Europa (1991)

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

Lars von Trier (writer) &
Niels Vørsel (writer)

Release Date:

27 June 1991 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Just after WW2, an American takes a railway job in Germany, but finds his position politically sensitive with various people trying to use him.

Plot Keywords:

Part Of Trilogy | Dead Children | Black & White To Color | Werewolf | Dinner

Awards:

16 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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	...	Siggy
Eddie Constantine	...	Colonel Harris
Max von Sydow	...	Narrator (voice)
Benny Poulsen	...	Steleman
Erno Müller	...	Seifert
Dietrich Kuhlbrodt	...	Inspector
Michael Phillip Simpson	...	Robins
Holger Perfort	...	Mr. Ravenstein
Anne Werner Thomsen	...	Mrs. Ravenstein

Also Known As:

Europa (Sweden)
Zentropa

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | France | Germany | Switzerland

Language:

English | German

Colour:

Black and White | Colour (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:T | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Chojna Cathedral, Chojna, Poland

Company:

Alicéléo

Trivia:

The final film in Lars von Trier's 'Europa' trilogy which illuminates the traumas of Europe in the future. The two other parts are Forbrydelsens element (1984) and Epidemic (1987).

Quotes:

[opening lines]
Narrator: You will now listen to my voice. My voice will help you and guide you still deeper into Europa. Every time you hear my voice, with every word and every number, you will enter into a still deeper layer, open, relaxed and receptive. I shall now count from one to ten...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Europa' (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Europa Aria

One of the Greatest Films of All Time

Someone release this movie on DVD so it can take its hallowed place as on of the greatest films of all time in ten to twenty years when critics and film historians look back on the so-called films of the 1990's and see how vapid they were for the most part, and how Lars Von Trier tried to revolutionize and revitalize the international film world with this masterpiece. As it stands, "Zentropa" (or "Europa" as it is referred to outside the US) is one of the most fascinating and artistic views of the bleakness and almost psychotic uncertainty that oozed out of post WWII Europe, namely the decimated German landscape, whose physical horrors were matched only by the damage to the psyche of its people. Von Trier brilliantly paints his vision on screen. You will feel like you are watching some lost espionage noir classic from the late 1940's with the perfectly lighted black and white scenes, while at the same time feel you are on the brink of something beyond the cutting edge, especially in scenes like the assassination aboard the train. Literally, when you see this movie, you are witnessing the evolution of an art form.

For some reason, Von Trier got caught up in his own Dogma movement shortly after this. And while his "Breaking the Waves" and "Dancer in the Dark" are classics in their own right, it is with "Zentropa" that he truly lifted the art of film making to new and exciting heights. 10/10, ages like a fine wine, and begs for a DVD release.