He, She and Hamlet

In a boarding house where young girls are kept under strict surveillance, only two persons of the male persuasion are allowed to enter. The gardeners Pat and Patachon are popular among the girls because they can play the accordion and sing songs, both cheerful and sad. One of the girls has attracted Pat and Patachon’s particular admiration: Eve, who dreams of becoming an actress. They clandestinely rehearse Shakespeare with her, but when their arrangement is discovered she is expelled. The pair follow Eve in secret, and they eventually have to save the naïve girl from the clutches of the horrible people she has trustingly become involved with. Stumfilm. dk

Directed by Lau Lauritzen Sr., He, She and Hamlet leans on a strong ensemble — Carl Schenstrøm, Harald Madsen, Lissen Bendix — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1922.