Breaking the Waves (1996)

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

Lars von Trier (written by)
Peter Asmussen (co-written by)

Release Date:

13 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is a mighty power.

Plot:

Oilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Accident | Sex | Scotland | Oil Rig

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 40 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Emily Watson	...	Bess McNeill
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Jan Nyman
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Dodo McNeill
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Terry
Adrian Rawlins	...	Dr. Richardson
Jonathan Hackett	...	Priest
Sandra Voe	...	Mother
Udo Kier	...	Sadistic Sailor
Mikkel Gaup	...	Pits
Roef Ragas	...	Pim
Phil McCall	...	Grandfather
Robert Robertson	...	Chairman
Desmond Reilly	...	An Elder
Sarah Gudgeon	...	Sybilla
Finlay Welsh	...	Coroner (as Finley Welsh)

Also Known As:

Amor omnie (Denmark) (working title)
Breaking the Waves (France)
Рассекая волны (Russia) [ru]
Breaking the Waves (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]
Breaking the waves - Aallonmurtaja (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Contra viento y marea (Argentina) [es]
Dalgalari asmak (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Damazontas ta kymata (Greece) [el]
Hullámtörés (Hungary) [hu]
L'amour est un pouvoir sacré (Canada: French title) [fr]
Le onde del destino (Italy) [it]
Lom valov (Slovenia) [sl]
Ondas de Paixão (Portugal) [pt]
Ondas do Destino (Brazil) [pt]
Przelamujac fale (Poland) [pl]
Rompiendo las olas (Spain) [es]
Suurinta elämässä (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sexuality, nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

159 min | USA:153 min (director's cut)

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | France | Netherlands | Norway | Iceland

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Denmark:12 | Finland:K-14 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Hungary:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Israel:18

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Argus Film Produktie

Trivia:

In modern film editing, the original film footage is transferred to video where it is edited to its final cut, then used as a guide for a negative cutter going back to the original film footage. In the case of this film, however, they just recorded the video edit back to 35mm, resulting in its unique, highly grainy look.

Quotes:

The Minister: Can you tell me about anything of real value that the outsiders have brought with them?
Bess McNeill: Uh... their music?

Movie Connections:

References Ordet (1943)

Soundtrack:

Happy Landing

Incredible and Powerful Film

Initially, this story about the marriage of young Scottish woman and a Scandinavian oil rig worker had my eyes glazing over. I was ready to hit the eject button about 20 minutes into the movie. But I held in there and slowly was drawn in to their lives, their environment, and the ghastly tragedy that confronts them.

Lars von Trier is a very patient storyteller, as well as being an eccentric movie maker. In Breaking the Waves, he slowly, very slowly unfolds his drama. The problem is; you have to pay careful attention, and this can be difficult. Von Trier's style, with its hand-held camera, lack of artificial lighting, grainy photography, and lingering close-ups can try the patience. The movie is also long, clocking in at about 2½ hours. But if you see it through, the final half hour will blow your mind, and you will have seen one of the best (and most emotionally powerful) movies of 1996, maybe even the whole decade.