Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 25, 2023

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.

For reviews of the three films in this collection, please click on the following links:

The Element of Crime Blu-ray review

Epidemic Blu-ray review

Europa Blu-ray review

Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. This is a rather handsomely packaged set from Criterion, with each disc in a distinctive looking DigiPack, with those and a nicely appointed insert booklet all housed in a slipbox.

Lars von Trier's Europe Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lars von Trier has probably only become more controversial since these films were released, but it's not hard to spot his tendency toward being a provocateur in all three of these films. These certainly won't be to everyone's taste, but all three are virtuoso pieces stylistically, even if Epidemic is probably too self conscious for its own good. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Taken as a whole, Recommended.