Customer Reviews

Europa [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Surely one of the GREATEST directors of all time, this is his masterpiece. Armed with the most hypnotic narration I've ever heard & an extraordinarily abstract form, the story is constantly propelled forward by Max Von Sydow's unmistakable voice. Along with DANCER IN THE DARK, DOGVILLE & BREAKING THE WAVES, ZENTROPA is an unforgettable journey. Please plead with this film's distributor to give it the beautiful widescreen DVD release it deserves.....

"Zentropa" (or "Europa" as it is called in Europe) marks the end of Lars von Trier's (the director) Europe-trilogy, which started in 1986 with "The Element of Crime" followed by "Epedemic". "Zentropa" is a real film-noir in Hitchkock style. The movie, like the rest of the Europe-trilogy, was a co-production between Lars von Trier and Niels Vørsel; both great screenwriters.

The thing which is so special about "Zentropa" are: 1) It is made without ANY digital effects. 2) It is shoot in B/W. 3) All importent elements in the movie have colour (a thing Spielberg stole from Trier, when he made "Schientlers List"). 4) It has a great story. 5) It is a Trier film.

The cinematography is great, so is the acting; especially Max von S. is great. Also notice that Lars von Trier himself has a small role.

If you want to know more about this film, you should read the book "Lars von Triers elements". If you are just looking for some saturdaynight entertaintment...this is not what you want. However if you want so see a quality movie in world class, this is a modern classic... Don't miss it.

Zentropa is simply the greatest film since "Citizen Kane." An American works as a sleeping-car conductor on a German railroad in late 1945. Viewers should note carefully the course of a dinner conversation early on in the film where neutrality is condemned by a priest: this is the theme of the film, with a profound relevance to today's political events. Try as he might, the American's attempts to be a understanding "nice guy" serve only to tighten the noose. Yet to be passionate and follow one's beliefs wherever they lead is shown to lead to disaster as well. We are doomed to go through the night of mass murder and war if we are to see the light of day.

The cinematography, utterly commensurate with the claustrophobic theme, brilliant in its conception, an encyclopedia of noire technique; most of the acting; and the conclusion, rivetingly harrowing as any in cinema--all come together in a magnificent work of art that belongs on the shelf of anyone who understands the power of cinema to speak to the heart and mind co-equally.

Notable Awards received: Nominated for the Palm d'Or Cannes, Won Best Artistic Contribution Cannes, Won Jury Prize Cannes, Won Technical Grand Prize

For some reason despite my obsession with European cinema I've never felt compelled to watch the works of the Danish l'enfant terrible Lars von Trier (he gave the finger to the judges at Cannes when Europa failed to win the Palm d'Or). However, desperate to find something worthwhile to watch I discovered Europa. And, with Max von Sydow's stunning introductory narration telling me to be seduced, I was seduced, but by what exactly? I'm still not exactly sure but I shall try desperately/earnestly to explain myself.

But first...

It is necessary to detach yourself from the Lars von Trier of Breaking the Waves, Dogville, and Manderlay. This film was made in his pre-Dogma film style.

And...

... here's a limited non-spoiler plot summary: An American pacifist named Leopold Kessler travels to post-WWII Germany to find a job. He joins his alcoholic uncle as a sleeping-car conductor for the mysterious Zentropa railways which crisscross Germany. Eventually he falls for the daughter, Katharina Hartmann, of the owner of Zentropa and becomes involved with a shadowy conspiracy against Germany's occupiers.

And the viewer enters a the visually stunning nightmarish world of post-War Germany rendered brilliantly by Lars von Trier's camera: characters interacting with back screen projections, heavy contrast black and white (think Welles' The Third Man), highly selective use of color (think Tarkovsky's Solyaris), and hallucinatory nighttime journeys through train stations, train cars, tunnels...

Lars von Trier deliberately deconstructs (reverently) American film-noir thrillers. I must admit that I was so entranced by the individual images of this sumptuous/disturbing feast that Lars von Trier's apparent message became of secondary importance. Is this supposed to be an apologetic piece? Perhaps most importantly, does it have historical locality -- i.e. directly an attack on the "idealistic" American occupation after the war? Or, is this a parable to be divorced from its historical locality?

Perhaps we should look at this film more explicitly as a reinterpretation of The Third Man more than simply as an homage. In Welles' The Third Man an American author uncovers the corruption of another American in post-war Vienna. Here, an idealistic American discovers a group of Germans--completely desensitized by the constant death surrounding them during the war--who still "fight" for Germany despite the continued loss of human life. This group of Germans manipulate the American who does not understand the environment he's entering. The Germans perpetuate destruction but their reasoning remains aloof yet somehow even dignified. What are we to make of this reinterpretation of the players in post-War Germany?

And it is here that words fail me. I was absorbed completely by the murky waters of von Trier's Europa and I'm strangely satisfied by this unresolved murkiness.

Pretty pictures cast spells.

