Zentropa
Encyclopedia
Europa is a film directed by Lars von Trier
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
(1984) and Epidemic
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
people soon after the end of World War II
. In US-occupied Germany
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
conductor
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
terrorist conspiracy
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
and Udo Kier
, expatriate
American Eddie Constantine
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
.
Europa employs an experimental style of cinema; combining largely black and white visuals with occasional intrusions of colour having actors interact with rear-projected footage, and layering different images over one another to surreal
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
imitative of film noir
conventions.
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
.
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
and stormed out of the venue.
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
(1984) and Epidemic
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
people soon after the end of World War II
. In US-occupied Germany
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
conductor
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
terrorist conspiracy
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
and Udo Kier
, expatriate
American Eddie Constantine
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
.
Europa employs an experimental style of cinema; combining largely black and white visuals with occasional intrusions of colour having actors interact with rear-projected footage, and layering different images over one another to surreal
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
imitative of film noir
conventions.
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
.
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
and stormed out of the venue.
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
(1984) and Epidemic
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
people soon after the end of World War II
. In US-occupied Germany
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
conductor
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
terrorist conspiracy
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
and Udo Kier
, expatriate
American Eddie Constantine
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
.
Europa employs an experimental style of cinema; combining largely black and white visuals with occasional intrusions of colour having actors interact with rear-projected footage, and layering different images over one another to surreal
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
imitative of film noir
conventions.
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
.
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
and stormed out of the venue.
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
Europa trilogy
The Europa Trilogy is a film trilogy written and directed by Lars von Trier, comprising his three feature films The Element of Crime , Epidemic and Europa . The films are not a narrative trilogy, but rather are linked by common themes and stylistic explorations. The overarching subject of the...
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime is the first feature film directed by noted Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The film, released in 1984, is also the first in the director's Europa trilogy...
(1984) and Epidemic
Epidemic (film)
Epidemic is a 1987 film directed by Lars von Trier. It is the second of Trier's films known collectively as the Europa trilogy. The other two films in the trilogy are The Element of Crime and Europa ....
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
Europa Europa
Europa Europa is a 1990 German language film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. "Hitler Youth Salomon". It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but...
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
people soon after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In US-occupied Germany
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
terrorist conspiracy
Werwolf
Werwolf was the name given to a Nazi plan, which began development in 1944, to create a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself. Werwolf remained entirely ineffectual as a combat force, however, and in practical terms, its value as...
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
and Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
, expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
American Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
.
Cast
- Jean-Marc BarrJean-Marc BarrJean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
- Leopold Kessler - Barbara SukowaBarbara SukowaBarbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
- Katharina Hartmann - Udo KierUdo KierUdo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
- Lawrence Hartmann - Ernst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
- Uncle Kessler - Erik MørkErik MørkErik Mørk was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 29 films between 1950 and 1993. He won the Bodil Award for Best Actor in 1950 for his performance in Susanne....
- Pater - Jørgen ReenbergJørgen ReenbergJørgen Reenberg is a Danish film actor. He has appeared in 30 films since 1948.He was born in Denmark. He is the brother of Danish film director Annelise Reenberg.-Selected filmography:* We Want a Child!...
- Max Hartmann - Henning Jensen (actor) - Siggy
- Eddie ConstantineEddie ConstantineEddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
- Colonel Harris - Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
- Narrator - Benny Poulsen - Steleman
- Erno Müller - Seifert
- Dietrich Kuhlbrodt - Inspector
- Michael Phillip Simpson - Robins
- Holger Perfort - Mr. Ravenstein
- Anne Werner Thomsen - Mrs. Ravenstein
- Baard OweBaard OweBaard Owe is a Norwegian-born actor who has acted in many Scandinavian films and TV-series. He moved to Denmark in 1956, where he has lived and worked since.Owe is mostly known for his role as pathologist Dr...
- Man With Papers
Style
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
imitative of film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
conventions.
Locations
- In Poland (exteriors)
- ChojnaChojnaChojna is a small town in western Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 60 km south of Szczecin and participates in the Douzelage....
Cathedral (Marienkirche) - Chojna Roundhouse
- Chojna
- In Denmark
- Nordisk FilmNordisk FilmNordisk Film , established in Denmark in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen, is the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world. Olsen started his company in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby under the name "Ole Olsen's Film Factory" but soon changed it to the Nordisk Film Kompagni...
studios, Copenhagen - Copenhagen Dansk Hydraulisk Institut
- Nordisk Film
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
Zentropa
Europa is a film directed by Lars von Trier. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy....
