Breaking the Waves -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 54)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Perhaps Lars von Trier's most lovable work, "Breaking the Waves" is a portrait of perversion, marital devotion, and religious faith.
Breaking the Waves stars Emily Watson, who memorably plays a simple Scottish woman who marries a church-outsider. She attends a Scottish covenanter church, repressed by their lack of aesthetics.
I discuss and analyze BReaking the Waves, talking about why the movie uses handheld cameras, no music, a washed-out color scheme. We also briefly discuss the ending of the film.
All reasonable comments welcome, including reasoned disagreements. I ban foolish talk on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life.
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I cried when i heard the sound of the bells at the end of the film. It is paradoxically a happy ending.
It is fucking power, that scene; it is not possible not to shed a tear. Advice from me to everyone; do not see this movie alone...
@paulosilva3695 I always watch it alone, because other people don't understand.
Shouldn't have actually shown the bells, IMO. Would've been more subtle with just the sound. Still a great movie, though.
It has not age. One off the greatest movies that really shocked me. I have seen it again now on 2023, and is still amazes me in every level.
I dont understand how Watson didn't win oscar for this or Hilary and Jacky
I don't understand Oscar voting, and I assume it's partly a popularity contest.
Thank you very much. I've just very recently watched the movie again. When I saw it at the cinema back in 1997( when it was shown here in Turkey), I thought it was a big film. However, lately I realised I didn't remember much of it and felt the need to watch it at least one more time. This time round, I couldn't believe how I forgot what really happens in the movie...And the incredible performance by Emily Watson!! It certainly is a big movie. I am surprised that she wasn't chosen for the best actress at the Academy Awards. And Trier for the best director...
thank you, yes, she needs a retro Academy Award!
Looking back at the nominees for Best Actress that year, Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) and Brenda Blethyn (Secrets and Lies) gave exceptional performances. However, I think Frances McDormand deserved the Oscar for Fargo since Marge Gunderson is one of the most unique characters I have ever seen and it’s one of the best performances in cinema history. A true original.
I wrote my thesis on this movie, the angle I took was an analysis of 'martyrdom in the arts and religion. I addressed this issue referring to psychoanalysis and post psychoanalytic theory....adding the idea of martyrdom and the culture it emanates from as 'pathology '....
If anyone is interested I'm happy to send you a copy
Amazing film.
excellent, thank you and I hope others contact you.
wow... congratulations, super interesting thesis subject... love this amazingly beautiful movie ❤️
This sounds so interesting, can I get a copy of your thesis please? daniel122498@hotmail.com
would love a copy as well!
I’d love to get a copy. My email is mitten89@gmail.com
Thanks for your insights! I love the theatre-esq act/scene break up of Breaking the waves. The use of music is intriguing rather than it being a constant that we get used to, or used to point the audience in the right direction. It's smarter than that. The silences and stillness leave more room for deep thought than cheesy Hollywood tricks do. Bleak and beautiful at the same time.
thank you. Perhaps somebody will analyze the pop-song choices and how they correspond to the story? That would be intriguing.
Janet Maslin in her NY Times review of the movie remarked on the ending, writing it had an "image of flabbergasting transcendence." And honestly, that's exactly how I felt at the ending. This movie puts you through hell - and you're wondering how much more can I (and Bess) take. And then it sucker punches you with that image and sound. One of the few times I became aware that my jaw had actually dropped.
excellent, good comment sir.
I saw this movie three times in the theater; it is one of my favorite films. I haven't seen in a few years, and came across your video when searching to see if I can watch in on youtube. I always thought that Bess thought that her prayers asking for Yon to come home when she prayed were answered, he comes back but is injured. I think she believes he will be healed if she does what he wants. This is such a beautiful film.
thank you. it should still be on the Criterion Channel, which does require a subscription.
@@LearningaboutMovies Thank you!
