Europa (1991)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

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

Release Date:

27 June 1991 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

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:

American | Germany | Train | Uncle | Sleeping Car

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
Hardy Rafn	...	Man in Housecoat
Cæcilia Holbek Trier	...	Maid
János Herskó	...	Jewish Man
Talila	...	Jewish Wife
Claus Flygare	...	Father
Jon Ledin	...	American Soldier
Baard Owe	...	Man with Papers
Leif Magnusson	...	Doctor Magnus
Lars von Trier	...	Jew
Vera Gebuhr	...	Depot Assistant
Else Petersen	...	Old Female Assistant
Ben Zimet	...	Old Man 1
Thadee Lokcinski	...	Old Man 2
Peter Haugstrup	...	Piccolo

Directed by
Lars von Trier

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

Produced by
Philippe Bober	....	associate producer
Bo Christensen	....	producer
François Duplat	....	executive producer
Patrick Godeau	....	executive producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	producer
Gérard Mital	....	executive producer
Gunnar Obel	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joachim Holbek		(as Joakim Holbek)

Cinematography by
Henning Bendtsen
Edward Klosinski		(as Edward Klosinsky)
Jean-Paul Meurisse

Film Editing by
Hervé Schneid		(as Herve Schneid)

Production Design by
Henning Bahs

Costume Design by
Manon Rasmussen

Makeup Department
Isabelle de Araujo	....	makeup artist
Sanne Gravfort	....	hair stylist
Morten Jacobsen	....	key makeup artist
Dennis Knudsen	....	hair stylist
Jolanta Pruszynska	....	makeup artist: Poland

Production Management
Wieslawa Borecka	....	production manager: Poland
Philippe Guez	....	production supervisor
Thomas Heinesen	....	production manager: second unit
Lars Kolvig	....	production supervisor
Lene Nielsen	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tómas Gislason	....	assistant director: second unit
Egon Haase	....	second assistant director
Elizabeth Frey Harne	....	second assistant director
Tom Hedegaard	....	first assistant director
Janusz Petelski	....	assistant director: Poland

Art Department
Andrzej Borecki	....	production designer: Poland
Søren Gam	....	property master (as Søren G. Henriksen)
Peter Grant	....	property master
Simone Grau	....	assistant props (as Simone Grau Larsen)
Emil Kostecki	....	property master: Poland
Bogdan Piotrowski	....	property master: Poland
Finn Skovgaard	....	storyboard artist
Kazimierz Stys	....	property master: Poland
Gitte Zehngraff	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Pierre Excoffier	....	sound recordist (as Pierre Excoffier)
Philippe Fabbri	....	boom operator
Henrik Garnov	....	dubbing engineer
Carl Aage Hansen	....	sound effects
Thomas Krag	....	sound
Per Meinertsen	....	sound engineer
Julien Naudin	....	sound effects
John Nielsen	....	boom operator
Per Streit	....	sound designer (as Per Streit Jensen)

Visual Effects by
Jan-Erik Sandberg	....	optical effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Jan Andersen	....	lighting assistant
Bo Bendtsen	....	clapper loader
Jakob Bonfils	....	grip
Jesper Find	....	first assistant camera
Andrzej Gierak	....	lighting technician: Poland
Tomasz Habrewicz	....	assistant camera: Poland
Jørgen Johansen	....	electrician
Ireneusz Kisielewicz	....	lighting technician: Poland
Rolf Konow	....	still photographer
Krzysztof Koperski	....	lighting technician: Poland
Marek Modzelewski	....	lighting technician: Poland
Thomas Neivelt	....	lighting technician
Tadeusz Obuchowicz	....	assistant camera: Poland
Søren Sørensen	....	lighting technician
Jacek Stachlewski	....	camera operator: Poland
Roman Taborski	....	lighting technician: Poland
Mike Valentine	....	underwater camera operator
Henryk Wingert	....	lighting technician: Poland

