| | |
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby Digital (5.1) Surround, French, Spanish, Dubbed, English, Dubbed & Subtitled
Lars von Trier enters the world of documentary filmmaking and challenges his idol Leth to remark his 1967 film The Perfect Human five times, each tiem with a new obstructions. Leth rises to the challenge as von Trier hurtles one obstruction after the other, hoping each time that he will fail!
Editor's Note
With THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director Jorgen Leth, forcing him to remake his classic 1967 short, "The Perfect Human," five different times, with a series of increasingly outlandish guidelines. His goal is to break down the abnormally stable Leth, teaching him a valuable life lesson in the process. In the first film, von Trier sends Leth to Cuba and sets his first seemingly insurmountable rule: make a film that consists of shots that are no longer than twelve frames at a time. Miraculously, Leth uses his forced limitations to create a beautiful work, which obviously irks von Trier. Next up, von Trier challenges Leth to return to Bombay--which he calls the "most wretched place on Earth"--in order to confront some demons from his past. Once again, the clever mentor rises to the challenge. Frustrated and sensing defeat, von Trier's next challenge is deceptively simple: Leth must remake his film with no limitations whatsoever. He travels to Brussels and succeeds once again. After a foray into animation, von Trier creates the final obstruction, a film in which von Trier admits defeat and pays tribute to his mentor. THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS is a thoughtful, entertaining meditation on the filmmaking process.
| Features | Director's Commentary by Jorgen Leth | | Theatrical Trailers | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround | | Jorgen Leth's 1967 short film, The Perfect Human |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Koch International |
| Release Date: 10/5/2004 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 3034 | | UPC: 00741952303497 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Spanish | | Available Audio Tracks: Danish, English, French, Spanish | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew | Lars von Trier - Featured | | Jorgen Leth - Featured | | Dan Holmberg - Director of Photography | | Lars von Trier - Story | | Carsten Holst - Producer | | Jorgen Leth - Director | | Lars von Trier - Director |
|
| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"[F]ascinating....It's specialty stuff, to be sure..." 06/01/2004 p.26Film Comment
"It's a double, and eventually all-consuming game." 05/01/2004 p.74 Rolling Stone
"[A] spellbinding mind teaser, the ultimate game for movie buffs." 06/10/2004 p.98 New York Times
"[A] suave, pseudo-scientific examination of human behavior." 05/26/2004 p.E5 Entertainment Weekly
"THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS glories in art, life, and the faith that binds them." 06/11/2004 p.96 Los Angeles Times
"[A] complete original. This ingenious, almost indescribable film won't remind you of anything else because there's nothing else like it." 06/04/2004 p.E6 Uncut
"It's a fascinating, beguiling, occasionally confounding, then suddenly emotive journey." 12/01/2003 p.150 Chicago Sun-Times
"[T]he entire enterprise is infected with a spirit of mischievous play..." 09/10/2004 p.32 |
| |
|
|
|
