The Element of Crime, also known as Forbrydelsens element, is a 1984 crime film directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier that also marked his international debut. The Element of Crime is the first installment in von Trier’s highly acclaimed Europe Trilogy—the other two being Epidemic (1987) and Europa (1991). Renowned for his exceedingly unconventional and visually stimulating style that often reminds one of Andrei Tarkovsky, Lars von Trier is unarguably the most influential filmmaker to have emerged out of Denmark since Dreyer.
The Element of Crime presents the story of a European police detective whose morbid obsession for the criminal investigatory methods of his mentor makes him question the veracity of his own existence as he slowly gets engulfed in a miasma of delirium and paranoia. The Element of Crime is cryptic, bizarre, hypnotic, ambiguous, contradicting and at times absurd, and perhaps that’s what makes it so brilliant, unique and engaging at all levels.
The movie’s experimental camera-work is highly reminiscent of Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941). Von Trier films the movie in an orange monochrome, occasionally punctuated by shafts of green and blue—a facet that inexplicably reminds of Tarkovsky’s use of the sepia tone in Stalker (1979). In fact, it would be safe to concede that von Trier’s mise en scene seems to be a well thought-out variation of the Russian master’s mise en scene in Stalker.
The Element of Crime despite being rife with analogies, symbolism and allegories serves to be a consummate cinematic experience for the intelligent viewer. The Element of Crime is a psychological thriller, part character-study, part police procedural with surrealistic overtones that’s intellectually and technically superior to most movies of its kind. The movie catapults the viewer in a Kafkaesque world of breathtaking visuals, bizarre juxtapositions and endless absurdities. It is a difficult movie to watch and is surely not meant for those who are looking for a popcorn flick to spend a cozy evening in a dormant state of mind. It’s a movie that the less keen viewer may like to skip, but it definitely serves to be a rewarding experience for those who understand and value thought-provoking cinema.
The review was originally published at:
http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/2012/09/the-element-of-crime-lars-von-trier-europe-trilogy.html
Write an article in response here