14

TUESDAY

In a way, the early 20th century was the golden age of international cinema. Without sound, storytelling was mostly visual, and providing intertitles in another language was easier than subtitling. And so it was that Nordisk Films Kompagni—a Danish company—regularly released its movies in the United States. The firm even deposited paper prints of its films at the Library of Congress for copyright—which is perhaps why the library has been able to reconstruct some Nordisk films while so many of the era’s movies have vanished. Today’s program of Nordisk movies showcases the company’s style, which was considered daringly erotic at the time: In Love and Friendship, a woman dallies with her best friend’s husband; Desdemona finds Othello’s plot mirrored in the lives of the actors playing the roles; and The Daughter of the Railway follows an abandoned child who grows up to be courted by her natural father. They screen at 7 p.m. at the Library of Congress’ Pickford Theater, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Free. For reservations call (202) 707-5677. (Mark Jenkins)