heh. Sorry, beat ya to him in post #11. But at least this means I’m not the only one who recognizes his utter lack of talent.
Wasn’t it during one of his movies that Mystery Science Theater 3000 did the “Film Anti-Preservation Society” commercial sketch? “If you discover a movie as bad as The Beast of Yucca Flats, store it in a moist, salty place, such as a cheese factory, or your mouth.”
Dogville was so bad that my DVD player actually died in the middle of the movie. Just stopped working. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad something died, though it did take a while to get the damn DVD out.
Sure, it’s been quite a while since I saw either – five years for Dogville and eight for Dancer in the Dark, and I am sure I would experience them differently now from what then. I’m curious though, what did you expect from them to think they are “big, degrading ‘fuck you’”? That they would *not *be depressing and have unhappy endings?
Something that speaks against von Trier as a director though, is that he’s not very kind with his actors, at least according to stories I heard about his wqrking with Nicole Kidman. However, neither was Kubrick and he’s universally acclaimed.
Something tells me I should re-watch Dogville.
huuurrrrrrrrrgh
I puke every time I hear that bastard’s name.
No, don’t say it ag-huuuurrrrrrrgh. Stop that!
I don’t think that has anything to do with his technical and artistic skills as a director (which is what this thread is about). However, from the horror stories I’ve read about von Trier, Kubrick comes off like a mellow, even-tempered (albeit obsessive and quirky) saint in comparison. Kidman’s not the only one he’s alienated. John C. Reilly quit Dogtown after an incident involving the abuse and death of a donkey on the set. Bjork, despite being praised for her performance in Dancer in the Dark, said she didn’t want to be in another movie again after her experience working with von Trier. Also, Helena Bonham Carter was originally cast as Bess in Breaking the Waves but bailed before shooting after meeting von Trier and finding out how he planned to end the movie (and, no doubt, getting a sample of his weird vibe). However, for the record, I don’t recally her replacement, Emily Watson, saying anything negative about von Triers but I do notice she hasn’t worked with him again either.
Nora Ephron.