Lars von Trier Books

When you watch Trier's films you get some sort of another level cinema or I should say the genial cinema. Well, the book is about the man who makes it to be on this level.

A lovely book. Allowed me to meet Von Trier at an unadulteratedly close range. There is a genuine and creative rapport between Von Trier and Bjorkman, and arising from this are very intimate reveals of Von Trier's impressionable childhood, his inner drive and vision, his spirit of abandon, and of course his almost miraculous sense of fascination. An outsider with great powers.

This is the script, written by the film's Danish director Lars von Trier. A wonderful preface by Swedish film writer Stig Bjorkman, an article by photographer Per Kirkeby, and an introduction by Von Trier. Photos and film info, even the locations list. The story is compelling, obsessional, intensely carnal, heart-breaking, and critical of doctrinaire religion. Von Trier claims that, quite simply, it is a story about "good." He even advances the theory that love -- physical, sexual love -- can heal. Not a welcome notion in Calvinist Northern Scotland (or many other places, for that matter), the setting for the story. It was interesting to see how von Trier's much-touted (by the actors) commitment to improvisation allowed last-minute script changes -- and there were many. The book is beautifully assembled, translated gracefully from the original Danish. It's definitely great.

This book is a great, in-depth look at the Dogme 95 movement. It's the first book I've seen that attempts to cover most of the Dogme films, as well as precursors to the Dogme movement (Godard, Warhol, etc). Jack Stevenson does a great job keeping it interesting, and keeping his perspective on the whole thing too. It's fun to read about the more well-publicized Dogme films like The Celebration and The King is Alive, as well as lesser known but worthy efforts such as Resin and The Sparkle Room. This book makes me want to track down a bunch of films. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Dogme (or Lars von Trier, or indie film in general).

The latest title in the ongoing University of Mississippi Conversations With Filmmakers series complies interviews with noted director and enfant terrible Lars Von Trier. This book is a fine addition to any film library, and shows us a great deal about Von Trier. It stops with "Dancer In The Dark" and does not cover "Dogville." As of yet, the U of M press does not issue revised or updated editions of their books, so do not expect to see a second edition. Otherwise, this book does well in digging up obscure interviews (several never published before and others translated from the original language for the first time)and establishing a solid chronology to work with. The book even contains an interview with Von Trier when he was a young child actor (the lead role, of course) on a popular television show.

It makes one happy to see the University of Mississippi press publishing this volume on a truly unique filmmaker, as opposed to pretentious bourgeois "mainstream" directors like Quentin Tarantino and Stephen Soderbergh (both who hold titles in the collection-- how regretful). One learns through reading Von Trier's philosophy on filmmaking that he is indeed a great thinker.

This is a very enjoyable, well researched book. Any fan of Lars von Trier will enjoy reading this even if it means re-reading information they may have come across in the past. Though the Cannes film festival has been a repeated rite of passage for the director, this book obsessively follows von Trier's relationship with the festival as if it were the only event that mattered in his career. Nevertheless, Stevenson does go to great lengths to cover all aspects of von Trier's life, professional and personal in equal measure.
Overall, this is an excellent book that provides a witty, insightful view into the mind of a very important artist.