Nymphomaniac (film)
Nymphomaniac | |
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![]() Volume 1 theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Lars von Trier |
Written by | Lars von Trier |
Produced by | Peter Aalbæk Jensen |
Starring | |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | Volume I: 117 minutes[2] 145 minutes (long version)[3] Volume II: 124 minutes[4] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $4,700,000 |
Box office | $678,335[5] |
Nymphomaniac (stylized as NYMPH()MANIAC) is a 2013 two-part drama film, written and directed by Lars von Trier,[6] starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin, Uma Thurman, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, and Connie Nielsen.
The world premiere of the first part of the five-and-half-hour-long uncut version premiered on February 16, 2014 at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]
Plot
Nymphomaniac is a wild, poetic drama about a woman's erotic journey from birth to the age of 50 as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe. On a cold winter's evening, the old, charming bachelor Seligman finds Joe beaten up in an alleyway. He brings her home to his flat where he tends to her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe, over the next eight chapters, recounts the lustful story of her highly erotic life. Seligman reads a lot of books, from which he has acquired various general knowledge. He connects the stories told with what he has read about.
The story is divided in two volumes and eight chapters, Volume I follows young Joe as portrayed by Stacy Martin, while the older Joe in Seligman's apartment is played by Gainsbourg, and Volume II follows Joe as portrayed by Gainsbourg.
- Volume I
- "The Compleat Angler"
- "Jerôme"
- "Mrs. H"
- "Delirium"
- "The Little Organ School"
- Volume II
- "The Eastern and the Western Church (The Silent Duck)"
- "The Mirror"
- "The Gun"
Cast
- Charlotte Gainsbourg as Joe
- Stellan Skarsgård as Seligman[8]
- Stacy Martin as young Joe[9]
- Shia LaBeouf as Jerôme[8]
- Christian Slater[9] as Joe's Father
- Jamie Bell as K[8]
- Uma Thurman as Mrs. H
- Willem Dafoe as L[8]
- Mia Goth as P[10]
- Sophie Kennedy Clark as B
- Connie Nielsen as Joe's mother[8]
- Michaël Pas as Older Jerôme
- Jean-Marc Barr as The Debtor Gentleman[8]
- Udo Kier as The Waiter[8]
- Jesper Christensen[11] as Jerôme's Uncle
- Jens Albinus[11] as S
- Nicolas Bro as F[11]
- Shanti Roney[11] as Interpreter
- Kate Ashfield as Therapist[8]
- Caroline Goodall as Psychologist[8]
- Saskia Reeves[8] as Nurse
- Tania Carlin as Renée[12]
- Omar Shargawi[8] as Thug 1
- Severin von Hoensbroech[11] as Debtor in Greenhouse
- Daniela Lebang as Brunelda
- James Northcote[13] as Young Lad 1 on Train
Production
Pre-production
Producer and Zentropa co-founder Peter Aalbæk Jensen revealed that the film is to be two parts. "We are making two films. It is a big operation. I personally hope that we should be ready for Cannes next year. We will shoot both and edit both – and we want to finish both at the same time.”[14] He explained there will be two versions of each film: an explicit cut and a softer cut.[14]
LaBeouf said in August 2012 that, "The movie is what you think it is. It is Lars von Trier, making a movie about what he's making. For instance, there's a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says we're doing it for real. Everything that is illegal, we'll shoot in blurred images. Other than that, everything is happening. ... [V]on Trier's dangerous. He scares me. And I'm only going to work now when I'm terrified."[15]
Filming
Principal photography occurred between August 28 and November 9, 2012 in Cologne and Hilden, Germany, and in Belgium.[11]
To produce scenes of unsimulated sex, von Trier used digital compositing to superimpose the genitals of pornographic film actors onto the bodies of the film's actors.[16] Producer Louise Vesth explained during the Cannes Film Festival:
We shot the actors pretending to have sex and then had the body doubles, who really did have sex, and in post we will digital impose the two. So above the waist it will be the star and the below the waist it will be the doubles.[16]
Gainsbourg and Martin further revealed that prosthetic vaginas and closed sets were used during filming. Martin stated that her acting experience for the film was enjoyable and, after explaining that the film's characters are a reflection of the director himself, referred to the process as an "honour."[17]
Marketing
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2014) |
In early 2013, the first teaser poster was released from the film's official website. Shortly thereafter, Zentropa released a promotional photo shoot featuring the film's main characters posing in suggestive positions and a list of the film's chapters. This was followed by the release of a picture of von Trier himself with duct tape covering his mouth, accompanied by a press release explaining the official launch of the film's campaign.[citation needed]
An incremental marketing campaign was used to promote the film, as brief video segments, each described as an "appetizer" by the film's production company, were released on the Internet leading up to the film's release date. Each appetizer represented each of the eight chapters of Nymphomaniac and the first one, entitled “The Compleat Angler,” appeared on June 28, 2013, the last Friday of the month—this pattern would be followed for the monthly release of the subsequent clips.[18] Following "The Compleat Angler," "Jerôme," featuring Martin and LaBeouf, was released in August; "Mrs. H" in September; the predominantly black-and-white "Delirium" (containing a voiceover by Skarsgård) was released in October; in November, the appetizer for "The Little Organ School" was uploaded to YouTube, but was quickly removed due to its explicit content; on November 29, "The Eastern and the Western Church" was released exclusively for Vimeo;[19] in December, the appetizer for "The Mirror" was released, again on Vimeo; and on December 25, leading into the European release of the film, "The Gun" was released on the film's official website.
