Ranking Lars von Trier
He is a man full of contradictions - his extended bout with depression has been well documented, yet he has fostered a reputation as an impish prankster. His films (particularly recently) explore themes of feminine self hatred as a means of feminine empowerment. Within many of his stories, good deeds and intentions bring bitter retribution upon the doer. Look, even, at the recent Cannes furor - he long believed he was Jewish by heritage, and then turned around and referred to himself as a Nazi.
But all this aside, one thing that can truly be said about Lars von Trier is that his talent his immense. He has many detractors (and vocal ones, at that), but he is brilliant with fastening a tale, from the esoteric timeless noir of debut The Element of Crime, through his bare minimalist Dogme 95 days, and onwards into the often painterly compositions that can be found in recent works such as Antichrist. I would consider him the greatest contemporary filmmaker, and as far as living directors are concerned, second only to Jean-Luc Godard, and even surpassing brilliant European contemporaries like Michael Haneke and Bela Tarr.
So without further ado, here is a ranking of the films I have seen by this most recent to adopt the stories moniker of the Melancholy Dane, to be adopted with each new one I see. And here's looking forward to Nymphomaniac.
Note - if you haven't seen the films, don't look at the parts marked with spoilers - these aren't minor plot happens, and are frequently the endings of their respective films.
But all this aside, one thing that can truly be said about Lars von Trier is that his talent his immense. He has many detractors (and vocal ones, at that), but he is brilliant with fastening a tale, from the esoteric timeless noir of debut The Element of Crime, through his bare minimalist Dogme 95 days, and onwards into the often painterly compositions that can be found in recent works such as Antichrist. I would consider him the greatest contemporary filmmaker, and as far as living directors are concerned, second only to Jean-Luc Godard, and even surpassing brilliant European contemporaries like Michael Haneke and Bela Tarr.
So without further ado, here is a ranking of the films I have seen by this most recent to adopt the stories moniker of the Melancholy Dane, to be adopted with each new one I see. And here's looking forward to Nymphomaniac.
Note - if you haven't seen the films, don't look at the parts marked with spoilers - these aren't minor plot happens, and are frequently the endings of their respective films.
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