I had the impression that Jan wasn’t just being perverse when he asked Bess to have sex with other men. I thought, rather, that, having seen how she came alive when she discovered sensual pleasure with him, he wanted to free her to keep enjoying it after he could no longer be her lover. Of course, for Bess, it was more of a duty than a joy to do as he asked. Did anyone else see his request that way? Regarding von Trier’s attitude toward religion, I think that one has to remember that he comes from the Catholic Church, which, for all its flaws, does have a rich esthetic tradition that acknowledges humans often experience the spiritual through their senses. His criticism is more of the spare, stark approach of Calvinists to religion than it is of religion itself.
this definitely makes sense. thank you.
I thought Jan was sincere when he asked her to fuck other men, out of his feeling bad that they couldn't do it anymore, and out of, as he came out and said to her, his fear of death. And then he never knew how much it was fucking her up, because she would come back to his bedside and just pretend that it was going swimmingly.
Just watched this. Wow it was an emotional roller-coaster. One of the best films I've ever seen no doubt.
yes, indeed.
Side note it’s her sister in law who’s from the capital that’s why dodo is so meh about everything cuz she grew up cultured and married besses brother when she moved to work at the hospital to do good she only stated in the town cuz Bess she hated the town .
Some of these offshoots from Scottish Presbyterianism are very austere. I recall that before this film was made, a Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay, who was a member of one of them was unfellowed because he attended the funeral masses of Catholic colleagues.
Great overview of the movie! Subbed. 😉
thank you.
Definitely it does...just watched this today and couldn't even believe it was von trier film... the performance from Emily watson definitely warrantied an oscar ... No wonder she was a renowned actress back then...just didn't expect it to be so good and artistic
You do really good work! You have excellent taste in films! I really appreciate your channel. Please don’t stop! 😊
thank you. I really appreciate this encouragement.
This is one of the few LvT films I have not yet seen. I love how his films look with the shaky cams and feel with the lack of score/music.
really? When you do, I'd love to hear your comparison of this to his later work.
@@LearningaboutMovies Ok, I literally just got done watching the movie because I had to respond.
I do not think that this film is being harsh or critical of faith. At times it can seem that way given the nature of her church (condemning people to Hell) or how Bess is portrayed - the voice of God speaks through her yet throughout the entire film and especially towards the second half, it is hinted that Bess has mental health issues (is she actually channeling the divine or is she crazy?). However, those with faith are vindicated as the film literally ends with a miracle. I'd say the film takes a relatively balanced look at religion and faith.
I agree. The Scottish covenanters get slammed, but they also represent Pharisees, close-mindedness, dominant patriarchalism, and a bunch of other negative things (according to the movie) that contrast with Bess and Jan.
I liked the movie, I think it was very beautiful artistically, and I felt so sorry for Bess' character, but I did not see it as a short movie. Every hour I'd check how long was left on my disc. I've definitely had those movie moments where I watch a 3 hour film and it only felt like an hour went by, but this wasn't one of them.
I'm new to Von Trier having only seen The House That Jack Built and Antichrist before watching this one. I prefer the other two movies far more. A lot of people feel that this and Dancer in the Dark are his top films, but different strokes I guess. I bought his Curzon box set so I have another 12+ films to watch from him, I've heard all of his films are different in their own right which makes me excited to see what else he has done. Definitely a solid movie, but a little too slow for me since it didn't grip me the same way as it does others.
I loved this film👍 , it is of great power . TRIER is a genius ! this film is about beings who are spiritually elevated from a higher purity that connects them to the divine ( Bess ) . The infernal manipulative machine of the medical field. The castration that Bess suffers at the hands of those closest to her (parents, priest, matchmaking, education, medical staff). The lesson to be learnt is that you must always listen to your heart and not to your egocentrism. There are people like Bess on this earth. That's a reality. People who were born to make a difference and to make the world a better place. They are often misunderstood during their lives! Unfortunately. But they followed their life paths and even in death, they succeeded in making the world a better place! Because they offer us hope! Thank you Lars. An awakened being ☀️ 👍😍🙏🙏🙏. D. Diot . France. Lyon. 60 ans.
