Lars von Trier

[RNL]

Lars von Trier (1956- )

[Capo]

1. The Idiots 1998
2. Breaking the Waves 1996
3. Dogville 2003
4. Manderlay 2005
5. Europa 1991

[Pherdy]

having only seen two of his films (both great) I think he can be called today's Godard, having read/heard/seen bits of so many of his other films. I have Dogville on DVD but still not seen it, and Breaking the Waves is coming in soon.

Element of Crime
Idiots

[Vercetti]

I've wanted to see Dogville and The Five Obstructions for some time now. He seems like an interesting director.

[RNL]

I'd pretty much row in with the general consensus on Manderlay.

It's very good, but not as good as Dogville, and so similar that it makes it seem a little extraneous.

It's more argumentative and less readable than its predecessor. It couldn't be more obviously an indictment of America's war on Iraq. I preferred Dogville's ambiguities.

Also - and this feels really weird - in a film that is deliberately novelistic and linear, divided into 8 'chapters', there is a totally unnecessary moment of time-shifting at the end. A little momentary flashback. It's really incongruous.

I'm not sure whether Wasington's cancelation is a bad thing. Ultimately I'd like to see it, though.

[mikola]

Nocturne (1980/I)
The Element of Crime(1984)
Epidemic (1987)
Europa (1991)
The Kingdom (1994)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Idioterne (1998)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Dogville (2003)
The Five Obstructions (2003)
Manderlay (2005)

[Capo]

I loved Manderlay. To be honest, I went into it expecting to be underwhelmed, and, as is often the case with von Trier, I came out quite baffled: loving the film, but not quite sure why. I can't even say I'm that much of a fan of the director, though by my ratings above, it would seem so.

I have to say, I wish he would continue with his America trilogy, if only for these two films not being left in the wilderness. I believe in complete packages. Though I would have no problem should he wish to delve into other projects inbetween, I'd like to see Washington.

Why does it feel like Manderlay has been criminally under-distributed, and thus underseen? This was showing for only two screenings at my local, last night and today, before, presumably, being rushed off to another cinema for a blink-and-miss period. Have I missed something, as to why the public have not been as receptive as would be expected? Hmm...

[jake]

1. Dogville (2003)
2. Breaking the Waves (1996)
3. Europa Zentropa (1991)
4. Manderlay (2005)
5. The Element of Crime (1984)
6. Dancer in the Dark (2000)

[RNL]

>>> filmick.co.uk

---

This is, I'm afraid, very bad news.

Talking to a Danish newspaper, Lars von Trier has revealed that all plans for any future films are currently on hold. He's suffering from very serious depression and it has inhibited his ability to write or direct absolutely. He described himself as feeling like "a blank sheet of paper".

Here are some quotes from von Trier in the article, in English:

It's very strange for me, because I've always had at least three projects in my head at one time. You can't make a film and be depressed at the same time. They say that it can take a couple of years to recover after a depression - but let us see. I assume that Antichrist will be my next movie,but right now I don't know.

Von Trier is undoubtedly one of the most important filmmakers in the world, and one of the greatest innovators in the entire history of film. There's a sizeable chance we'll never see another film from him. If that's true, this is a very, very sad day for cinema. There's also quite some likelihood that this will pass. I hope so - if not for us, the audience, then for von Trier himself.

---

[RNL]

An interview with Lars von Trier.

He's hard at work on Antichrist and still plans on shooting Wasington.

[Anasazie]

1. Medea (1988) 9/10
2. Antichrist (2009) ?/10
3. The Idiots (1998) [blue]8/10[/blue]
4. Epidemic (1987) [blue]8/10[/blue]
5. The Five Obstructions (2003) [blue]8/10[/blue]
6. Dogville (2003) [blue]8/10[/blue]
7. Europa (1991) [blue]7/10[/blue]
8. Manderlay (2005) 7/10
9. The Element of Crime (1984) [blue]6/10[/blue]
10. The Boss of it All (2006) [blue]6/10[/blue]
11. Dancer in the Dark (2000) [blue]6/10[/blue]
12. Breaking the Waves (1996) [blue]4/10[/blue]

[quentincompson]

1.The Five Obstructions 8/10

[theundergroundman]

1. Breaking the Waves (1996) - [blue]4/10[/blue]

[Michael]

I had watched Dogville last night up until chapter 7, when the DVD started to skip and stopped working completely. I had already been pissed off due to the characters in the film, the fact that I couldn't finish the film drove me to the brink of insanity.

Switched it for a different copy today, gonna watch it again now.

[Michael]

1. Dogville (2003) ****

Very very nearly 5 stars. Incredible film.

[Capo]

Did you start from the beginning, or resume where you left off?

Has anybody braved Antichrist yet?

[RNL]

Soooon.

I also really ought to rewatch Epidemic. I was talking to someone about Trier the other day and didn't even remember how it ended.

[Michael]

Jul 28, 2009 11:46:17 GMT Capo said:

Did you start from the beginning, or resume where you left off?

Started from the beginning.

[RNL]

Features
_1. Europa (1991) _*****
_2. Medea (1988) _*****
_3. The Element of Crime (1984) _*****
_4. The Boss of It All (2006) _*****
_5. Dogville (2003) _*****
_6. Breaking the Waves (1996) _*****
_7. Dancer in the Dark (2000) _*****
_8. Manderlay (2005) _*****
_9. The Idiots (1998) _*****
10. Liberation Pictures (1982) _*****
11. Epidemic (1987) _*****
12. Antichrist (2009) _*****

Shorts
1. Nocturne (1980) _*****

Anthologies
1. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) _***** (segment: "Occupations")

[Jenson71]

Dogville put me to sleep in 20 minutes.

Breaking the Waves was very nice, though. Almost cried.