906. Breaking the Waves (1996)

Running Time: 159 minutes
Directed By: Lars von Trier
Written By: Lars von Trier, Peter Asmussen
Main Cast: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins
Click here to view the trailer

FAITH

I've been waiting to watch "Breaking the Waves" for a long time now. While not always fully enjoying his films, I've always been semi fascinated by the films of Lars von Trier. They almost always offer something to marvel over, SOMETHING that's unique; unlike any other filmmaker. "Breaking the Waves" is no exception.

The film's star is Emily Watson who plays Bess, a mentally handicapped woman with a history of psychological problems and a childlike approach to the ways of the world. The film is split into seven chapters. In Chapter One Bess marries Jan (Skarsgard), a Swede who loves and cares for Bess very much. The wedding is held in a church with no bells and the guests have a good time; dancing and drinking. In Chapter Two we examine the married life of Bess and Jan, as they explore one another's bodies through the art of love making. Up until her marriage, Bess was a virgin and during one occasion, as she makes love to Jan, she looks to the heavens and audibly thanks God for the love he has given her. However, Jan works on an oil rig and must leave Bess for a while. Chapter Three examines the two as they cope with life without each other. Jan gets by okay. He misses Bess, but he can handle it. Bess, on the other hand, can't really seem to handle life without Jan and prays to God that he be delivered home. It is right after this that Jan is the victim of an accident on the rig and ends up in the hospital, paralyzed. Bess believes the injury to be her fault, since she prayed for Jan's immediate return. Chapter Four covers life with Jan's illness and his asking Bess to do him a favor. It seems that Jan can't cope with the idea of never being able to make love to Bess again, so he asks her to find a lover and then come back and describe to him all the details. He promises that it will be his way of making love to her and that it will keep him alive. Bess, in all her naivety, believes Jan and wants him to survive, so she obliges him. I'll stop there, so as not to give away too much.

SPOILER ALERT!

I think the first thing that really struck me about the film was the natural way in which it was shot. It was a film from the Dogme 95 movement, or at least it looked like one, without actually being one. The use of various popular songs, including a couple of Elton John tunes and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (a personal favorite of mine and a song that went REALLY well with this film), disqualifies it from truly being considered a Dogme 95 film, not to mention the use of a few computer enhancements. Otherwise, von Trier DID implement handheld cameras throughout the entire production and used only natural lighting to make a picture that felt very real and really hit you in your emotional core. That's not even mentioning the absolutely intense performances from everyone involved, but especially Emily Watson. The story totally worked for me too and unlike "Dancer in the Dark" (a sort of companion piece to "Breaking the Waves" with both being part of the Golden Heart trilogy) it wasn't a musical and didn't star Bjork - two for the plus column.

I will say though that there were a few things I didn't care for. For starters, the film was a bit on the long side and I think if it could have been contained just a little bit, it would've done wonders for the flow. As it was, it did lag just a little bit, in places. I'd always read that von Trier was an admitted atheist, yet here he seems to be questioning his own lack of faith, wondering if perhaps there is a God. However, what is von Trier really saying with this picture. The one in the film who really hinges all of her beliefs and decisions on God and spirituality is also the one who isn't all there mentally. There seems to be a smattering of religion vs. science elements too, or rather, faith vs. medicine. Also, the ending (with the bells) also doesn't come off as something directed by a full fledged atheist, but rather someone who doesn't believe but wants to. Or perhaps von Trier is just a movie maker and needed a happy ending and since it's only the movies, in his strict non belief, it was okay to "pretend". I don't know...

The film is one that can surely be put under a microscope, as themes, ideas and debates are siphoned out of the film and put up for discussion. I dug it for the story, the acting and the look/feel, but there was an essays worth of discussions in there that will surely rise to the surface upon further viewings. For now, lets just call it a win and a great time at the movies.

RATING: 8/10  I feel like I really rambled a lot there. Ah well. I really can't wait to see more von Trier, such as "Melancholia" and give "Antichrist" another look. For the curious, my all-time favorite von Trier picture was excluded from THE BOOK and that's "Dogville".

MOVIES WATCHED: 724
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 277

September 4, 2013  1:46am

957. Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Running Time: 140 minutes
Directed By: Lars von Trier
Written By: Lars von Trier
Main Cast: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Cara Seymour
Click here to view the trailer

AND THEN THE MUSIC CAME...

This is the second of three Lars von Trier works that I've watched from THE BOOK. Before even delving into the pages of this book, I considered myself a von Trier fan, mostly because I thought "Dogville" was excellent and because "Antichrist" had certain traces of brilliance. However, "Dancer in the Dark" didn't live up to the hype that I set for it and was ultimately a disappointment.

