7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Just after World War II, American pacifist Leopold Kessler, full of good will and idealism, accepts a job as a sleeping-car conductor for the railway in postwar Frankfurt and unexpectedly becomes part of a pro-Nazi terrorist conspiracy.
Starring: Jean-Marc Barr, Barbara Sukowa, Udo Kier, Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Erik MørkForeign | 100% |
Drama | 85% |
War | 2% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy from The Criterion Collection.
If one is to believe the frequently questionable information offered by Wikipedia, there are well over one hundred films that have something
to do with hypnosis, including probably unsurprising entries ranging from Svengali
to The Three Faces of Eve to The Manchurian Candidate, but also
(somewhat hilariously, at least to me) perhaps slightly less expected offerings like Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. Kind of interestingly in that regard and vis a vis the rather broad gamut
of
films that feature some kind of depiction of the technique, hypnosis can be portrayed as either the tool of
someone nefarious (Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler
)
or alternatively as a long sought after cure for some kind of mental dysfunction (Spellbound). Wikipedia's list of films about
hypnosis kind of strangely only includes the first of Lars von Trier's so-called Europe Trilogy, namely The Element of Crime,
but hypnosis is at least alluded to in all three films, and all three arguably offer a "middle ground" in terms of depicting hypnotism as both a cure
and a potential threat. If hypnotism itself might be thought of as getting subjects into a kind of "limbo" state somewhere between
wakefulness
and sleeping, von Trier's trilogy is also a dreamscape (or nightmare-scape, as the case may be) where reality and illusion are often seemingly
interchangeable.
Criterion's insert booklet lumps the three films together in its relatively minimal descriptions of the restorations, as follows:
The Element of Crime is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.89:1 [note: our aspect ratio measuring tool is actually showing 1.90:1, a probably imperceptible difference]. This digital transfer was created in 3K resolution on an Arriscan film scanner from the 16 mm original camera negative. Epidemic is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. This digital transfer was created on an Arriscan film scanner and restored in 3K resolution from the 16 mm original camera negative. Europa is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. This digital transfer was created on an Arriscan film scanner and restored in 4K resolution from the 35 mm original camera negative. The restorations of all three films were undertaken by Zentropa and approved by director Lars von Trier.Europa is frequently gorgeous looking in this really nice looking transfer. The sumptuous (mostly) black and white cinematography is presented with really secure contrast and admirably deep blacks, both of which combine to offer a suitably surreal ambience that still provides generally great detail levels. Both von Trier and his trio of cinematographers like to play with things like composited effects and rear projection, and elements like that can add "baked in" levels of softness, but as can be pretty easily made out in several of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, despite a presentational style that is almost drowning in darkness (drowning is again a salient term, since this film also relies on at least some water imagery), fine detail is often quite admirable. There are some brief uses of color, though it certainly looks like some of them were composited "old school", meaning there can be a slight loss of overall detail.
Europa features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 track in English. Both voiceover like Max von Sydow's sonorous quasi-hypnotist and "traditional" dialogue are offered without any issues, and Joachim Holbek's really beautiful score is also nicely full bodied and problem free. Optional English subtitles are availble.
It's probably intentionally meaningful that Kessler works in a sleeping car, since this is another von Trier film that seeks to explore that weird liminal space when dreams and reality interact in unexpected ways. Some of the "meta" elements that were probably too forced in Epidemic are alive and kicking in this film, too, but they're more stylistic than anything this time around, and are therefore probably more effective. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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