The Vicar of Vejlby is a 1922 Danish crime mystery film directed by August Blom

August Blom

August Blom was a Danish film director, production leader and pioneer of silent films during the "golden age" of Danish filmmaking from 1910 to 1914.-Career:...

. It is also known as The Hand of Fate. The silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 is based on a novella by Steen Steensen Blicher

Steen Steensen Blicher

Steen Steensen Blicher was an author and poet born in Vium near Viborg, Denmark.- Biography :Blicher was the son of a literarily inclined Jutlandic parson whose family was distantly related to Martin Luther....

 about a true murder case from 1626. The story was adapted later by George Schnéevoigt

George Schnéevoigt

George Schnéevoigt was a Danish film director, cinematographer, and actor of the 1930s and early 1940s....

 (see Praesten i Vejlby (1931 film), and again by Claus Ørsted (see Praesten i Vejlby (1972 film)). Blom's version remains the most faithful to the original literature. In addition, Blom filmed on location in the village of Vejlby

Vejlby

Vejlby is a north-eastern suburb of Aarhus in Denmark. It is located 5km from the city centre....

, using the Vejlby Church.

Plot

Søren Qvist, a village minister with a short-temper, is accused of murdering his unlikeable servant when the man disappears after an argument. Erik Sørensen, the local judge, reluctantly investigates but he is conflicted because he is happily betrothed to the minister's daughter, Mette. The judge becomes distraught as more and more witnesses offer evidence against the minister. The minister, although he doesn't remember any murder, believes the evidence is undeniable and decides to confess—condemning himself to death. The judge is forced to pass sentence—the pastor is beheaded—and Judge Sørensen's relationship with the woman he loves is destroyed. Twenty years later, the murder victim returns to the village. He reveals his alleged murder was a cruel hoax constructed by his brother as revenge for his rejection as a suitor for Mette.

Cast

Actor	Role
Viggo Wiehe Viggo Wiehe Viggo Hjalmar Wiehe was a Danish stage and film actor whose career spanned over five decades.-Career:...	Søren Quist, Minister of Vejlby
Ingeborg Spangsfeldt	Mette, Minister's Daughter
Gunnar Tolnæs Gunnar Tolnæs Gunnar Tolnæs was a Norwegian-born film actor who worked for most of his career in Denmark.-Career:Tolnæs's film credits, all silent films, include:* Children of the Streets * One of the Many...	Judge Erik Sørensen
Clara Schønfeld	Aunt Gertrud
Gerhard Jessen	Morten Bruus
Chistian H. Sørensen	Niels Bruus
Hans Dynesen	Minister of Aalsø

External links

• Danish Film Institute (In Danish)
• IMDb