In October 2013, a series of posters were released, each depicting the film's characters during the moment of orgasm.[20] Along with the appetizers and the character posters, five theatrical posters (three for the complete feature and one for each volume) and an international trailer featuring some of the explicit sexual scenes, were released.[citation needed] In Tampa, Florida, the international trailer was mistakenly shown to the audience before the Disney PG-rated animated film Frozen.[21][22]
Release
The complete five-hour version of the film was released on December 25, 2013 in Denmark,[23] while in the UK, Nymphomaniac was divided into two volumes—Volume I and Volume II—and the film's UK premiere was on 22 February 2014.[17] In the US, the film will also be released in two parts, but on different dates: March 21, 2014 and April 18, 2014.[24]
Reception
Critical response
Nymphomaniac has received positive reviews: On Rotten Tomatoes, Volume I achieved a 100% rating with an average rating of 7.8/10— based on 13 reviews—in early February 2014.[25] On Metacritic, both volumes garnered 80/100 ratings, indicating "generally favorable reviews," in mid-February 2014.[26][27]
See also
References
- ^ Debruge, Peter (17 December 2013). "Film Review: 'Nymphomaniac'". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "NYMPHOMANIAC VOL. I (18)". Artificial Eye. British Board of Film Classification. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Nymphomaniac Volume I (long version)". berlinale.de. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "NYMPHOMANIAC VOL. II (18)". Artificial Eye. British Board of Film Classification. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ "NYMPHOMANIAC (2014)". JP' Box-Office. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (25 April 2012). "Lars Von Trier's 'The Nymphomaniac' With Charlotte Gainsbourg Will Be 2 Part Film, Aiming For Cannes Premiere In 2013". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "World premiere of Lars von Trier's Long Uncut Version of Nymphomaniac Volume I". berlinale. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Roxborough, Scott (17 October 2012). "Lars von Trier Veterans Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier Complete 'Nymphomaniac' Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b Barraclough, Leo (12 September 2012). "Christian Slater joins 'Nymphomaniac'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Mia Goth". Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f Roxborough, Scott (27 August 2012). "Jamie Bell, Connie Nielsen Join Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Tania Carlin - News". TaniaCarlin.com. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Jagernauth, Kevin. "Watch: First Clip From Lars Von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac'". IndieWire. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ a b Macnab, Geoffrey (26 April 2012). "Lars von Trier to make Nymphomaniac in two feature-length parts". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
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suggested) (help)(subscription required) - ^ Sullivan, Kevin P.; Horowitz, Josh (18 August 2012). "Shia LaBeouf Will Do 'Whatever Is Asked' for 'Nymphomaniac'". MTV News. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Lanxon, Nate (22 May 2013). "Hardcore sex in 'Nymphomaniac' puts porn actor genitals on cast's bodies". Wired UK. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ a b Xan Brooks; Henry Barnes (20 February 2014). "Nymphomaniac star Charlotte Gainsbourg: 'The sex wasn't hard. The masochistic scenes were embarrassing' - video interview" (Video upload). The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ Sarah Salovaara (3 September 2013). "A Trailer in Clips: Lars von Trier's Curious Nymphomaniac Rollout". Filmmaker Magazine. Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ Matthew Jacobs (29 November 2013). "New 'Nymphomaniac' Clip Places Charlotte Gainsbourg In Compromising Position (Very NSFW)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ "'Nymphomaniac' Character Posters Showcase Shia LaBeouf, Uma Thurman In Salacious Moments (Slightly NSFW)". Huffington Post. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ "Nymphomaniac Trailer Shocks Frozen Audience". IGN. 4 December 2013.
- ^ Child, Ben (4 December 2013). "Nymphomaniac trailer accidentally shown to Florida children". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ Matthew Jacobs (5 December 2013). "'Nymphomaniac' Secures Two-Part Release In March And April 2014". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ Joseph, Matthew (26 November 2013). "Lars Von Trier's 5 Hour Cut Of Nymphomaniac Will Arrive In 2014". WeGotThisCovered.com. We Got This Covered. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "Nymphomaniac: Volume I (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Nymphomaniac: Part One". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "Nymphomaniac: Part Two". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Official website - Magnolia Pictures
- Nymphomaniac: Volume I at IMDb
- Nymphomaniac: Volume II at IMDb
- Nymphomaniac: Volume I at Box Office Mojo
- Nymphomaniac: Volume II at Box Office Mojo
- Nymphomaniac: Volume I at Rotten Tomatoes
- Nymphomaniac: Volume II at Rotten Tomatoes
- Nymphomaniac: Volume I at Metacritic
- Nymphomaniac: Volume II at Metacritic
- 2013 films
- 2010s drama films
- 2010s erotic films
- Danish films
- Danish drama films
- Swedish films
- Swedish drama films
- German films
- German drama films
- French films
- French drama films
- Belgian films
- Belgian drama films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Lars von Trier
- Films about sexuality
- Films shot in Belgium
- Films shot in Cologne (Germany)
- Films shot in Germany