Customer Reviews

The Five Obstructions

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After watching this film all I could think about was how I would love to take this premise and use it on some of America's finest directors. Money, power, and wealth. These are just some of the elements that you gain by having a blockbuster film, but can you take your pride and joy and transform it into different avenues while still keeping the overall tone the same? It is a tough question, one that I wonder if our American directors could accomplish. I wonder if Peter Jackson, Spielberg, or Lucas could take their prized collections and still have the creative mind to make the same film with some "obstructions"? My initial answer would be "no", but I wouldn't mind seeing them try.

This film was brilliant to say the least. I went into it without really knowing anything about Jorgen Leth, and finished wanting to see more of his work. I was impressed with his original film The Perfect Human and thought that his four remakes were nothing short of outstanding. Each one was perfect in its own right and yet somehow was able to continue the overall themes and elements. They were works of a genius. This leads me to another question I had while watching this film. Did Trier know that Leth could do this? Trier was once a student of Leth and considers him to be the best director our there, he must have known that Leth could accomplish such tasks. In fact, I think this may have been Trier's way of allowing a new generation to experience the brilliant mind of Leth. Trier pushed Leth to new levels, but I think in a way he knew that Leth would be able to overcome and provide some new and beautiful shots. Trier seemed like a very hard nosed person in this film, and that he constantly ordered, instead of asking his subject to do things. I think we witnessed Trier in his original form. Kidman has reported as saying that Trier is very difficult to work for and I think it is because of the way that Trier works. Very similar to Gilliam, Trier has the vision in his mind. He knows how he wants the scene to play out, and unless it works just as much as it did in his mind, he will not be happy. Why not? It is his film. Some actors and others in the business call it insanity, but I think it is the talent of a beautiful director. That is why I am a fan of both Trier and Gilliam, and now Leth.

While it is interesting to see these two directors work against and for each other, the ultimate enjoyment is the different renditions of The Perfect Human. Giving a director the tasks that Trier did may force some of the themes and elements of original short to be lost in the shuffle; Leth never allows that to happen. It is amazing to see the similarities, yet subtle differences between the original and the new. Each of them work and give such a intense new spin on the story. Within all of this we begin to see the themes leaving the work, and coming straight at these directors. Trier is trying to show that Leth is just as human and emotional as the subject in his film. In fact, Trier even shows that Leth is as human and emotional as himself. They way this is shown is very subtle, but it is there. We are working with two different filmmakers. One is young and a very prominent name in cinema, while the other is aging and as generations continues to gap, losing followers to his film. Trier wanted, and does, show that there is little difference between himself and Leth. They are both humans. They are both full of emotion.

My favorite scene was when Trier mentions to Leth that he wants Leth to feel like a "tortoise on his back". He wants Leth to experience hardship and struggle, perhaps even frustration, and therefore Trier gives him the cartoon obstruction. In a very mocking fashion, Leth happens to put a tortoise in the film. The ball is in your court, von Trier.

Overall, this is an amazing film. I am an enormous fan of short films, and to see little snippets of Leth's mind was exciting and revolutionary. I recommend this film to anyone that is fed up with the lack of creativity in the "reality" based television series and long for something more artistic. This film reminded me of walking through an art museum and seeing several works from Leth. It is a place I would never want to leave.

Grade: ***** out of *****

I don't write many "reviews" on Amazon -often because I see my own thoughts expressed in bits and pieces throughout the others, and I figure people will have their own instincts largely developed anyway.

On this subject I differ. I rented the movie & immediately wanted to find out if I could purchase it (& whether it was abnormally expensive, like some art films can be). In looking through the other reviews, I was glad to see strong appreciation...but startled to perceive that so many people seemed to miss the point of the film.

This movie is not ABOUT the abject experiment of recreating a short film under different circumstances (or "obstructions") by a great director. Yes, that's superficially what happens (and yes, as others have said, the original & remakes are profoundly masterful & captivating).

But the "heart" of this movie lies in the student reaching out a helpful hand to a depressed and reclusive director -who the student truly loves.

The student (now an accomplished director himself) creates this set of obstructions for his teacher in order to reinvigorate the old man -to bring him new challenges of life, intellect, and craft, and ultimatley to pay tribute to the mentor he so admires.

