Europa (Zentropa) (1991)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Stella D

  
  i am not the biggest fan of von trier but with the recent controversy at cannes i thought i'd give one of his older films a watch. this is just stunning. shot in an ironic film noir style with many interesting effects, it explores the plight of post-war europe through the… More
  i am not the biggest fan of von trier but with the recent controversy at cannes i thought i'd give one of his older films a watch. this is just stunning. shot in an ironic film noir style with many interesting effects, it explores the plight of post-war europe through the adventures of a hapless american train conductor. i found the voice over a little overbearing at times (sorry, max von sydow) but then i read it was added later for english language prints. among many beautifully shot scenes, the one of snow falling in the cathedral took my breath away...

• Drew S

  
  A delightfully messy, misanthropic throwback to glossy 40s international melodrama. Think Casablanca with a mean streak. His triptych of a discontinuous, failed Europe ends here, in a far more accessible way than the visions seen in The Element of Crime or Epidemic - it's only… More
  A delightfully messy, misanthropic throwback to glossy 40s international melodrama. Think Casablanca with a mean streak. His triptych of a discontinuous, failed Europe ends here, in a far more accessible way than the visions seen in The Element of Crime or Epidemic - it's only upon careful scrutiny that the film reveals itself as truly bizarre. Time and space seem completely immaterial, as trains move backward and events rewind in surprisingly subtle ways. Lars von Trier puts forth unusual insinuations, that Europe and Germany are dream spaces where nothing seems to make sense, a widespread extrapolation of the mere mechanical failure that plagues the continent in The Element of Crime. Here, EVERYTHING has failed, not the least of which is Leopold Kessler, a starry-eyed idealist thoroughly shit upon at every turn. Meant to be a commentary on the gendered notions of idealism, and the man's attempt to seize power and subsequent failure, it's sort of difficult to watch. Jean-Marc Barr's performance is a little ridiculous, but you sort of get the feeling that von Trier wants it to be. Europa seems serious, but it's too glib to be taken completely at face value. You always get the idea that it's got something more to say than what's sitting at the surface/narrative level, and that justifies its idiosyncrasies. Even divorced of critical or auteurial theory, this is a fun watch, probably the most accessible of von Trier's movies. Highly original, visually captivating and finely observed, Europa will probably alienate viewers who are observant but not creative; everyone else should enjoy themselves thoroughly.

• Anthony L

  
  Probably Triers most accessible film and probably his most epic. Visually moving, the mixing B/W and colour noir style shots at key moments but with perfect subtlety is masterful. The cast is also superb, it's absolutely faultless and a perfect end to the E trilogy. It's a… More
  Probably Triers most accessible film and probably his most epic. Visually moving, the mixing B/W and colour noir style shots at key moments but with perfect subtlety is masterful. The cast is also superb, it's absolutely faultless and a perfect end to the E trilogy. It's a real shame the American trilogy didn't quite happen!

• Arash X

  
  Fascinating, Nicely stylish with a top-notch voice-over by Max von Sydow

• Grant B

  
  A very different film for Lars von Trier, particularly compared to his later films like "Breaking The Waves" and "Dancer In The Dark". Everything had to be scripted to perfection (which differs greatly from the loose improv based style that he's used since… More
  A very different film for Lars von Trier, particularly compared to his later films like "Breaking The Waves" and "Dancer In The Dark". Everything had to be scripted to perfection (which differs greatly from the loose improv based style that he's used since the mid-'90s) to allow for the superimposing of the background into every scene. The actors were filmed on a soundstage and then superimposed over pre-filmed backgrounds (and it was done so well, that I was unaware of this until I watched the making-of features). The story is very thought-provoking and entertaining as it deals with a man who travels to post-war Germany (through a hypnosis/time-travel format that is never fully revealed) with the intent of gaining employment and eventually helping the people of Germany. While there, he finds himself surrounded by former Nazis in hiding, and he is caught between the desires of the Nazi hunters and those being hunted. Everything feels very authentic to the time, and the visuals are stunning. There is a very interesting conversation concerning if God forgives those involved in the act of war, and the answer seems so true: Those who take a side will be protected from his wrath, but those who are lukewarm will be punished. "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:16 This is not your standard film, as all of Lars von Trier's films seem to have nothing standard about them, but Europa is a must-see and an easy introduction to the twisted mind of director Lars von Trier.

• Chris B

  
  Europa, is a solid and moody neo-noir film in which Lars von Trier utilizes several different and unique techniques in order to portray his postwar Germany and the events in an atmospheric and dark sense. I really enjoyed and appreciated the use of both color as well as B&W and… More
  Europa, is a solid and moody neo-noir film in which Lars von Trier utilizes several different and unique techniques in order to portray his postwar Germany and the events in an atmospheric and dark sense. I really enjoyed and appreciated the use of both color as well as B&W and the many other techniques used, but at times it felt exhaustive in a sense. The story while dark is also boldly portrayed and is ultimately a case in which we see how hard a personal can be pushed before they lose sense and purpose of themselves. While not for everyone, anyone who appreciates form and technique in film will be dazzled at what they see and more importantly, express.

• Alec B

  
  Its a great blend of striking visuals and interesting ideas. Its rare that the two meld so nicely. It might be the most appealing of von Trier's films, its weird but not insane.

• Robert F

  
  Not much more than an ostentatious display of highly stylised visual tricks.

• MJS M

  
  When I decided to check out some Lars Von Trier movies, this was the one I was most looking forward to. I?d seen some beautiful clips from this movie in the past and this promised to finally be the movie that showed me why Lars Von Trier has such a great reputation. Unfortunately,… More
  When I decided to check out some Lars Von Trier movies, this was the one I was most looking forward to. I?d seen some beautiful clips from this movie in the past and this promised to finally be the movie that showed me why Lars Von Trier has such a great reputation. Unfortunately, this wasn?t to be. Don?t get me wrong, there really is a lot to like in Europa but its charms are entirely aesthetic. The film has a gorgeous mix of black and white footage with color elements, I don?t know if this was the first movie to do something like that (it predates Schindler?s List by two years), but it does it very well. Unfortunately this is done in service of a boring story about some sort of fantastical post-war Germany divorced of any historical accuracy. Worse, the main character is (deliberately) annoying to the point where you?d rather strangle him than watch a movie about him. I do not know what Von Trier was trying to say with this film, and I wouldn?t mind if I thought it was an enjoyable watch? which it isn?t. I also found a lot of the acting strange, it seemed like he was dubbing over various actors Leone style, and that was an annoying distraction. Truth be told, this is the best Von Trier movie I?ve seen, but that?s not saying mutch. I haven?t checked out his Dogma work yet, so maybe that?s where I?m going to have to go in order to understand all the fuss over this guy.

• Anthony V

  
  Still one of my favorites.

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