Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie

Overview

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier (1996-2013)

Collection of four films by acclaimed Danish director Lars von Trier. 'Breaking the Waves' (1996) is set in 1970's Scotland, and follows young Bess as she meets and falls in love with oil rig worker Jan. Despite opposition, the couple marry, and when Jan returns to the rigs Bess counts the days until his return. However, their relationship is put to the test when Jan is paralysed in an accident and he urges Bess to take another lover and relate their sexual acts to him. 'Antichrist' (2009) follows a couple grieving the death of their young son. The mother is initially admitted to hospital following the incident, but her husband - a therapist - insists on taking her to their remote forest cabin, 'Eden', and looking after her himself. Presented in four chapters with a prologue and epilogue, the film charts the often violent and disturbing course of the couple's anguish as they immerse themselves in nature and act out their deep suffering in a sequence of increasingly bizarre and brutal rituals. In 'Melancholia' (2011), the film's first act opens with the wedding of Justine and Michael - a sumptuous affair paid for by Justine's sister Claire and her husband John. However, when Justine notices a strange star in the sky, she starts behaving oddly and the wedding is ruined. The film's second act follows Justine, now extremely weak and ill, after she goes to live with her sister. As Claire and John struggle to deal with Justine's condition, astronomy buff Claire becomes increasingly concerned about a large blue planet that is threatening to collide with the earth. Lastly, in 'Nymphomaniac - Volumes I and II' (2013), when the well-read and knowledgeable bachelor Seligman finds a beaten and bruised young woman in an alleyway, he takes her home to his flat to tend to her injuries. The woman introduces herself as Joe, a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, whose carefree and hedonistic lifestyle has led to her situation. Seligman presses Joe to tell her story and she proceeds to recount her experiences, from her childhood up to the present, where sex has been the most important thing in her life...

Specifications

• Video

  Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
  Video resolution: 1080p
  Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
  

• Audio

  See individual releases
  

• Subtitles

  English
  

• Discs

  50GB Blu-ray Disc
  Five-disc set (5 BDs)
  

• Playback

  Region B (locked)

Review

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 1, 2014

The films in British distributors Artificial Eye's upcoming Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier five-disc Blu-ray box set have been reviewed individually. To read these reviews, please click on the links below:

1. Breaking the Waves

2. Nymphomaniac: Volume I

3. Nymphomaniac: Volume II

4. Melancholia

5. Antichrist

Please see the individual reviews, linked above.

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of these releases is discussed in the individual reviews, linked above.

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of these releases is discussed in the individual reviews, linked above.

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplementary material accompanying each of these releases is discussed in the individual reviews, linked above.

Shock & Awe: Four Films by Lars von Trier Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Final words for each of the four films in the box set can be found in the individual reviews, linked above.