A truly remarkable experience. Its message, if it has one, remains strangely distant.

And so I implore you -- Listen to Max von Sydow

"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...."

An absolutely worthwhile film. Find it! Watch it!

The voice of Max von Sydow hypnotizes the audience by stating, "You will now listen to my voice..." as he continuous to count to ten, which pulls the viewer into a nightmarish dream. Simultaneously the opening shot of railroad tracks is flashing by, which visually puts the viewer in a trance as the screen turns black. This beginning incites the audience participation as the film definitely requires a high level of cognitive participation, unlike most films made where the story is driven by the scripted dialogue. Zentropa becomes a visual and aural journey that mesmerizes the audience in a highly artistic manner.

Comparisons have been made with David Lynch's Eraserhead (1977), Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), and the director Wim Wender's cinematic creations. Despite the previous comparisons, Lars von Trier creates a unique cinematic experience that could be compared to an artistic and political journey into the aftermath of World War II. Cities lay in ruin and people suffer from starvation as the artery, the railroads of Zentropa, of the recovering Europa continues its exploitation of the people as it carted off millions to a certain death in the Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Dachau during the war. This creates a tense Machiavellian atmosphere where fear, paranoia, and anxiety have a firm grip of the people. This causes most people to alienate themselves from society.

The cinematic journey begins with German-American Leopold Kessler (Jean-Marc Barr) who departs United States after the end of World War II for Germany. When Leopold arrives to the shattered Germany he is greeted by Uncle Kessler (Ernst-Hugo Järegård) who gets him a job as a train conductor on one of the luxurious sleeping-cars of Zentropa. Through work Leopold meet Katharina Hartmann (Barbara Sukowa), the daughter of the owner of Zentropa, with whom he falls in love. However, Leopold's desire for Katharina drags him into a dangerous affair of terrorism, politics, friendship, and murder.

The pacifist Leopold tries to balance his life through abstention of politics, avoidance, not choosing sides, and minding his own business, which is also suggested by his Uncle Kessler. However, no matter how hard Leopold tries to follow his own policy he is forced into situations where he must choose a side as it would otherwise have a catastrophic affect on the people for which he cares. Eventually Leopold finds out the hard way that choices must be made based on his own conscious.

Lars von Trier plays with the visuals throughout the film as a painter would with a new innovative color that would revolutionize art forms. The film is shot in black and white with occasional insertions of color, which enhances the cinematic importance of moment. Von Trier also uses trick photography and double exposures in order to artistically magnify the shot, which creates personalized imprints in the audience's cinematic experience. Ultimately, von Trier pushes the envelop as his message is decoded through his brilliant enigmatic tale of a broken Europe where unity is the sole answer for the continent.

The story of an American exile in Germany during the end of WWII. Germany is almost like a ghost town. The only connection to life seemingly being the constant back and forth of the trains which takes people away from their past lives and into unknown territories. The story is very cleverly told, with a voice over narration by Max Von Sydow playing a sort of all mighty hypnotist who decides our principal character's destiny. The film stands out not because of its rather simple tale, but as a visual marvel. Von Trier ("Breaking the Waves") seems to have an inate desire to breakthrough the rules of cinema, and in "Zentropa" (Originally titled "Europa") he comes close to fusing experimental visual imagery with the classic Hollywood narrative. It is a an exhilirating film to watch from beginning down to the very final frame. (Look out for Von Trier himself making a cameo as "the Jew")

The perfect blend of ALL cinematic elements...image, sound, dialogue, cinematography, effects, performance, colour, props, sets, music, even voice over.....all on an equal footing; nothing predominant. In a "dialogue" myopic America, it is refreshing to see a film that actually uses ALL the available palettes in an creative and ingenious way. You'll wonder how you could ever have been satified with conventional hollywood style. This is what cinema should be. PS: See this on the big screen if you EVER get the chance.

The best film that Lars von Trier directed, better than the more well known films"Breaking the Waves"&"Dancer in the Dark".Although the critics didn't pick it up, this film,I believe, must have been influenced by Herman Melville. It has the theme of an innocent man who ends up dead under the water due to his hubris and naivete. It tells the story of Kessler, an American who makes the fateful decision to become a sleeping car conductor in 1945 Germany. He is beset by his cranky uncle who is his superior at work, he is seduced by asympathizing femme fatale, among other events. The movie has both substance and style and is never short of fascinating due both to its plot as well as the directorial technique. The performances are outstanding. It is highly recommended.

Set in post-war Germany, an American consciencious objector, with German roots, returns to the land of his ancestory with nobel intentions. He soon finds that in a country of victors and the defeated, that the greatest sin of all is neutrality.

Told with stunning and original effects and cinematography, along with a reverent eye to early German cinema, this is an unforgettable tale that is a must for any fans of modern European cinema.

It's not a movie for everyone, but it is definitely a treat if you're looking for something out of the "Hollywood" norm.