We, as the audience, get to watch this in documentary style. We also get to see the four film versions (and the original) that the master-teacher comes up with. But as the movie draws to an end, we see that the experiments of film-making were not the real point.

Indeed the fifth version of "The Perfect Human" is made as a tribute to the teacher by the student! It involves very telling film-narratives of the teacher in action. We see his humanity, his patience, his intensity -all as told by the student.

What's more -in this fascinating (and difficult to describe) conclusion, we hear the teacher reading a thank-you letter to the student...but in fact it is the student who has written the letter to himself from the point-of-view of the teacher.

This is as if to say "I know you -and I would hope you are thinking all these things."

I know that sounds complicated, but it makes sense in the film, and it's incredibly powerful how the student has grasped (so perfectly) the human nature of his gentle old teacher. The teacher speaks in the final film -as if to say "your experiment has failed" -and yet we who watch know that it was indeed a moving and fascinating success.

A masterpiece, but who is the master? Von Trier the 'obstructor' or Leth, his friend and former teacher?

Don't be put off (as I was) by the structure, in which Leth is challenged to remake one of his 1960s experimental films, subject to a series of constraints imposed by von Trier. It sounds like a recipe for self-indulgent intellectual backslapping, and my expectations were low when the first 'obstruction' was a limit of 12 frames (half a second) on the length of each shot. But when, to von Trier's stifled dismay, Leth produces a beautifully rhythmical and sensual response, I realised I was watching something special. The sheer talent of the principals, driven by each's urge to prove themself equal to the other, makes this a fascinating exploration not just of creativity but also friendship.

Disclaimer: This is in no way a "conventional" film where you have your standard intro, complication, buildup, climax, resolution. Here you get to see the PROCESS, as well as the finished product. Needless to say, the process is the most challenging, and was made even more so because of the obstructions Lars van Trier imposed on Leth.

Something that I felt was very beautiful about the movie was that even though Lars van Trier seemed sadistic, he really loved his friend. He is a true friend in the sense that he wanted to push Jorgen Leth past the limits of what Leth thought he could do. In short, van Trier helped Leth to grow as a person. In the end, it was mentioned that with each obstruction, Leth grew more and more confident of himself.

After all, we are at our most creative and innovative when we are restricted by limits. How can you think "outside the box", when you are given absolute freedom?

Anyone who is a fan of Lars Von Trier (Dancer In The Dark, Dogivlle) or experimental filmmaking in general has got to see this. Amazing documentary that made me wish we had people in the states having to do something like this...Pushing themselves to their artistic limits. Another reviewer on here mentioned how beneficial a project/task like this would be to some of our more financially sucessful directors (i.e. spielberg, lucas etc)this could not be closer to the truth. This is an incredible character study - so much more than a documentary. Why has Jorgen Leth not made more films?

Imagine making a stylish sexy film about a Plain Jane. That's the feeling I got watching the 90 minute, 2004 film The Five Obstructions, jointly made and produced by Danish filmmakers Jørgen Leth and Lars Von Trier. Ostensibly, the film is about Trier's challenge to noted documentarian Leth, who seems to have been Trier's mentor, if not idol, in film school, to somehow remake a twelve minute film of his from 1967 in five new ways. That black and white film, The Perfect Human (or Det Perfekte Menneske), is typical of avant-garde films of the day- aseptic, poseur, minimalist, bereft of depth- both in Europe and in America- especially the Andy Warhol Factory. While not a great nor profound film, for it has pretentiously bad pseudo-poetry being read over images of an attractive Danish man and woman posing as perfect humans, the original film does have a certain earnest power, the sort only young artists seem to bring to their work. Flash forward a third of a century, to 2000, and Trier is issuing a challenge to Leth, sort of a less somber Werner Herzog in temperament, to remake the film five different ways, each way, though, with an `obstruction', really only a limitation. Leth accepts the challenge for what it seems to be, seemingly unaware that Trier is actually doing a documentary about Leth and his creative process. each obstruction is designed to show off Leth's presumed genius at getting around the obstruction.
On the downside, the film would have worked better if the original and the subsequent films had been shown in their entirety, and not only in excerpts. Still, it's a synergistic film that is not postmodern, despite its pretensions. Nor is it truly deconstructive. Instead it's self-exploration using the art itself, which is, despite claims, the essence of such a venture. Also, as filmic memoir, it makes the viewer take for granted all its assumptions of the men's relationships. The editing, by Camilla Skousen and Morten Højbjerg, especially in the fifth obstruction, is excellent.