The movie is a perfect example of faith vs. religion.
so long time, i 've seen this movie and just love it and what blows my mind is that i already believed that we are creator but this movie was showing me that yes it's possible ,this womean had created everything , well that's the feeling i had watching it,absolute beautiful movie. thank you for your vidéo
One thing that stuck out to me was that most of the film was shot in close ups, pretty intense!
i just watched the movie last night and it was very interesting since im more familiar with lvt´s recent work which i love btw. I think that i could see the first steps or the earlier version of his now perfected style. i love the linear structures in his movies. it always feels like lvt tells a story through film, the story can be "simple" like in breaking the waves but its more then just storytelling. Lvt discusses topics like death, love, religion, sin, faith, patriarchy (for example in nymphomaniac some topics are: feminism, racism, abortion) trough his characters und provocative pictures he shows his audiences. sometimes after watching his movies the impact of the film is like i just read an essay about these topics beacuse it gets me thinking about them a lot. i think the reason why i get very impacted by lvts movies is that the storys he tells always feel so realistic.
excellent. what LVT movies do you recommend? I have to get to Antichrist this month.
Antichrists first scene is shot incredibly. You are going to love the movie but be prepared it can be disturbing. Melancholia and Nymphomaniac are great too.
This film hit me so hard, and I loved Bess so much, the ending had me laughing through tears. Absolute masterpiece.
This film reminded me a lot of Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, from the very first scene in which a woman finds herself surrounded by mentally closed churchmen, and then for the whole story: a woman, who has a very personal relationship with god, is ostracized and condemned by churchmen who believe she is doomed to hell, when instead she is the only one who fully understands god and perceives him spiritually. A really good movie, especially the last few chapters.
fascinating because the Joan of Arc movie was popular in the 20th C. first half, but where did it go? (I mean the world made a bunch of them over that span.) Maybe, as your hypothesis goes, to works like this. definitely see the parallels -- a great observation. thank you.
my interpretation of the whole "was Jan sick in head or not" is him being in a poor mental state, he loved her, he truly did, but even Dodo said he is "drugged all the time and doesnt even know what he is saying", ever since the paralisation made him lose all control and in that poor state he was in, he wanted to regain it, by having control over Besss life (no it wasnt just wanting her to be happy, since he also told her, that she should dress more revealing, when she is visiting him), but he wasnt necessarily evil, he was just blind to everything he caused and finally realised it by signing the papers for Besss transfer to the mental institution
one of the first 'modern' (21st century, nearly) euro movies that came out and caught my attention at the time
This is one of 5 best movies in 90', best decade with 70 ' of all time
agreed on the first one. All decades have their great material. I am partial to the 90s because that's my growing-up period.
@@LearningaboutMovies Maybe but with The Godfather and The Godfather part 2, 2 Hollywood is what is today
The "marriage" between Jan and Bess definitely was not normal. She appeared much younger than him and he had a lot of money through his oil rig job.
Did she love him? It appears like she might have, but she was also young and naive and might have been living the thrill of sex.
Bess' family never did approve of the union, even more so when she was clearly committing adultery and ultimately being barred from the church.
Bess became mentally unstable and clearly suicidal at the end but chose to die a martyr.
Solid film specially Watson's performance.
thank you.
I don't see the abnormality of this marriage, the age difference is a normal thing in those times, virginity and all; did she love him? Would she do all she has done for 'HIM TO GET BETTER' if she didn't love the guy? Was it a simple 'listen to your husband' thing or a sacrifice for love? I think that she loved him deeply, we see it in how she can't let him go (I don't think it was just her thrill of sex). There is a deep love between them: he's ready to let her have sex with other men just to 'see her glow' and she is ready to do anything for him to see him healthy again. I agree on mental instability, and I think it's one more issue of those old times, nobody gave a f*ck abot mental struggles... all was considered being possessed by devil... she could have been helped by a specialist but it didn't happen, although there were attempts of the doc, but in the end we see how he is criticized by the community: 'because she was good?', looking at him as if he was a fool, but he actually represents the society hundreds years after what has happened with Beth, how it could be seen if happening in later period of history with all the knowledge we have about mental health (we see it in the scene where the doc says: maybe here it's not normal to experience emotions, but I can't give you meds for what is natural to experience. Actually it's an important moment of the film, showing us how perspective can change lives) I loved the movie, LvT is a genius!
