IMDb > Forbrydelsens element (1984)
Forbrydelsens element
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Forbrydelsens element (1984) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   3,190 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lars von Trier
Writers:
Niels Vørsel (writer) &
William Quarshie (dialogue translation) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Element of Crime on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 May 1984 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Plot:
A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
11 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Sound On Sight Radio #161 - The Antichrist (Spoiler Edition)
 (From SoundOnSight. 13 October 2009, 4:07 PM, PDT)

IFC/Criterion DVD Wish List
 (From Filmmaker Magazine. 1 September 2009, 8:53 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
More Subjective reality more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Michael Elphick ... Fisher
Esmond Knight ... Osborne
Me Me Lai ... Kim (as Meme Lai)
Jerold Wells ... Kramer
Ahmed El Shenawi ... Therapist
Astrid Henning-Jensen ... House Keeper
János Herskó ... Coroner (as Janos Hersko)
Stig Larsson ... Coroner's Assistant
Harry Harper ... Portier 1
Roman Moszkowicz ... Portier 2

Lars von Trier ... Schmuck of Ages (as Lars Von Trier)
Frederik Casby ... White Policeman
Duke Addabayo ... Black Policeman
Jon Bang Carlsen ... Angry Policeman (as Jon Bang-Carlsen)
Leif Magnusson ... Hotel Guest
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Element of Crime (UK) (USA)
The Last Tourist in Europe (Denmark) (working title)
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Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Denmark
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White (tinted) | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first film in Lars von Trier's 'Europa' trilogy which illuminates the traumas of Europe in the future. The two other parts are Epidemic (1987) and Europa (1991). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Therapist: [to Fisher] Fantasy is OK, but my job to keep you on the right track. We are after the facts. You seem to return to Cairo and me whenever you have a problem. Two months ago you left Cairo, your wife, everything for a police job in Europe. Now you are back haunted by headaches. If you want me to help you get rid of these headaches, we must go back two months in the time. Back to where it all started. All I know... Europe has become an obsession for you.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Lars von Trier Anecdotes (2005) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Der Letzte Tourist in Europa more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
More Subjective reality, 14 February 2002
10/10
Author: AdFin from UK

This is yet another film that easily conforms to my theory of Subjective Reality (see Kafka), to be honest it may not even be my theory, but whose ever it was, it has been distorted to my own way of thinking. The Element of Crime begins with a burnt-out cop (Fisher, played by Michael Elphick) who has found his way back to Cairo (after a strenuous case in Europe), being placed under hypnosis by a therapist so the root of Fisher's problems can be discovered. From the first frame Lars von Trier and cinematographer Tom Elling set up the haunting atmosphere, from the shot of the donkey rolling in the dirt, to the drab, blurry images of Egypt. But after Fisher has been placed under hypnosis the world we see is a world of constant darkness, and where the only light is the sludgy yellow sepia. This is not a stylish decision, merely a way of highlighting the murkiness of Fisher's memory, as he digs deeper into the mystery of Harry Grey we soon see the odd flash of a blue police light, von Trier's way of pointing out significant moments in Fisher's recollection.

The pull of The Element of Crime (the film) is that part of Fisher's training refers to The Element of Crime (the book), a journal for catching criminals that involves the pursuer putting themselves into the shoes of the criminal, to live, sleep and breath their lives until they are almost one with them. And that is what leads Fisher on his path, as he is soon recreating the crime scenes and scenarios that Grey might have gone through. Now this all sounds very conventional, but no. Von Trier deliberately paces the film slowly, allowing all the characters to be set-up and, even if they are not really there for any other purpose than to drive the plot. The character of Kim for example, her function is nothing more than plot devise (or to take her clothes off as one reviewer put it). These are all hallmarks of subjective reality, that none of the characters other than Fisher possesses any force in the outcome of their world.

This being von Trier's first film, and me being aware that his cinematic style has changed somewhat over the years, I was expecting the film to look nothing like his other work, but there wasn't too much of a difference, there may have been more attention to mise-en-scene and sound design (most obvious in the excellent sequence where Fisher and Kim recreate the night when Grey met his mistress on the bus), but the film looked so much like the Kingdom that it was familiar, I was more shocked when I saw the drastically different Europa. Now that is a major difference, where as Europa looked like the work of a master film-maker continuing his evolution, The Element of Crime looked like the film of a young director, trying out new techniques, referencing his hero's and gleefully deconstructing the role of film-noir (again handled in Europa).

But the fact that the film looks small scale does not devalue it one bit, as a first film it's an accomplished piece that shows the growing talent that would be nurtured into Breaking the Waves. If at times too complicated and too self knowing for its own good, it's best to allow the film to wash over you, putting yourself, much like Fisher into a dream-like state. The acting is good, but not as good as von Trier would later wrangle out of actors, and for a British audience it's a bit disconcerting to see the star of Boon performing sex scenes and slipping further into his own insanity. So, Part art-house thriller, part film-noir pastiche and part eighties pop video, The Element of Crime is by no mean as easy film to categorise or to understand. It is however a film that deserves to be studied and interpreted, if you are to get the most out of it, a true work of cinematic art. 10/10

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