fyrtaarnet/Pat (Carl Schenstrøm) on the telephone in Copenhagen while Bivognen/Patachon (Harald Madsen) visits Gothenburg. Photo: Det Danske Filminstitut, København. Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2023.

[Stiamo tornando. Un breve preludio alla gioia della prossima serata / Now We Come Again. A Little Prelude to the Coming Evening’s Joy] (SE, 1922) regia/dir: ? photog: Gustaf Bengtsson. cast: Harald Madsen (Bivognen/Patachon), Carl Schenstrøm (Fyrtaarnet/Pat). prod: A/S Palladium. copia/copy: DCP, 5'21" (da/from 35 mm, 22 fps); did./titles: SWE. fonte/source: Det Danske Filminstitut, København.

    Musical interpretation: Günter Buchwald, Frank Bockius.

    Teatro Verdi, Pordenone, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (GCM): Slapstick - Appetizers, 10 Oct 2023.
    

Jannie Dahl Astrup (GCM 2023): " This short promotional film starring Pat and Patachon (Carl Schenstrøm and Harald Madsen) was produced in Sweden in 1922 and advertises upcoming Pat and Patachon features in the local Palladium cinema in Sweden. It was mostly shot in Gothenburg by Gustaf Bengtsson, known as “Film-Bengt”. He worked for the Palladium cinema chain in Sweden as both photographer and projectionist and shot weekly newsreels for the cinemas. The film presents itself as a quickly put together, almost amateurish film, but the undeniable charm of the two Danish stars still manages to shine through in this example of “pre-show-advertising” in the cinemas of the period. As these short reels were often considered on a par with other ephemeral material like newspaper ads and posters, such surviving material is naturally scarce, but in this case it offers a welcome glimpse into the promotional practices at work concerning these two top-billed stars. "

" On 17 September 1922, the Göteborgs-Tidningen published an article detailing how “Patachon” strolled around the streets of Gothenburg. Madsen is in full costume, putting on his wellknown act for the photographers and cameraman following him around. The reporter actually describes how Madsen arrived by ship and descended the gangway with a bag in hand, as indeed is also seen in the film. The article also mentions Madsen visiting the city as part of the Schumann Circus troupe, which had arrived the day before. "

" Madsen had originally risen to comic fame as a popular clown in the Danish circus, before being discovered for the movies by Palladium director (and later owner) Lau Lauritzen. In other words, Madsen was on double duty while in Gothenburg, as a clown and doing his part to promote upcoming Palladium films. But why is the other half of the film duo, Carl Schenstrøm (“Pat”), not joining Madsen in the streets of Gothenburg? That would easily have made for an even stronger PR stunt, and the entire “storyline” of Madsen first calling Schenstrøm in Copenhagen, and then theatre owner Broman to talk about their plans to visit Sweden, would have been much simpler. However, Schenstrøm was busy playing an engagement at the Nørrebro Theatre in Copenhagen at the same time Madsen was travelling with the circus. These facts serve as a reminder that the comedy duo were still rising stars, not yet at the pinnacle of their careers, when they could devote all their time to the movies. Here, they are still making ends meet by splitting their time between films, theatre, and the circus. "

" Both the filming and subsequent screening of this promotional film in Sweden demonstrates Pat and Patachon’s close ties with their Swedish audience (as do the surviving Swedish prints sourced for current digitizations). Madsen’s appearance in Gothenburg caused people to flock around him at the phone booth, with the added thrill to the local audience of potentially seeing themselves on the big screen only a week after the shooting. In this film we see two comedy stars at the very moment of their rise towards European fame. " Jannie Dahl Astrup

AA: A nice little vignette reflecting the star syndrome around Pat and Patachon and the affection between Harald Madsen and Carl Schenstrøm and their fans.