I didn't know who Jorgen Leth was prior to watching this film. I did know however Mr. Lars Von Trier, and against all judgments, I didn't regard him as the great filmmaker some say he is. I actually didn't like the way he made anything he touched look so dirty (cinematically speaking). Now, as biased as this might sound, now I have to say: If you watch one Lars Von Trier film, I hope you watch this one. I guess the reason is contrast: this time, the subject of Von Trier's experiments is a stylist. Danish director and then honorary consul to Haiti, Leth is not only Von Trier's mentor, but also the director of an interesting black and white short film called "The Perfect Human" (1967), which is the excuse for Von Trier's daring and oddly loving obstructions. Leth will have to re-do his film five times, each with an inviolable set of rules imposed by Von Trier. Leth wants to keep his integrity as an artist against Von Trier's bet: that Leth will only take flight when he fails both as an artist and as a human being. This only explains the way the match starts. I hope you watch the movie, see how it ends, and make your own conclussions. I'd only like to say one more thing. Nestor Almendros, the Spanish cinematographer of Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven", once said the talent of an artist lies in making effects out of defects. Which is another way to say that in the face of obstruction, a true artist will smile and go on. This movie is also about that.
I also gave this film five stars because of the DVD. Although very compressed for HD view, you'll have the chance to watch Leth's original 1967 "The Perfect Human". It doesn't come filled with extras, but it's a clean presentation.

Unabashed hero worship can be tricky, but cinema provacateur Lars Von Trier wears his influences on his sleeve with this unique documentary showcasing the creativity and mind of Danish director Jorgen Leth. He challenges Leth to re-imagine his 1967 short film "The Perfect Human." He does this five times, each time time adding a set of maddening "obstructions" to make the task more difficult. The surprise is not that the obstructions create unexpected results (they do), but that something like sweetness emerges from the relationship of the two directors, an honest affection that's rarely been seen in Von Trier's other work. This is a wonderful film about the love of creativity, film, and art.

ok, I've seen a few movies by the maker of this one (Dogville comes to mind) and I am a fan of foreign/ art/ cult films. Overall, this was an interesting film. Most of all, it made me want to see "The Perfect Human", which I had never even heard of before.
This was well crafted, well filmed and held my interest. The addition of "The Perfect Human" on the DVD sold me. Recommended.

I'm aware that the second I start talking about this movie, I'm stepping into a cultural minefield. Lars Von Trier is a divisive director at best, with everyone either loving him with chin stroking high-brow fascination or hating him for his pretentious, abusive reputation. If you add to that Jorgen Leth, an individual few people outside of film school will have ever heard of, and you end up with possibly the most esoteric homage to any director in cinematic history.

Having said that, this is quite a remarkable movie. Jorgen's understated skill really does deserve the attention it receives here. Von Trier seems to understand the relative lack of public knowledge of his hero Jorgens' work, and so happily introduces us to just long enough bits of the director's most famous short movie as to earn our respect without making us watch the whole thing again from start to finish. (Incidentally, the extended version of this DVD comes with the original short film "The Perfect Man.")

The whole movie is set up along the lines of a reality TV show challenge. Lars sets 5 separate challenges to Jorgen to reinvent his movie, and we get to see not only the discussions of the "obstructions", but some of the filming, and ultimately the new short movie itself. While these may seem almost arbitrary at first, the choices become very effective and telling insights into the way Jorgen thinks as a director, as well as his ability to generate a compelling image.

The handling of the cinematography throughout is quite effective, and the relationship between the two men is balanced with just enough tension from the visuals to keep the movie's pace moving. Put it this way, it's a telling sign of Lars Von Trier's skill as a director that he can make a 2 hour movie about two directors talking so watchable.

Finally, the fact that this movie treats its subject matter with such affection makes it by far the most gentle Von Trier movie he's ever made, and therefore the easiest one to stomach.