Selma Jezkova (Bjork) is a single mother, a factory worker and a junkie for classic musicals. She's a bit dimwitted and often nods off at work, allowing her mind to make music out of any sound she hears and often daydreaming that she's in the midst of a musical. Selma lives in a trailer, located on the property of Bill (Morse) and Linda Houston (Seymour). Bill is a cop and often takes care of Selma's son, while Selma works at the factory. One evening Bill decides to tell Selma a secret - he's broke. Even more so, his wife doesn't know that they're broke and Bill is convinced that if she were to find out, she'd surely leave him. Selma sees Bill's secret and raises him one - she's going blind. It's a hereditary condition and soon, her son will also start to go blind. However, there is hope for him, as Selma has scrimped and saved, even neglecting her son on his birthday, to be able to save the money to pay for an operation, so that he'll be able to see. When Bill gets wind of the stash that Selma has saved up ($2,056.10), he plots to steal it...and does, pretending to leave one evening, but staying behind and taking advantage of Selma's blindness, finding out her hiding spot for the funds. When Selma finds out that Bill took the money, she confronts him about it in a very polite manner, simply asking for the cash back. Bill refuses and forces Selma to shoot him, if she wants the money back. She does and a murder trial ensues.

SPOILER ALERT!

Well, where do I start with this one. First of all, bear with me because I plan to say a lot about this movie, it's just a matter of getting my thoughts into the right order. I watched "Dancer in the Dark" last night, but held off on writing the review so that I could have some time to toss this one back and forth in my head. I'm starting to notice that von Trier, at times, is a very powerful filmmaker and sometimes his films are too much to take in and I find myself not being able to tell if they're brilliant or not so brilliant. I still feel that way about "Antichrist", realizing that there IS some amount of genius in that movie, but also not really being able to make heads or tails of it. It's sort of the same with "Dancer in the Dark", as I'm able to admit that there were flashes of brilliance, but also realizing that it just wasn't really for me, as a whole. In fact, I was fine with "Dancer in the Dark" until about the forty minute mark when the musical portion of the film kicked in. I knew it was coming, but I can tell you now that if they'd omitted the musical numbers, I'd have liked this one a lot more. If you strip away the musical portion of "Dancer in the Dark", you're still left with a really great, interesting and original story about a dimwitted, single mother who is saving up money for her son's eye operation, only to have it stolen by the town cop and then be forced to trial and later, prison. I have a feeling that the critics went all cuckoo over this one, because it took two very different genres (crime drama and musical), mashed them together and created something very unique. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work with me.

The songs were to "Bjorky", for starters. I've NEVER been a fan of Bjork's music and of course, when the musical portions of "Dancer in the Dark" do kick in, they tend to really resemble a Bjork music video, with Bjork's signature moan and her style of song. Now, to all the Bjork fans, don't raise your pitchforks just yet, because I'm willing to admit that she did a fine job as an actress, as I thought she nailed the role of Selma and actually really surprised me at how good she did with it. I've also always considered myself a fan of both David Morse and Peter Stormare, so I have no cast complaints whatsoever.

But let's get back to the character of Selma, because I had a difficult time grasping her character. She was a character that the audience was meant to have much sympathy for, yet I found myself being quite unsympathetic to her and I'm really not sure why. There's really no reason for me not to have sympathy for her character. She's a single, blind mother, who works day and night to save money for her kid, so that he can have an eye operation and probably keep his sight. She's sweet, innocent and is sent to prison for a murder she did commit, but for one that she was tricked into committing, connived by an officer of the law. I guess what really got under my skin is the fact that I didn't cry at the end. I read so many different perspectives last night from different people and so many people claim to have cried at the end and of course they cried, as it's perhaps one of the saddest endings I've ever seen. It's the type of situation where you actually yearn for a happy ending, because this character is so sweet and so innocent, you just want her to be spared. In my case, I wanted von Trier to go all the way and I begged him (as I watched the film) not to cop out on the sad ending and deliver me some tears. Well, he delivered a tearjerking scene, it's just that no tears were jerked from my eyes.

In closing, I think it's going to take another viewing (maybe even two) for me to really warm up to this one. I can, however, definitely see myself warming up to it, I just think it's going to take some reflection. I think if "Dancer in the Dark" hadn't been a musical - had it just been the story of the Selma - I would have loved it. The musical aspect of it all, just totally killed it for me and I wanted to rip my ears off when those scenes were being played out. I also think there needed to be more work on the character of Selma. There was something missing, as I just couldn't get a read on her and just couldn't muster up any sympathy for this poor soul.


RATING: 6.5/10  It's not awful, but "Dancer in the Dark" should have been left out of THE BOOK and "Dogville" should've been let in. I also read a bunch of reports that said that this and "Breaking the Waves" were very similar, so I decided to check that out soon, so expect that review ASAP.