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
Mitropa
Mitropa is a catering company best known for having managed sleeping and dining cars of different German railways for most of the 20th century. Since its reorganization in 2002, the company only provides stationary food services for rail and road customers. The name Mitropa is a derivative of ""...
.
Accolades
The film won three awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival1991 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Roman Polanski *Férid Boughedir *Whoopi Goldberg *Margaret Menegoz *Natalia Negoda *Alan Parker *Jean-Paul Rappeneau *Hans Dieter Seidel *Vittorio Storaro...
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
and stormed out of the venue.
Home media
The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
External links
Europa is a film directed by Lars von TrierLars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
Europa trilogy
The Europa Trilogy is a film trilogy written and directed by Lars von Trier, comprising his three feature films The Element of Crime , Epidemic and Europa . The films are not a narrative trilogy, but rather are linked by common themes and stylistic explorations. The overarching subject of the...
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime is the first feature film directed by noted Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The film, released in 1984, is also the first in the director's Europa trilogy...
(1984) and Epidemic
Epidemic (film)
Epidemic is a 1987 film directed by Lars von Trier. It is the second of Trier's films known collectively as the Europa trilogy. The other two films in the trilogy are The Element of Crime and Europa ....
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
Europa Europa
Europa Europa is a 1990 German language film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. "Hitler Youth Salomon". It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but...
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
people soon after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In US-occupied Germany
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
terrorist conspiracy
Werwolf
Werwolf was the name given to a Nazi plan, which began development in 1944, to create a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself. Werwolf remained entirely ineffectual as a combat force, however, and in practical terms, its value as...
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
and Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
, expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
American Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
.
Cast
- Jean-Marc BarrJean-Marc BarrJean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
- Leopold Kessler - Barbara SukowaBarbara SukowaBarbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
- Katharina Hartmann - Udo KierUdo KierUdo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
- Lawrence Hartmann - Ernst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
- Uncle Kessler - Erik MørkErik MørkErik Mørk was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 29 films between 1950 and 1993. He won the Bodil Award for Best Actor in 1950 for his performance in Susanne....
- Pater - Jørgen ReenbergJørgen ReenbergJørgen Reenberg is a Danish film actor. He has appeared in 30 films since 1948.He was born in Denmark. He is the brother of Danish film director Annelise Reenberg.-Selected filmography:* We Want a Child!...
- Max Hartmann - Henning Jensen (actor) - Siggy
- Eddie ConstantineEddie ConstantineEddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
- Colonel Harris - Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
- Narrator - Benny Poulsen - Steleman
- Erno Müller - Seifert
- Dietrich Kuhlbrodt - Inspector
- Michael Phillip Simpson - Robins
- Holger Perfort - Mr. Ravenstein
- Anne Werner Thomsen - Mrs. Ravenstein
- Baard OweBaard OweBaard Owe is a Norwegian-born actor who has acted in many Scandinavian films and TV-series. He moved to Denmark in 1956, where he has lived and worked since.Owe is mostly known for his role as pathologist Dr...
- Man With Papers
Style
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
imitative of film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
conventions.
Locations
- In Poland (exteriors)
- ChojnaChojnaChojna is a small town in western Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 60 km south of Szczecin and participates in the Douzelage....
Cathedral (Marienkirche) - Chojna Roundhouse
- Chojna
- In Denmark
- Nordisk FilmNordisk FilmNordisk Film , established in Denmark in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen, is the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world. Olsen started his company in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby under the name "Ole Olsen's Film Factory" but soon changed it to the Nordisk Film Kompagni...
studios, Copenhagen - Copenhagen Dansk Hydraulisk Institut
- Nordisk Film
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
Zentropa
Europa is a film directed by Lars von Trier. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy....
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
Mitropa
Mitropa is a catering company best known for having managed sleeping and dining cars of different German railways for most of the 20th century. Since its reorganization in 2002, the company only provides stationary food services for rail and road customers. The name Mitropa is a derivative of ""...
.
Accolades
The film won three awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival1991 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Roman Polanski *Férid Boughedir *Whoopi Goldberg *Margaret Menegoz *Natalia Negoda *Alan Parker *Jean-Paul Rappeneau *Hans Dieter Seidel *Vittorio Storaro...
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
and stormed out of the venue.
Home media
The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.
External links
Europa is a film directed by Lars von TrierLars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy
Europa trilogy
The Europa Trilogy is a film trilogy written and directed by Lars von Trier, comprising his three feature films The Element of Crime , Epidemic and Europa . The films are not a narrative trilogy, but rather are linked by common themes and stylistic explorations. The overarching subject of the...
