Product Details

• Actors: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai, Jerold Wells, Ahmed El Shenawi
• Directors: Lars von Trier
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Danish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Criterion
• DVD Release Date: September 19, 2000
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0780023277
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,685 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Element of Crime (The Criterion Collection)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It may prove confounding to anyone expecting a more conventional narrative, but The Element of Crime--the debut feature of Danish visionary Lars von Trier--marks the arrival of an audaciously original talent; the film is deeply personal in its inspirations yet richly informed by a pure love of cinema. Approaching a hard-boiled detective plot from a hypnotically subconscious perspective (thus establishing the tone he would echo in his later films Epidemic and Europa), von Trier presents a murder case solved from the inside out. Which is to say, the plot unfolds as recollected under hypnosis by Fisher (Michael Elphick), the grizzled cop who investigates the case.

This framework is arguably beside the point; it's merely von Trier's way of entering a post-apocalyptic world of his own making, flooded and decaying, and filmed entirely in an amber-tinted tone punctuated only by blue police lights and sickly green fluorescents. By following principles of crime solving conceived by his mentor (played by British film veteran Esmond Knight), Fisher closes in on an awful revelation that spins The Element of Crime into another psychological dimension. Multilayered, deliberately paced, and atmospheric in the extreme (which less appreciative viewers may find intolerable), The Element of Crime elicits a dream state that is simultaneously oppressive and visually unforgettable, crammed with symbolic subtleties and cinematic references that can only be fully absorbed over multiple viewings. To say the least, this is a film that grows on you. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Lars von Trier's stunning debut film is the story of Fisher, an exiled ex-cop who returns to his old beat to catch a serial killer with a taste for young girls. Influenced equally by Hitchcock and science fiction, von Trier (Zentropa, Breaking the Waves, The Idiots) boldly reinvents expressionist style for his own cinematic vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Shot in shades of sepia, with occasional, startling flashes of bright blue, The Element of Crime (Forbrydelsens Element) combines dark mystery and operatic sweep to yield a pure celluloid nightmare.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE OF CINEMA : LARS VON TRIER October 15, 2000

By Daniel S.

Format:DVD

After the death of Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel and Andrei Tarkovsky and the terrible silence of Ingmar Bergman and Werner Herzog, there are very few first rate european directors still in activity. And among them, we find danish director Lars Von Trier. You can buy now in the Criterion collection his first movie ELEMENT OF CRIME, shot in 1984.

ELEMENT OF CRIME is the confession, under hypnosis, of a german policeman to his aegyptian psychiatrist in Cairo. Suffering from severe headaches after a three months trip in Europa, the cop must find the cause of them in his memory. Then begins a journey in a near future Germany. Entirely shot in saturated yellow and orange tones, ELEMENT OF CRIME is a UFO in the european cinematographical production of the eighties.

If you've liked the movies of Terry Gilliam, specially BRAZIL, you will certainly fall in love with ELEMENT OF CRIME. I really think that this movie is one of the best science-fiction movies ever made, without interstellar battles nor special effects. It's also an hallucinated thriller involving a serial killer whose victims are young lottery tickets sellers. Finally, you can see it as a surrealistic essay about Europa.

With this Criterion release, you will have optional english subtitles (very useful), a theatrical trailer and a not-to-be missed 54 minutes documentary about Lars Von Trier with interviews of the danish author-director and the people who have worked with him. I was literally hypnotized by this documentary.

Don't be the last ones to discover this new Master, Movie History is written right in front of your eyes. You just have to consider ELEMENT OF CRIME as

A DVD for your library.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive film-noir in a squalid, post-apocalypse Europe September 1, 1999

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

Element of Crime, the feature film debut of Danish director Lars Von Triel, is the story of Fischer (Elphick), an ex-cop who returns home after 13 years abroad to solve a series of murders. The victims were young girls, all hideously mutilated and the murders continue even though the perpetrator is (apparently) dead. He uses the methods of his aging mentor's book, "The Element of Crime", to enter the mind of the criminal, assuming his persona and retracing - or re-enacting - his steps in order to find him. I was fortunate enough to see this English language Danish film not long ago and found it thoroughly engrossing. Comparisons to Blade Runner are natural, but superficial - Element of Crime focuses much more on intrigue and plot development than special effects or a vision of a futuristic dystopia. It is more of a "traditional" noir in that respect, and Von Triel using the camera as a narrative device to explain almost as much as the dialog could hope to. A little bewildering at first and the minimal use of colour throughout might deter some people, but still an excellent and thought-provoking film.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Von Trier Fans December 31, 2000

By M. Fletcher

Format:VHS Tape

Original, cutting edge, and riveting. All what you'd expect from this film pioneer that breaks all the rules to redefine modern cinema. Love him or hate him, he's a breath of fresh air in the stale state of current self-absorbed, independent films, not to mention the never ending studpiditiy of Hollywood rehash.

One can't help but compare this title to "Blade Runner", though I believe it makes Ridely Scotts film look like a Disney movie. Cross references throughout include homage to "Apocalypse Now", with equal success at capturing the creepy feel of great film noir classics such as "The Big Sleep". Von Trier creates a whole new world with nothing less then amazing sets and locations. One can only guess where or how he came up wiht these sites.

No doubt Von Trier is to current cinema what David Lynch was to film in the 80's. It seems to all come easy to him, but thats just what'd you'd expect from such a great master who's still far ahead of his time.