Europa (film)
| Europa | |
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.jpg) DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Lars von Trier |
| Produced by | Peter Aalbæk Jensen Bo Christensen |
| Written by | Lars von Trier Niels Vørsel |
| Starring | Jean-Marc Barr Barbara Sukowa Ernst-Hugo Järegård Eddie Constantine Erik Mørk Henning Jensen |
| Music by | Joachim Holbek |
| Cinematography | Henning Bendtsen Edward Klosinski Jean-Paul Meurisse |
| Editing by | Hervé Schneid |
| Distributed by | Nordisk Film |
| Release date(s) | 12 May 1991 (premiere at Cannes) 22 June 1991 (Germany) 16 August 1991 (Denmark)[1] 22 May 1992 (USA) 2 July 1992 (Australia) |
| Running time | 113 min.[2] |
| Country | Denmark France Germany Poland Sweden Switzerland |
| Language | English and German |
Europa (1991) is a film directed by Lars von Trier. It is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and was the final film in his Europa trilogy following The Element of Crime (1984) and Epidemic (1987).
Europa was released as Zentropa in North America to avoid confusion with Europa Europa (1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German people soon after the end of World War II. In US-occupied Germany, he takes on work as a sleeping car conductor for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi terrorist conspiracy.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr, Germans Barbara Sukowa and Udo Kier, expatriate American Eddie Constantine, and the Swedes Max von Sydow and Ernst-Hugo Järegård.
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Cast [edit]
- Jean-Marc Barr - Leopold Kessler
- Barbara Sukowa - Katharina Hartmann
- Udo Kier - Lawrence Hartmann
- Ernst-Hugo Järegård - Uncle Kessler
- Erik Mørk - Pater
- Jørgen Reenberg - Max Hartmann
- Henning Jensen (actor) - Siggy
- Eddie Constantine - Colonel Harris
- Max von Sydow - Narrator
- Benny Poulsen - Steleman
- Erno Müller - Seifert
- Dietrich Kuhlbrodt - Inspector
- Michael Phillip Simpson - Robins
- Holger Perfort - Mr. Ravenstein
- Anne Werner Thomsen - Mrs. Ravenstein
- Baard Owe - Man With Papers
Style [edit]
Europa employs an experimental style of cinema; combining largely black and white visuals with occasional intrusions of colour having actors interact with rear-projected footage, and layering different images over one another to surreal effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically imitative of film noir conventions.
Production [edit]
Locations [edit]
- In Poland (exteriors)
- Chojna Cathedral (Marienkirche)
- Chojna Roundhouse
- In Denmark
- Nordisk Film studios, Copenhagen
- Copenhagen Dansk Hydraulisk Institut
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa.
Reception [edit]
Accolades [edit]
The film won three awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival (Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize).[3] Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or, von Trier gave the judges the finger and stormed out of the venue.[4]
Home media [edit]
The Criterion Collection released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
References [edit]
- ^ Stevenson, Jack (2002). Lars von Trier. British Film Institute. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-85170-902-4. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ Lasagna, Roberto; Lena, Sandra (32 May 2003). Lars von Trier. Gremese Editore. p. 123. ISBN 978-88-7301-543-7. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Europa". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "Zentropa". Chicago Sun-Times.
External links [edit]
- Zentropa at AllRovi
- Europa at the Internet Movie Database
- Zentropa at the TCM Movie Database
- Zentropa at Rotten Tomatoes
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Hidden Agenda |
Jury Prize, Cannes 1991 tied with Hors la vie |
Succeeded by Dream of Light tied with An Independent Life |
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