. (The two preceding parts of the trilogy are The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime is the first feature film directed by noted Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The film, released in 1984, is also the first in the director's Europa trilogy...
(1984) and Epidemic
Epidemic (film)
Epidemic is a 1987 film directed by Lars von Trier. It is the second of Trier's films known collectively as the Europa trilogy. The other two films in the trilogy are The Element of Crime and Europa ....
(1987).)
The film was released as Zentropa in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to avoid confusion with Europa Europa
Europa Europa
Europa Europa is a 1990 German language film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. "Hitler Youth Salomon". It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but...
(1990). Co-written by von Trier and Niels Vørsel, it tells the story of a young, idealistic American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who hopes to "show some kindness" to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
people soon after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In US-occupied Germany
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, he takes on work as a sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
for the Zentropa railway network, falls in love with a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, and becomes embroiled in a pro-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
terrorist conspiracy
Werwolf
Werwolf was the name given to a Nazi plan, which began development in 1944, to create a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself. Werwolf remained entirely ineffectual as a combat force, however, and in practical terms, its value as...
.
The film features an international cast, including the French-American Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
, Germans Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa
Barbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
and Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
, expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
American Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine
Eddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
, and the Swedes Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
and Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Ernst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
.
Cast
- Jean-Marc BarrJean-Marc BarrJean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
- Leopold Kessler - Barbara SukowaBarbara SukowaBarbara Sukowa is a German theatre and film actress.- Work :Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter Handke's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year...
- Katharina Hartmann - Udo KierUdo KierUdo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
- Lawrence Hartmann - Ernst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo JäregårdErnst-Hugo Alfred Järegård, was a Swedish cult actor.-Biography:...
- Uncle Kessler - Erik MørkErik MørkErik Mørk was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 29 films between 1950 and 1993. He won the Bodil Award for Best Actor in 1950 for his performance in Susanne....
- Pater - Jørgen ReenbergJørgen ReenbergJørgen Reenberg is a Danish film actor. He has appeared in 30 films since 1948.He was born in Denmark. He is the brother of Danish film director Annelise Reenberg.-Selected filmography:* We Want a Child!...
- Max Hartmann - Henning Jensen (actor) - Siggy
- Eddie ConstantineEddie ConstantineEddie Constantine was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe....
- Colonel Harris - Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
- Narrator - Benny Poulsen - Steleman
- Erno Müller - Seifert
- Dietrich Kuhlbrodt - Inspector
- Michael Phillip Simpson - Robins
- Holger Perfort - Mr. Ravenstein
- Anne Werner Thomsen - Mrs. Ravenstein
- Baard OweBaard OweBaard Owe is a Norwegian-born actor who has acted in many Scandinavian films and TV-series. He moved to Denmark in 1956, where he has lived and worked since.Owe is mostly known for his role as pathologist Dr...
- Man With Papers
Style
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
effect.
The film's characters, music, dialogue, and plot are self-consciously melodramatic and ironically
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
imitative of film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
conventions.
Locations
- In Poland (exteriors)
- ChojnaChojnaChojna is a small town in western Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 60 km south of Szczecin and participates in the Douzelage....
Cathedral (Marienkirche) - Chojna Roundhouse
- Chojna
- In Denmark
- Nordisk FilmNordisk FilmNordisk Film , established in Denmark in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen, is the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world. Olsen started his company in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby under the name "Ole Olsen's Film Factory" but soon changed it to the Nordisk Film Kompagni...
studios, Copenhagen - Copenhagen Dansk Hydraulisk Institut
- Nordisk Film
Von Trier's production company, Zentropa Entertainments
Zentropa
Europa is a film directed by Lars von Trier. Released in 1991, it is von Trier's third theatrical feature film and is the final film in the Europa trilogy....
, is named after the sinister railway network featured in this film, which is in turn named after the real-life train company Mitropa
Mitropa
Mitropa is a catering company best known for having managed sleeping and dining cars of different German railways for most of the 20th century. Since its reorganization in 2002, the company only provides stationary food services for rail and road customers. The name Mitropa is a derivative of ""...
.
Accolades
The film won three awards at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival1991 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Roman Polanski *Férid Boughedir *Whoopi Goldberg *Margaret Menegoz *Natalia Negoda *Alan Parker *Jean-Paul Rappeneau *Hans Dieter Seidel *Vittorio Storaro...
(Best Artistic Contribution, Jury Prize, and Technical Grand Prize). Upon realizing that he had not won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
, von Trier gave the judges the finger
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
and stormed out of the venue.
Home media
The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
released the film on DVD in 2008. The package contained several documentaries on the film and audio commentary from von Trier.