MOVIES WATCHED: 454
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 547

May 16, 2012  5:47pm

885. Riget/The Kingdom (1994)

Running Time: 280 minutes
Directed By: Morten Arnfred, Lars von Trier
Written By: Tomas Gislason, Lars von Trier, Niels Vorsel
Main Cast: Ernst-Hugo Jaregard, Kirsten Rolffes, Holger Juul Hansen, Soren Pilmark, Birgitte Raaberg

THY KINGDOM COME

Ah Saturday's! A day to ease down into bed with your wife and find a nice long movie to keep the two of you occupied. And today, that's just what we did, as we set our sights on the four part Danish mini-series, "The Kingdom"...the one and only mini-series in the pages of the "1001" book.

Bear with me as I try to write a movie review for what is basically a four episode television show.

"The Kingdom" begins each episode with a tale about how the hospital, located in Copenhagen, Denmark was built on the site of ancient bleaching ponds. Following that we get a standard, musical television opening, complete with photos of the cast and we're underway. The Kingdom is, of course, the name of the hospital and while it houses many characters, both patients and staff alike, the main one is Dr. Stig Helmer (Jaregard). Stig is a Swede who was ostracized from practicing medicine in his home country when it was found out that he plagarized some medical articles. Wanting to continue his practice, he relocates to Denmark and The Kingdom. Stig is a real "crab" if there ever was one, a man who removes the hubcaps from his car each morning before he enters his workplace, so that the local hoodlums can't swipe them. Stig is the chief neurosurgeon on his wing and spends the duration of the series feuding with Krogshoj Hook (Pilmark), someone he gets off on the wrong foot with and never does get along with. Stig has recently botched an operation, where a mistake on his part turned a small child, Mona, into a drooling vegetable. Meanwhile, Mrs. Drusse (Rolffes) is an accused "malinger" who fakes illness in order to gain access to the hospital, so that she can investigate the spirits that she believes haunt The Kingdom. Her son, Bulder, works there as an orderly and despite his better judgment, remains loyal to his mother. Mrs. Drusse spends the duration of the series chasing down Mary Jensen, a ghost that will not crossover to the other side and holds a dark secret as to the mystery surrounding her own death.

Other story lines that continue throughout the series involve Dr. Bondo and the drastic measures he'll take to secure a very large hepatoma from a dying man's liver, an ambulance that calls into the hospital every night announcing it's arrival then always disappearing and young medical student Mogge and his infatuation with the nurse who presides over the sleep research lab.


Despite not seeing a lot of his films, I've always been very curious of the work of Lars von Trier. I'll admit that the curiosity reached a peek last year when I saw "Antichrist" and was left scratching my head for days after. While von Trier's films aren't always the most straight forward tales, they have almost always left me feeling intrigued. "Dogville" is a film that I wish had been included in the pages of the "1001" book, as it's the best von Trier film I've seen to date. Now that I've written a few sentences about Lars himself, lets jump into the film, "The Kingdom".

In a sentence - I liked it a lot. While it certainly wasn't the scariest thing I've seen (not by a mile), it held an aura of creepiness about it and the fact that it was set in a hospital (buildings that we normally associate with bad feelings) only serves to add to the strangeness of the series. We have a wide range of characters to keep us busy for the 4+ hours and a over a half dozen different story lines to keep "The Kingdom" from ever getting dull. While we're dealing with the supernatural for a lot of the film, the series also blends in a dash of murder mystery, as we follow the vibrant Mrs. Drusse around the halls of "The Kingdom", gathering clues and putting together pieces to move the story along. I loved the grainy and rust colored lens that we were forced to peer through as well, as it only added to keep us on edge.

I think my biggest problems regarding "The Kingdom" came during the final part. If I'm forced to judge this part, and this part alone, as a film from the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book, then I must be honest and say that the ending had some trouble. For those who don't know, three years later Lars von Trier would produce "The Kingdom II", a sequel to the original that apparently picks up right where this one left off. The ending of this "Kingdom" was left with a major cliffhanger and thus the end result was me not being satisfied with the final product, that was later stuffed into the pages of my current "1001" text. I also felt that after the first three parts delivered ten fold in keeping me totally captivated, the final part just didn't have enough of a payoff. I expected more in terms of twists and turns in the plot. There was also a comedy bit that came very close to the end of the film, where the hospital director walks around with his superiors to show them the progress that the Kingdom has made, only to find mishap after mishap around every corner. To me, this wasn't the place for a comedy bit (especially during the finale) and it only served to remove me from the story and totally kill the suspense that had been building inside me.

RATING: 7.5/10 I liked it, I just had problems with certain things (mostly the final part). I'll definitely be checking out "The Kingdom II" though.

MOVIES WATCHED: 269
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 732

June 26, 2011 12:16am