One review on 08 Apr 2023

Denmark 1984

Running time: 100 mins

The Element of Crime

Forbrydelsens element

Director : Lars von Trier 

Setting: Imagination
Original language: Danish & English
Summary: ex Detective undergoes hypnosis to recover memories of his last case in a dystopian imagination.


Cast:

  • Michael Elphick  Fisher
  • Esmond Knight  Osborne (the mentor)


Aspect Ratio: 1.85 widescreen

Colour: Colour

Sound: Mono

Camera: 35mm

Tech Notes: Colour is very distorted, largely in brownish yellow tomes



First Seen: Sat 8th Apr 2023
Catalogued: 9th Apr 2023

Synopsis

A film set inside the memories of a man, Fisher (ichael Elphick) and ex-detective, presented in a garish sepia with water running everywhere and no clear vistas. Largely told in voice-over uncovering the details of a serial child killer using the method of his teacher and mentor Osborne (Esmond Knight)

Reviews

by rogerco on Sat 8th Apr 2023 Streamed proj @ home

Imagination runs wild

Summary

A strange look at future Europe through the mind of a broken detective

Full review

There is probably a story which is told, but with many layers of eta-vision overlaid. Since we are seeing the world from inside the memory of the detective, Fisher, (is there some nominiative determinism between his name and the waterlogged imagination inside him) do is dredging up memories of a traumatic last case under hypnosis, it is difficult to see through the representation to a possible real world beyond.

Has the society collapsed, or does it just seem so. Something has happened but is it inside or out. Did Osborne, Fisher's mentor and solver of the original Harry Grey case which ended in HG's death - allegedly -, did he then go on to complete the next murder himself, and did he recommend his best pupil to investigate the new case knowing that he would fall into the same trap of using his (Fisher's) "method" and complete the first set of murders himself by finding the missing location whilst having used 'the method' to get into HG's mind, and thus feel compelled to close things with a final murder.

Which begs the question would there have been the outline of a 'G' making a further set of murders...