The Cinema of Lars von Trier: Authenticity and Artifice

Directors' Cuts

by Caroline Bainbridge

Lars von Trier is one of the most controversial figures of contemporary European cinema. This volume analyzes the themes and motifs of the director's work and the changes he has brought to modern film. Ever since he founded the back-to-basics Dogme philosophy of filmmaking in 1995, von Trier's name has been tied to taboo-breaking cinema. He consistently courts media controversy through films such as The Idiots (1998), with its unsimulated sex and nonconformist politics. This volume presents von Trier as one of the most daring cinematic exponents of postmodern politics and satire.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of Von Trier and the Dogme 95 movement, which was probably the best kick up the ass to European cinema since the guerrilla filmmaking of the French New Wave back in the 60s - just with an added ton of controversy. This is the only book I could find on Von Trier, and while a very interesting read, it's a pity it didn't come out a few years later to include the films Melancholia & Antichrist.