Lars von Trier Occupation:
Director
Also: Screenwriter Born:
April 30, 1956, Copenhagen, Denmark
Birth Name: Lars Trier
Education: Danish Film School (1979-1983)
Lars von Trier was raised by nudist Jewish Communist
parents who did not allow much room in their household for "feelings,
religion, or enjoyment," as von Trier later said. The young Lars found in
cinema an outlet to the outside world through which he could learn about
subjects otherwise forbidden from his study by his parents. He began making
his own films at the age of 11 after receiving a Super-8 camera as a gift
and continued to be involved in independent moviemaking throughout his high
school years.
In 1979 he was enrolled in the Danish Film School. During his time as a
student at the school he made the films, Nocture (1980) and Image
of Liberation (1982) that both won Best Film awards at the Munich Film
Festival, along with The Last Detail (1981). His peers at the film
school nicknamed him "von Trier." The name is sort of an inside-joke with
the von part suggesting nobility, while Lars and Trier are quite common
names in Denmark. He reportedly kept the "von" name in homage to Erich von
Stroheim and Josef von Sternberg. He graduated from the film school in 1983.
After his graduation he began work on the Europe trilogy, which started with
The
Element of Crime (1984). The film was a technical accomplishment and
won a technical award at the Cannes Film Festival. This film was followed by
Epidemic (1987) that was also
shown as part of the official program at Cannes. For television, von Trier
directed Medea (1988) which won the
Jean d'Arcy prize in France. He then finished the Europe trilogy in 1991
with Europa (US title, Zentropa), which won the Prix du Jury
at Cannes Film Festival and picked up awards at other major festivals.
In 1992 he co-founded together with Peter Aalbæk Jensen the movie production
company Zentropa, which was named after his latest movie. The reason for
doing this was to achieve financial independence and to have total creative
control.
In order to make money for his newly founded company, he made
The Kingdom
(1994) and The Kingdom II (1997), a pair of miniseries recorded in
the Danish national hospital, the name "Riget" being a slang term for the
hospital which is called "Rigshospitalet" (lit. The Kingdom's Hospital) in
Danish. A projected third installment in the series has been derailed due to
the death of Ernst-Hugo Järegård, who played Helmer, one of the major
characters. A thirteen-episode American television series, based on The
Kingdom, was written by Stephen King, under the title Stephen King's
Kingdom Hospital, which was broadcast in 2004, to poor critical
reception.
His mother revealed on her deathbed in 1995 that the man he thought was his
father was not. After an initial meeting with his real father, his real
father has refused to speak to him. After these revelations von Trier
rebelled against his past and converted to Catholicism.
Breaking the Waves (1996) won the Grand Prix at Cannes. The film
featured Emily Watson, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Actress.
Lars von Trier overcame his dislike of traveling to present the second Dogme
film, The Idiots
(1998), in person at the Cannes Film Festival. As instructor and originator
of the Dogme95 concept, which led to international interest in Danish film
as a whole, he has inspired filmmakers all over the world.
In 2000, von Trier premiered a musical featuring the renowned Icelandic
musician Björk, Dancer in the Dark.
The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
He has completed Manderlay (2005), the second film in his USA trilogy. The
first film in that trilogy, Dogville,
starred Nicole Kidman, and met with mixed critical reaction. Some viewers
considered the film bold and powerful, while others found it pretentious and
affected.
His next project will be a Danish Dogme film The Boss of it All,
which is going to be a comedy. This movie is scheduled to be released in
2007. The last part of the USA-trilogy titled Wasington is now
planned to be produced after that film.
Filmography
- The Orchid Gardener / Orchidégartneren (1977)
- Menthe - la bienheureuse (1979)
- Nocturne (1980)
- The Last Detail / Den sidste detalje (1981)
- Image of relief / Befrielsesbilleder (1982)
-
The Element of Crime / Forbrydelsens element (1984)
- Epidemic
(1987)
- Medea (TV movie, 1988)
- Zentropa / Europa (1991)
- The
Kingdom / Riget (TV miniseries, 1994)
-
Breaking the Waves (1996)
- The Kingdom II / Riget II (TV miniseries, 1997)
- The Idiots /
Idioterne (1998)
- D-Dag - Lise (TV movie, 2000)
-
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
- Dogville
(2003, part one of von Trier's "USA" trilogy)
-
The Five Obstructions / De Fem benspænd (2003; co-directed with
Jørgen Leth)
- Dear Wendy (2004, screenwriter; directed by Thomas Vinterberg)
- Manderlay (2005, part two of the "USA" trilogy)
- The Boss of It All / Direktøren for det hele (2007)
- Wasington (in production, part three of the "USA" trilogy)
 Back to Biographies
|