Dodo is not her sister. Dodo is the widow of Bess's brother, -so sister-in-law. And the significance of that is that she came from elsewhere not having the same religious background. She tries to protect Bess from the harm she is doing to herself.
The film is neither for nor against religion as such. Just that God may not be like you were told. God in their belief would send her to hell. But the other God rang the bells for her, and opened the doors to heaven
I think we can call Bless, ehm, Bess a martyr.
that's the irony of the preacher walking by her, passed out.
I watched it in the 90's, not long after it was released and it always "stuck" with me even though I don't think I understood it well. Thank you for the explanation. I'm going to need to re-watch it at is a movie directed by one of the masters of the medium. Oh, and I was wondering if you've watched the 2019 movie "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." If you have, I hope you have some time to share your thoughts on it. Thanks again for all your videos.
thank you. I have not seen "Portrait of A Lady" mainly because I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have free access to it. (yeah, I don't believe in watching for free on illegal Ukranian websites!)
The Internet ratings for it are absurdly high, meaning it's either amazing or, more likely, hitting its target audience well. I'd be happy to watch it at some point. Do you recommend it?
@@LearningaboutMovies " (yeah, I don't believe in watching for free on illegal Ukranian websites!)" :) :) I first watched "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" on iTunes (a $3.99-$4.99 rental), and I loved it! It is a beautiful movie throughout and arguably my favorite film of 2019. I hope it comes to your neck of the woods soon and you get a chance to watch it. And thank you so much for your videos.
A painful film to watch, but Emily Watson is a tremendous actress.✔✔✔✔✔:-O:-O:-O:-O:-O
yes!
would love to see more von trier films on here
Best movie of all times!
glad you love it!
Well, there are better movies
A magnificent movie.
Which was even adapted into an excellent opera that was praised worldwide.
To me, Breaking the Waves is like a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale mixed with Joan of Arc's epic faith drama; where it questions the culture of genuine emotions and of the heart in our society, but also about God's presence in our world. A timeless fable that could work as well in the medieval ages as in the 1970s era which it occurs.
If you watch the movie under the questionning that many religious people experience during dramatic tragedies - which is their wondering if God exists, is God is indifferent and heartless to their pains and trials, and if God can be a God of actions, love, and of counter-culture rather than of sermons, traditions, speeches, and eternal damnations - then you realize how everything we see and feel during this movie is God's point-of-view and heart.
Because here we have Bess, saying that she is in connection with God and his every thoughts and she looks at the camera, toward an omniscient entity and spectator we and others do not see but which she claims she is in connection with. And in dramaturgy codes, the omniscient narrator and point of view is also called "God's Point of View". Also, Lars stated quite clearly that all the moments where we hear music is God's point of view; especially during the chapter intertitles, but also during a particular time lapse sequence with the protagonists celebrating Christmas and installing Jan at home and Bess looks at the camera (God's omniscient narrator Point of View) many times.
Even the ending shows the bells being rung aloud from the point of view of the one who is holding them, which is God himself. So through it all, I realized, and so did other viewers, that the entire movie is a story seen and felt entirely from the point of view of God; of a God of emotions, sadness, happiness, love, counter-culture, and of actions. A God who usually performs subtle miracles through nature (ex: rainbow, Northern lights) and in the background, but who decides to do at the end of the film two flagrant miracles in reaction to his tears and sadness toward the pains and tragedies of Bess's trials that she performed out of the belief that God told her to do outrageous things that he never told her to do, but which she thinks he did told her to perform and which she accomplishes out of goodness and of pure humanity; thinking that she is helping her husband when all it does is destroy her.
