Europa (1991)

Just after W.W.II, an American takes a railway job in Germany, but finds his position politically sensitive with various people trying to use him.

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writers:

Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel

Stars:

Barbara Sukowa, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier

16 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Leopold Kessler
Barbara Sukowa	...	Katharina Hartmann
Udo Kier	...	Lawrence Hartmann
Ernst-Hugo Järegård	...	Uncle Kessler
Erik Mørk	...	Pater
Jørgen Reenberg	...	Max Hartmann
Henning Jensen	...	Siggy
Eddie Constantine	...	Colonel Harris
Max von Sydow	...	Narrator (voice)
Benny Poulsen	...	Steleman
Erno Müller	...	Seifert
Dietrich Kuhlbrodt	...	Inspector
Michael Phillip Simpson	...	Robins
Holger Perfort	...	Mr. Ravenstein
Anne Werner Thomsen	...	Mrs. Ravenstein

Storyline

An American of German descent arrives in post-war Germany 1945. His uncle gets him a job on the Zentropa train line as a sleeping car conductor. The American's wish is to be neutral to the ongoing purges of loyalists by the Allied forces and do what he can to help a hurting country, but he finds himself being used by both the Americans and the influential family that owns the railroad. After falling in love with the railroad magnate's daughter, he finds that he can't remain neutral and must make some difficult choices.

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Plot Keywords:

germany | 1940s | train | sleeping car | american | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for scenes of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Denmark Sweden France Germany Switzerland

Language:

English German

Release Date:

27 June 1991 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Zentropa

Filming Locations:

Chojna Cathedral, Chojna, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 28,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,007,001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alicéléo, Coproduction Office, Det Danske Filminstitut

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Spielberg is a fan of the film. Upon seeing it, he offered Lars Von Trier the chance to work in Hollywood, to which Von Trier politely declined. Von Trier has worked solely in Denmark ever since, and has never been to the United States.

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Quotes

Lawrence Hartmann: Mr. Kessler, did you know that many factories in Germany were owned by Americans during the war?

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Connections

Referenced in Portræt af: Lars von Trier (1991)

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Soundtracks

Variation on a theme by Bernard Herrmann's score for the film 'Vertigo'
(Vertigo (1958))

User Reviews

Best when watched between 3 and 5 am

This is the fifth von Trier film I have seen. I believe that he is the only director to whom I have given such a high score on all his movies. Four of them, The Element of Crime, Europa, Breaking the Waves, and Dancer in the Dark, I have given a 10, and one, The Idiots, I have given a 9 (and I have been reconsidering whether to give it a 10 since I first saw it, although I'd like to see it once more before I do). He has been chided for calling himself one of the best working directors. I tend to agree with him. I cannot blame him for being arrogant when he has made such great films. In 50 years, when von Trier retires, he will be looked upon as the pre-eminent film artist from Europe (perhaps from the planet), and there will be classes taught in his name. He simply is the Bergman or Fellini of our time. It is too bad the critics are too intrigued with themselves to notice this.

About Europa itself, I'll admit that it was confusing and that its narrative did not seem strong. I think that's the point. This film was obviously meant to represent a nightmare, or the subconscious at some level. This is absolutely clear from the framing of the film: Max von Sydow's narration. We are hypnotized, or von Trier is hypnotized, and this is our/his subconscious mind. I'm inclined to lean more towards his mind, since the degradation of Europe concerns me, an American, very little. This framing is also clear if you have seen The Element of Crime, an even more brilliant film than this (although I am disputing that in my mind; what Europa needs more than anything is a proper release on DVD, hopefully Criterion again, with theatrical aspect ratio and remastered sound and picture; then, I am fairly sure, this film would seem as great as any of von Trier's other films). In The Element of Crime, the film begins with a hypnotist, whom we actually see on screen this time, is hypnotizing Fisher, a European detective who wants to get to the root of his mental anguish. The first words of that film are "Fantasy is okay, but my job is to keep you on track." And whenever Fisher, the narrator, gets off track, the hypnotist does chastize him and tells him to get back on with the story. He even laughs when a character is given a really silly and trite line. Something along the lines of, "Do you understand the difference between good and evil?" The hypnotist laughs and says, "Now, Fisher, she didn't really say that, did she?"

So the key to interpreting Europa, almost a sequel of sorts to The Element of Crime, is that we are deep in our/von Trier's subconscious, and the symbols there are to be interpreted within ourselves and will likely be different for everyone. What does the train itself symbolize? Consider it internally, and only then discuss it externally. Europa is a great film, a masterpiece. I was never bored by it, even though I watched it at 3 am. The perfect time to watch, actually, since it works in dream logic.