Trier on von Trier

by Stig Björkman, Neil Smith (Translator)

An opinionated, revealing collection of interviews with the mercurial Danish director of Dogville, Dancer in the Dark, and Breaking the Waves.

The only director to have accomplished the unique feat of premiering all of his features at Cannes, Lars von Trier is the unabashed prince of the European avant-garde. The grand ambitions of his career mirror those of an earlier generation of directors, such as von Sternberg and von Stroheim, a similarity the director openly acknowledges, having affected the lordly 'von' in his name as a tribute while still in film school. From his highly stylized debut, Element of Crime , to the universally acclaimed Breaking the Waves and controversial musical Dancer in the Dark , von Trier has constantly challenged the boundaries of contemporary film, and this thoughtful and engagingly humorous assortment of interviews with fellow director Stig Björkman reveals the motivation behind his most lasting and controversial innovations-most notably the back-to-basics Dogme 95 movement, as well as the propless, setless Dogville , which debuted at Cannes in 2003 to lavish praise. Accompanied by several 'manifestos' which explicate his most experimental films, Trier on von Trier promises a definitive portrait of "the most brilliant director working in cinema today." ( IndieWIRE )

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[lindy]

The best thing I've learned so far is that when Lars von Trier is not working, he just plays Tetris all day.

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and insightful, my only gripe being that the book is quite dated, with the lion's share of the interviews centring on his earlier films which I haven't seen. It was a shame to only have a few pages on the later films. But despite not having seen the earlier films I still found the interviews very interesting as the discussions were mostly about general issues (like how he chooses cast, lighting, camerawork, etc) and not just specific to those particular films. It was interesting to realise just how fearful and anxious v Trier is. A shame that there was no real attempt to tackle the misogyny that many have seen in his films. (personally I don't think that's fair, but it is definitely a perception that his films can create).

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one only to read if you love von trier as I do. I recomend keeping a pen and paper with you because you will want to research some of the directors that recieve von trier's fanatical approval in this book. He is also a genuinely interesting person very much in the vein of people that make you think, I will never be that talented or successful, nor would I want to be as mad as he is if thats what it takes to get there.

[Justin Decloux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly candid, this career ranging interview is everything you'd expect from Von Trier: Amusing, arrogant and filled with crippling self-doubt.

[rogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lars turns out to be not at all the jerk that I had imagined. Instead we see his growth from a puppeteer into a director who works patiently with his actors. He is a congenial interviewee and very comfortable on his home turf. He is honest and has a good idea of his shortcomings as a person and as an artist. What might look like arrogance to a casual observer turns out, I think, just to be stubbornness and his need for control. He is smart and has very distinct ideas which I'm sure have been highly influential-- for example in his discussion of Dancer in the Dark & modern musicals, I felt like I was reading the inspiration or genesis of the movie-musical "Once".

[Pavel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dislike the man and dislike most of his films (I honestly prefer stig Bjorkman's films, who is interviewing Trier here, much more), but this book represent his persona perfectly: filled with blatant lies and instant provocations it shows how Trier manipulated whole cinema world into liking him. The most interesting part though is his childhood. He was raised in a parenting system of a full freedom. As a child he got to decide himself when he goes to school, does he want to visit a dentist or what he is going to eat or to wear. His parents stripped themselves of all parenting rights (but not obligations). I think Trier became vivid example of what can be achieved with this system.

[Antonio Bunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo compré en Los Ángeles, lo leí en San Salvador y acabó en la Condesa!

[Dang Ole' Dan Can Dangle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Von Trier being interviewed is about as annoying as Von Trier directing. His films, however, have the crucial factor of being at the very least interesting; his personality, not so.