As for the cinema verite camera angle, doing that was great as it made the drama extremely approachable. As Lars said, had it been filmed like an Ivory Merchant Drama, it would not have worked. But by filming it in a handheld camera cinema verite take that forewarned of the Dogme 95, it made the story connect with audiences and with the protagonists. And it made people realize how you don't need big massive camera techniques and visual effects to tell a story. You just need to focus on the story, the acting, and the most simplest elements to tell a great drama.
Also, the Community on the Isle of Skye, where the story is set and filmed, really adored the film and was proud of it as it promoted their region and its folklore, but also its magnificent landscapes. For them, it was one of the best publicity cards they ever got from a movie.
Thank you for your excellent review of the film.
Man from the second half on I predicted how this would go and even though I was right I still loved it and cried. Stellan, Emily, and Katrin were amazing! And Lars is on the top of his game 9/10 easy
How you feel about Dogville?
glad you liked it!
I love this movie
yes!
this film scarred me deeply.
I hope in a good way.
@@LearningaboutMovies It scarred me in the sense that I came away with the conviction that I would never, for no God, community or partner compromise my very sense of self. No one should feel they have the right to impose such influence and make such demands of me. Her innocence and her convictions were frighteningly simple and ultimately deadly. They should have all stood in shame of how they laid their expectations at the door of a deeply devout and innocent woman. The bells ringing at the end were not to me a symbolism of their loves strength but of her ultimate freedom from them all. Only in death could she be at peace and free. This film left me with the conviction that love without boundaries is a virtue that will be abused, even by your God. So I suppose the positive effect of the scarring was the lesson learnt about unbridled innocence. Perhaps it hit closer to home because for a while I grew up in a patriarchal culture and was already being reconsidered as disobedient because I never accepted arbitrary rules on the basis of my gender ,religion or culture. I questioned too much and I am familiar with being ostracized for one reason or another. Therefore I came to this film with an existing predisposition against certain societal,familial and marital structures.
Thanks for writing. I found that thought provoking.
Lmao! Feminism ruins everything!
How you compare Breaking The Waves and The Dreamers? Because I love both actresses Emily Watson and Eva Green. In my opinion, the have the similar qualities that hollows out of the surface. What is your opinion about two actresses in two adulterated movies?
I haven't seen The Dreamers, so I will look into it. thank you.
watching this again for the 100 plus time. subscribed. would love to collab with you.
thank you.
@@LearningaboutMovies for the record i meant i was watching the film for the 100th time, not your video. but i loved your video and subscribed immediately. don't want to sound like some obsessed youtuber lol
The church in this movie resembles the Jehovah’s Witness church a lot.
yes, and unfortunately the strict bounds of this church have been like a number of orthodox Christian churches all over.
La hace grandiosa el amor eterno, irrenunciable y magnánimo de ella por él.
thank you.
By the way its not unheard of, paralyzed males who have a sense of their libido and sexuality but has lost use of their sex organ asking their partner to engage in sexual activity with others and either asking that they watch or be told about the experience.
I believe it!
Breaking the waves is an ok movie, to me. I understand everything from it, and yet I think it's a bit too long, and especially I feel like every movie made by Von Trier is the same: the protagonist (usually a woman) is or gets into a weird, easily unrealistic situation, she usually goes deep into this situation and can't or won't help her way out, with damages to her and the closest ones to be blamed on her exclusively. All this accompanied by touching certain topics that never have a psychological deal and are never really discussed, and some unnecessary nakedness.
I understand the show of a dull world and of a parasitic relation in this movie, but I don't get the meaning of Yan's healing when Bess dies, why she isn't ostracized since day 1 and so many other things. Cute movie, but nothing really classic to me.
I wonder if it makes any difference whether a viewer has been in, or knows intimately about, a religious community such as the one in the movie.
Should she have been ostracized on day one??
Answer to both: the social context matters a lot, and if you live in a bad one you'll easily know how easy you'll be ostracized even for prejudices.
So yes: why wasn't she ostracized since day 1? She was in a bad community anyway, so what did you expect, flowers?
@@Snarl616 I see...I didn't think it that way.