Casting Department
Annette Grunnet	....	casting coordinator
Marie Louise Hedegaard	....	casting coordinator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hanna Golebiowska	....	wardrobe assistant: Poland
Ole Kofoed	....	wardrobe
Malou Listoft	....	wardrobe
Anna Rychlik	....	wardrobe assistant: Poland
Helena Tarnacka	....	wardrobe assistant: Poland
Malgorzata Zduleczny	....	wardrobe assistant: Poland

Editorial Department
Urszula Lesiak	....	assistant editor
Michael Frank Nielsen	....	color timer

Other crew
Sabelle Arcay	....	production assistant
Britt Bendixen	....	choreographer
Philippe Bober	....	production assistant
Ewa Borek	....	production assistant: Poland
Erik Crone	....	production assistant
Linda Daae	....	continuity
Tómas Gislason	....	continuity
Tómas Gislason	....	shooting script
Józef Jarosz	....	production assistant: Poland (as Jozef Jarosz)
Julian Jencquel	....	production runner
Lisbet Matz	....	production assistant
Zdzislaw Sajuk	....	production assistant: Poland
Monica Steenberg	....	production assistant
Françoise Valentine	....	underwater coordinator (as Fran Valentine)
Lars von Trier	....	continuity
Lars von Trier	....	shooting script

Production Companies

• Alicéléo
• Det Danske Filminstitut
• Eurimages
• Fund of the Council of Europe
• Gérard Mital Productions
• Institut suisse du film
• Nordisk Film
• Sofinergie 1
• Sofinergie 2
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC)
• WMG Film

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2005) (France) (DVD)
• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Accent Film Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Electric Parc (2005) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Electric Parc (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Electric Parc (2005) (Norway) (DVD)
• Electric Parc (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Filmax Home Video (Spain) (DVD)
• Independenta Music & Video (IMV) (2005) (Romania) (DVD)
• Legend Films International (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Nordisk Film Biografdistribution (1991) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Prestige (1992) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Raro Video (2004) (Italy) (DVD) (boxed set)
• Raro Video (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• Tartan Video (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Touchstone Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Touchstone Home Video (1993) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (Argentina) (video)
• TriPictures (Spain)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2003) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Vídeo Arte (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Europa (Sweden)
Zentropa
Europa (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Europa (Finland) [fi]
Europa (Greece) [el]
Evropa (Slovenia) [sl]

MPAA:

Rated R for mature treatment of holocaust issues.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | France | Germany | Switzerland

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White | Color (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:

Referenced in Antichrist (2009)

Soundtrack:

Europa Aria

Another utterly dazzling film from von Trier.

Zentropa is another von Trier film that manages to tell an authentically interesting story, revel in its own aesthetic beauty, and engage us in questions of metaphysics. The films narration, as described above, sets the gauntlet very high. The often tired flashback/hypnotism/relapse/etc structure poses a certain disaster to most of the films that dare to use it. However, it is pulled off masterfully.

With Zentropa, we must first buy into the introduction. We prepare ourselves to relive these moments, and allow the film to justify its use of this down the tracks. However, we learn very quickly that what we have been sold is not the standard omniscient perspective. It is distorted and fragmented; emotion has been poured on too thick at parts, while in others it is spread too thin. We must accept the story directly from a mind that we considerably mistrust.

The rest of the film tirelessly reconstructs the scenes of this deranged mind. We transition from b&w film, to color. From a nearly mystical hope, to an absurd pessimism. Time moves too slowly, but abruptly jumps ahead too quickly. von Trier understands the architecture of this 'hypnotic' state supremely.

The movie progresses sporadically which is mandatory given the structure. von Trier plays wonderfully with the noir genre, he throws in some espionage, some sex, love, hats and guns. Finally, he skillfully introduces issues of morality, war, and responsibility- adding a rich political dimension to an already layered film.

The final scenes are visually the most beautiful in the movie, and some of my all time personal favorites. The quiet, tenseless moments in this sequence finally allow us to sink into a comfortable pace and an agreeable aesthetic.

Ultimately, von Trier has framed this film around a giant question of reality. As is his standard. The fact that this metaphysical dimension continually impinges upon the film, justifies its validity. The question was artfully asked. And beneath this works a noir film, a veritable feast of imagery, and wonderful performances.